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Young Illustrator Who Defied the Odds

Wooh Na-young

Wooh Na-young, better known by her pen name Obsidian, has established herself as a well-regarded illustrator with creative interpretations of classics with a modern and Korean twist.

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One popular success was her drawing of Eo Woo-dong, a renowned gisaeng or paid entertainer of the Chosun era, sitting on the back of a tiger for the mobile trading card game "Million of Bravery".

Three years ago, Wooh quit her office job to become a full-time illustrator. She saw her opportunity in overseas markets, and her work was often used on websites related to the Korean Wave. It is especially popular in Europe and North America.

She started selling her works at online digital art market Deviant Art for her fans abroad.

Wooh grew up in a household where both of her parents worked full-time and was introduced to the world of online games at an early age thanks to her older brother.

"I loved North American and Japanese classic role-playing games", she recalls. "My pen name Obsidian also comes from an item that I chose in an RPG called 'Ultima.' I chose it as my pen name because I thought it fits my oriental style of drawing".

Studying Asian painting at Ewha Womans University, her confidence soon dissipated. "I realized soon after I went to university that I would have an uphill struggle to make ends meet by painting alone. If I'd started as a full-time painter, I would not have survived".

Instead she gained 10 years of experience in the game industry, but she grew tired of producing drawings to corporate orders. She taught herself to use drawing software in her spare time and started drawing illustrations.

Her series of "Women in Hanbok" in modern style and "Fairytales" in which famous western fairytale characters are reinterpreted in Korean style were published online, and the reception was positive. She quit the company and held her first solo exhibition the following year.

"I pursue an oriental style in my painting, especially characters in hanbok, but this isn't exactly popular in the game industry. Currently, 3D art is the mainstream, but the beauty of oriental art is in its two-dimensional aspects such as lines and blurring of colors. There is very little commercial prospect in what I do, to be honest".

Instead, since turning freelance Wooh has earned her living from contract work from game companies in Korea and abroad.

She counts herself lucky to have succeeded as an illustrator overseas. "I'd like to earn more than a subsistence living as a full-time illustrator, and want to continue this job even when I'm old", she says. "My dream may sound grand, but I'd like to be a good role model for aspiring illustrators, showing them that some people can make ends meet and even live in modest comfort in the job".

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