“What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood?”

Beatrix Potter

Can you remember when you first learned to read? What was your favourite book? Series? I remember devouring Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit series. I had the good fortune to grow up on a farm surrounded by animals: cats, kittens, dogs, chickens, cows and calves to name a few. I was an imaginative child and often wondered what the animals would say if they could talk. To me, they seemed magical, whether they could speak or not.

Fast-forward to my half-century plus self and I still cherish memories of a magical childhood surrounded by the animal world, and the joy gained from reading children’s books. So much of our lives today are formed in those early years. I am still drawn to beautifully written and illustrated children’s books. I appreciate the life lessons carefully drawn and shared to help us move through this life more easily and with a good dose of compassion.

In fact, I am fortunate to work with a talented children’s book illustrator. Her name is Soyeon Kim and in today’s blog post you will learn about her craft, her process and will experience her imaginative, charming illustration style.

I purchased my first book illustrated by Soyeon last spring. I found myself in the early stages of grief, having just lost my dear Mum in January. I pre-ordered Soyeon’s book “A Last Goodbye”, a beautiful children’s book that shares the stories of animals who, like humans, grieve for their lost loved ones. The book wisely and wonderfully reveals that it is natural to grieve and the process, while always painful can also be comforting. Soyeon’s images of animals caring for each other are touching beyond words (and the words in this book by author Elin Kelsey are equally poignant).

I often pulled out this beautiful book this past year when I missed Mum most; it helped soothe my soul and I was grateful.

It was with a sense of gratitude that I anticipated Soyeon’s next project born out of this challenging year for we humans. COVID-19 has shaped so much of our lives in ways that we have yet to even imagine. I would say that we have experienced a collective grief, for the loss of loved ones, the loss of cherished moments of human touch, and even the sheer loss of normalcy. If you are like me, seeking out small moments of wonder became a useful coping mechanism. These shining moments of levity keep us buoyant as we wait for better times.

This past Christmas I experienced a welcome sense of wonder when I got the chance to visit Soyeon’s latest project, pictured in the top image, “Secret Stories of Our Neighbourhood”, now on display at the Crow’s Theatre here in Toronto.

““We all know that the holiday season is going to be different this year, and we wanted to do something special to create east end holiday cheer. We’re turning the street corner into a cozy, enchanting and pandemic-friendly space where the neighbourhood, and especially families, can be delighted by a beautiful piece of art on a cold winter night.”

Crow’s Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director, Marie Farsi

Just before Christmas a group of friends/co-workers safely visited Soyeon’s project at the corner of Carlaw and Dundas in Toronto’s east end and we were instantly delighted and charmed. The mini city-scape, the sparkling kaleidoscopes and animal dioramas became the most unexpected yet welcome delight of our holidays!

Soyeon did a wonderful job engaging her audience via her lovely Instagram account @Soyeonis.

Join me in learning more about Soyeon’s inspiration for this project and her process. Thanks for agreeing to an interview Soyeon! To start, can you describe your creation process for this project?

“The cityscapes were inspired by east end city buildings and landmarks, so it’s familiar to the neighbourhood. Buildings were painted with watercolour on paper, which were scanned and printed in different sizes. Windows were cut out and layered with acetate (clear plastic paper) or mylar. They were all built into 3D buildings using dark brown or black paper.

Dioramas are the main part of the window display. The frames were built with hardwood and screen fabric were stretched on top and bottom (planned by Soyeon, built by Joseph Bauman). While dioramas were being built, I cut out a paper to diorama size and sketched out each scene with all the details. Then I trace each piece on to the watercolour paper, where I create final pieces. The animals were traced with pen and ink and painted with watercolour. Once the painting is complete, I cut them out and arrange them on the first sketch that I did to see if I have missed any or need to include any additional pieces. 

“When the dioramas were delivered and all the pieces were cut out, I started arranging them inside the dioramas. The first sketch is taped on the back of the diorama so that I know where to place animals. I hang fishing wire from the back to the front, making sure that I have enough for all animals. Once animals are placed, I add any additional background elements (e.g. snowy ground or circles).”

The images above depict animals meeting at the beginning of winter. I asked Soyeon why this story is important.

“I collaborated on the story with Marie. We didn’t want to make it specific to holiday tradition, but something different that people can be inspired by. Then we started thinking about animals and where they go during the winter. I thought it would be perfect idea to have them come all together like how we gather with our families to enjoy meals and spend time together.”

When asked what the most challenging and rewarding aspects of this project were Soyeon shared:

“The most challenging part of this project was the short deadline. We started talking about the project at the end of October and didn’t get to start until the second week of November. Everything had to come together within a month, which included all the art making, finding the right materials, scanning, and printing. 
I am really thankful to Marie and the team, who were very supportive. Without them, I would be still painting and cutting!

The most fun part of it was definitely the dioramas. Especially the diorama with the onsen scene (above) is dear to my heart, because it was most challenging one to create but also most rewarding one. I think it’s the creative challenge that I thrive on when creating art. When idea sketching, I have a general idea of how it looks like at the end, but not all the fine details. It’s the process of getting to the final art where I have to problem solve. How the bath tubs need to be put together and what kind of papers need to be used to create the bubbly effect are the ones that I enjoyed the most.”

I asked Soyeon how she got her start creating diorama’s and why she uses this medium:

“I started working with diorama when my mom and brother moved to Canada. I was an international student until then, but my family joined me in Canada to live together. With their big move from Korea to Canada, there were lots of empty cardboard boxes. While looking at them, I was like why not? I can create drawings that just don’t live on a flat surface, but in three-dimensional space. I could create a world of its own to tell a story.

 
Ever since then, diorama became one of the art styles that I focus on. There are so many possibilities where I can use different mediums (or even found objects), which may look different depending on how you view them or how you light them. It was love at first sight!”

You will likely wonder, like I do, what is next for this talented, creative artist?

“For my next project, I am hoping to work on a painting series that may work with installation (space around the paintings) and stop-motion animation! They are both personal projects, but I am making these two as my 2021 goals! I will make sure to update my website: www.kimsoyeonart.com so please stay tuned!

I hope you enjoyed meeting Soyeon as much as I enjoy working with her at Pearson Canada! Even though we work on educational resources for schools rather than children’s trade books, I appreciate how she applies her creative eye and spirit to all of our marketing projects!

For those in the neighbourhood of Crows Theatre in Toronto (Carlaw and Dundas), please walk over and visit “Secret Stories of Our Neighbourhood” which is still open in the evenings until January 28th. For the rest of us who must stay at home at this time, fortunately Soyeon created a video walkthrough that will charm you. You will see Soyeon’s work lit by Jareth Li and enhanced with a wonderful score by David Meshia.

As I look back on this tough year that started with intense grief yet ended with an appreciated sense of wonder, I am thankful that I am surrounded by thoughtful, creative people who make our lives brighter and more engaging. My life in the span of one year has come full circle!

For the parents who read my blog, I would highly recommend that you pick up a copy of any of Soyeon’s beautiful books published by Owl Kids Books. If you or your family are struggling with loss, “A Last Goodbye” may help. Please also see the thoughtful free resources on the Owl site that can support challenging conversations about grief.

Soyeon, thanks for making a challenging year not only bearable but beautiful!