Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci
tried to capture the changes
made by the disembodied parts of
the soul and emotions when
he painted portraits.
It is said that he tried to capture
the essence of the character
in his work, leaving numerous
observational records and fragments,
and tried to breathe life into
the portrait through him.
It is said that the portraits
completed through this process
still evoke a sense of mystery
that makes many people curious about
the story contained in them.
@Gigiv. , the selected artist for
the July Hall of Fame, also observes
and expresses the faces of people
in detail and draws beautiful works
that contain the emotions they have.
The artist paints the character
beautifully.
From black-and-white sketches to
various colors
that express emotions and moods,
it creates a lively feeling as if
you are seeing a person in front
of you.
Along with this, through
the appearance of animals, along
with the fact that animals also
have various facial expressions,
they are making us fall in love
with them.
We'd like to find out how the artist
came to draw
these works through interviews.
So, let's start the interview with the artist.
Q1. @PENUP
Hello artist.
This is PENUP manager.
First, congratulations on being
selected for the July 2023
Hall of Fame.
Please tell us about yourself.
A1. @Gigiv.
Hello! I’d like to extend
a warm welcome to the PENUP Team
and my fellow artists on PENUP
as well!
I’m from Korea, and I live with
my lovely husband and cats.
My husband and I run a small company
which at the moment is focusing on
finding carbon-neutral solutions
using the Kenaf plant.
Aside from work,
when I get some time off,
I love to draw and work out.
I’d like to thank everyone
for inducting me into the Hall of
Fame for the month of July 2023.
I’ve had plenty of people
supporting my work and people who
have enjoyed my drawings.
And this feels like I’ve finally
paid them back somewhat for all
the faith and support they’ve sent
my way over the years.
And I sincerely thank my friends
who sent messages congratulating me
despite the PENUP program going down
for some system maintenance.
Q2. @PENUP
The first piece was uploaded in
January 2020.
Since then, you have been constantly
uploading your work.
We are curious about how you came to
know about PENUP and upload your work.
A2. @Gigiv.
I first started using PENUP back
in 2018.
Although I did delete my account
a short while after that, I got back
on the horse in 2020.
I learned about PENUP when I bought
a new phone in 2018, and out of
curiosity, I started doing
some coloring with PENUP.
Then, of course, I started drawing
and uploading my own work.
Q3. @PENUP
You portrayed the figures and
animals beautifully.
We wonder what kind of devices and
apps these works are created with.
A3. @Gigiv.
As for the two drawings above,
I used the PENUP app on
my Galaxy Note20.
From 2021, I switched to using
the Galaxy Tab S7.
I do use the Sketchbook app
from time to time, but I still do
most of my drawing on
the PENUP app’s live drawing page.
Q4. @PENUP
Through sketches and various colors,
you were capturing the liveliness
of people and animals.
We wonder how you began to paint. A4. @Gigiv.
I’ve been drawing and painting on
canvas quite consistently
for a while now.
Before I got married, I worked as
a product planning MD at an apparel
company for years, and I got to
participate in
multiple fashion shows, including
the Seoul Collection.
I think that experience helps me
when it comes to choosing and
combining colors.
I think the biggest advantage of
mobile drawing is that you can use
colors as freely as you like.
You can paint, draw, erase, and
redrew an infinite amount of times,
which is practically impossible when
you’re painting on an actual canvas.
So now, I spend much more time
on mobile drawing.
Q5. @PENUP
Various characters in the work
attracted attention.
We wonder why you chose portrait
painting as the main subject of
your work.
Also,We are curious about the charm
of the portrait that the artist
feels.
A5. @Gigiv.
I didn’t set out to draw portraits
from the beginning.
But while I was drawing portraits,
I realized that it really helped me
express my feelings, more so than
when I was using words.
And that got me hooked on drawing
and painting portraits.
Q6. @PENUP
The figures contained various
expressions of joy, anger, sadness,
and sorrow.
We wonder what kind of facial
expressions you find most attractive
in drawing.
A6. @Gigiv.
To be honest, I'm not that attracted
to paintings that portray simple and
clear-cut emotions.
Rather, I find expressions that feel
closer to neutral or expressionless
more attractive to look at.
That’s why I want to draw portraits
that portray a range of complex
emotions, including joy, anger,
sorrow, and pleasure, in
a single person.
Q7. @PENUP
We were also able to appreciate
the works in which the figures were
sketched in detail.
We wonder what kind of person will
be the subject of the sketch.
We are also curious about what
the artist thinks is the charm
of sketching.
A7. @Gigiv.
When I’m drawing or painting
a portrait, I start without setting
a specific subject.
And when I have trouble coloring,
I switch to just sketching out
the portrait.
What makes sketching appealing is
that I can portray different
textures and contrasts using
a single medium.
And it’s the backbone of any drawing
or painting, so it’s very important.
Q8. @PENUP
We were able to see works of
various animals, including cats.
These were beautiful works that felt
the artist's affection for animals.
We wonder what kind of attraction
these animals have as a subject
for painting.
Also,we are curious about how it's
different from drawing people.
A8. @Gigiv.
The two pictures above are
the oldest and third-oldest of
my five cats.
The reason I started drawing again
is because I really hope we can live
in peace and harmony with animals
more so than we do at the moment.
My final goal is to draw animal
pictures people can identify with
and give warmth to my audience.
I think animal pictures can help
improve your creativity because
you can create various expressions
through their fur and eyes.
As for portraits, I think they’re
ideal for conveying emotions and
feelings.
Q9. @PENUP
We were also able to see works
using coloring designs.
You made it so beautiful that
surprised us to see if the picture
drawn with the design was correct.
We are curious about what inspired
you to create this piece.
A9. @Gigiv.
When I first started using PENUP,
I used it mostly to do some coloring
Now, I use the coloring page
when I want to just practice
landscapes, still life objects, or
personified objects.
Q10. @PENUP
Last question.
Please tell us if you have anything
you would like to improve or
the story you want to tell while
using PENUP
A10. @Gigiv.
I have a couple of things I’d like
to see from PENUP.
1) In the past, and more recently
as well, I found multiple pictures
I uploaded to PENUP on other
websites without proper citation or
credit attributed to the artist
i.e. myself. I felt so upset and
even a little terrified.
And I’ve also seen some PENUP users
download pictures or sketches from
the Internet, upload them without
any citation, and use them in remix
pages or in their own pictures.
I’d like to see people credit
the source at all times when they
decide to use other people’s work.
2) I’d also like to ask for
a feature that
removes photos found online being
listed as “today’s most popular”
works.
On multiple occasions, I saw photos
downloaded from the internet
being uploaded on
the “Challenge” page.
I really think everyone should get
a fair shot at participating
in PENUP’s challenges going forward
Last but not least,
I’d like to say “hi” to
my oldest PENUP friend, @con.
Thank you for your unwavering
friendship and for lending an ear
when I'm having a hard time.
The happiest part of being inducted
into the PENUP HOF was seeing your
message pop into my inbox.
Thank you so much,
my good friend @con♡
How was the interview with @Gigiv.?
Leonardo da Vinci was an outstanding
observer who tried to grasp
the essence enough to explore all
fields of natural science, such as
astronomy and mathematics,
engineering and mathematics,
and zoology.
The artist also observed various
subjects such as people and animals
carefully, and showed his efforts
to express them carefully through
sketching and coloring..
All of you who are reading this
article, why don't you observe more
carefully and express your interest
in detail?
It would be fun to look at it from
a little closer or from a distance,
find a different look
and put it into a picture.
We hope that everyone's work will
bring a variety of perspectives
to PENUP.
