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JiHyeon Lee
Korea
JiHyeon Lee was born in Seoul, where she lives today. She studied Media Art at Kaywon School of Art and Design, and illustration at HILLS (Hankuk Illustration School). JiHyeon’s debut picturebook, ‘Pool’, which she created for a project at HILLS, has been highly praised and translated into several languages.
In this post, JiHyeon talks about the creation of ‘Pool’. Inspired by a one-off visit to a swimming pool as a non-swimmer, JiHyeon’s magnificent wordless picturebook celebrates curiosity, imagination, and forming new friendships through shared experiences.
JiHyeon: It happened a few years ago in the summer at a swimming pool. It was the first time I had been to a swimming pool since I was very young. I did not know how to swim, but I wanted to try without a rubber ring or life jacket. Summoning my courage and lowering myself into the water, I had a surprising experience. My body became free in the water, and the feeling and sensation of it was enjoyable. And then I saw a scene beneath the water which I had never seen before. Unlike the place where many people were moving about above the water, it was a quiet, peaceful and expansive world down there, and it was quite impressive how there could be such contrast in a single space. And between the legs of the people who were swimming, I felt like someone like me could swim towards me from the other side. That scene caused me to think about many things and many stories. I made a book about those stories.
The first thing I did was sketch the images that came to my mind. After I drew a scene I wanted, I inserted other scenes that were needed and took out or changed the ones that were not needed, and my work continued in this way. For example, at first the story was not about a boy and a girl, but a boy and a bear. But as my work progressed, it changed to a boy and a girl.
For the part about underwater travel, I drew a specific scene and pondered what would happen before and after the scene for quite a while. It was helpful to do the original picture right away and then expand the story. I did all the thumbnails together.
When people go into the water their movements become slower and their body lines are accentuated. It is as if they are doing ballet, and I think it is quite elegant. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be floating in space. It seems even more elegant when I watch videos of scuba divers swimming freely in the water...
And when I see a large fish swimming close to a person, I think it is truly wonderful and marvellous. It makes me think a lot.
‘Pool’ is my first book, so I discovered many things about myself during its creation. The way I illustrated the fish was one these discoveries. At first, I had not intended to draw fish that do not exist. But I needed the illustrations to portray a world and experience that belonged to the main characters and which was different to the underwater world which already exists. This is why I illustrated the fish from my imagination.
This was my first time working in this way and it was challenging. I knew that the illustrations could have turned out well or not so well. Fortunately I was able to come up with my own unique characters, and the project was enjoyable. It felt like things that had been inside me for a long time were released. I have always liked observing animals and I often admire their appearance, so I think this played a big part. But more than anything, the presence of fish that did not exist made me think a lot, and I was very satisfied because it expanded the world within the story.
Coloured pencils and lead pencils are my favourite materials because they are familiar and their expression of lines is more free than anything else. Pencils of many different colours really excite me. And I like the different thicknesses of lines expressed on paper and the feeling of drawing with them. ‘Pool’ was a project that allowed me to use a variety of lines, from thick lines to thin and detailed lines. I was able to draw lines layer upon layer, until together they formed a complete surface. I used lines to my heart’s content.
This is a picturebook without words. I did not intend to leave out words from the beginning. It was just that as the story unfolded with images, I came to realise that the images were enough. The absence of words means the readers can make up their own stories, in any way they like.
Many adults in Korea ask me about the meaning of the book – and they say it is a children’s book for adults. They also say that children find it difficult to understand. These words are regrettable to me because I feel it pushes away the child readers who could fully enjoy the book. Rather than first thinking about the meaning or lesson of the book, I hope that they would simply think about the scenes they like, or enjoy the overall ambience of the book.
This is my first book and I am very happy that people like it. However, I will try to do even better with my next book.
I hope that ‘Pool’ will bring a little happiness to readers.
Illustrations © JiHyeon Lee. Post translated by Gengo and edited by dPICTUS.
수영장 / Pool
JiHyeon Lee
Iyagikot Publishing, Korea, 2013
What happens when two shy children meet at a very crowded pool? Dive in to find out! Deceptively simple, this masterful book tells a story of quiet moments and surprising encounters, and reminds us that friendship and imagination have no bounds.
‘JiHyeon Lee invites readers to imagine something greater than what they already know and conveys the possibility of connecting deeply with others through shared imaginative experiences.’
—LOOK/BOOK Report
