Alright, let’s talk about this Yeon-woo Lee practice session I went through. I stumbled upon some art online, really striking stuff, credited to Yeon-woo Lee. The character designs, specifically the way expressions and dynamic poses were handled, just grabbed me. I thought, “Okay, I gotta try and figure out how this is done.”
Getting Started – The References
So, the first thing I did was gather a bunch of references. Saved images, looked closely at the line work, the coloring style, the whole package. It looked kinda simple at first glance, you know? Clean lines, often soft colors. Seemed achievable.
I fired up my usual drawing software – nothing fancy, just my trusty tablet and Clip Studio Paint. I picked one character piece that I particularly liked. My goal wasn’t to trace or anything, but to capture that feeling, that specific style.
The Actual Trying Part
Man, was I wrong about it being simple. The initial sketching was okay, getting the basic pose down. But then came the refining stage. Trying to replicate those lines? Way harder than it looked.
- The Lines: They looked effortless, but mine came out stiff or wobbly. I spent ages just adjusting brush settings, trying different pressures. It felt like trying to write with my left hand.
- The Faces: Especially the eyes and mouths. Getting that specific expressive quality? Nope. Mine either looked generic or just… weird. Like they were trying too hard.
- The Colors: I tried color picking directly at first, just to understand the palette. But applying them, blending them in that soft-yet-defined way Yeon-woo Lee does? My attempts looked muddy or flat. There was some subtle gradient work or cell shading blend I just couldn’t nail.
I remember getting pretty frustrated after a few hours. I had this reference image right there, but my drawing looked like a cheap knock-off. It wasn’t capturing the energy at all. I took a break, stepped away, thinking maybe fresh eyes would help. Didn’t really change much when I came back.
Figuring Things Out (Slowly)
I started thinking less about copying and more about understanding. What makes this style work? I realized it wasn’t just one thing. It was a combination:
- Strong Anatomy Basics: Even with stylization, the underlying structure felt solid. My own fundamentals were maybe shakier than I admitted.
- Line Weight Control: The lines weren’t just clean; their thickness varied intentionally to give form and focus.
- Color Harmony: The palettes were limited but used really effectively. It wasn’t about complex rendering, but smart color choices.
So, I shifted my practice. Instead of trying to finish a full piece replicating the style, I started doing focused exercises. Just drawing eyes in that style. Just practicing line weight variation on simple shapes. Just experimenting with those color combinations on spheres or cubes.
Where I Landed
Did I master the Yeon-woo Lee style? Absolutely not. Not even close. But the whole process was incredibly valuable.
What I learned:
- Breaking down a style is key. You can’t just absorb it by looking.
- Fundamentals matter, always. Style is built on top of them.
- My own habits and weaknesses became super clear.
In the end, I didn’t end up drawing exactly like Yeon-woo Lee. Instead, I picked up a few techniques, a better understanding of line control, and some ideas about color that I started integrating into my own way of drawing. It’s less about becoming a clone and more about learning the ‘language’ of another artist to improve your own vocabulary.
So yeah, that was my deep dive into trying to figure out Yeon-woo Lee’s thing. Didn’t get the result I initially expected, but definitely learned a lot. It’s funny how these practice sessions go sometimes, you start aiming for one thing and end up discovering something else entirely.
