7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #312: Featuring
Up-and-Coming Illustrator, Sairom Moon

h1 January 6th, 2013 by jules

Today’s the first Sunday of the month, so I welcome a student illustrator. Her name is Sairom Moon, and though she’s originally from South Korea, she comes to 7-Imp by way of her instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), illustrator Shadra Strickland.

Let’s get right to Sairom’s introduction, in her own words …

Sairom: I am Sairom Moon. I was majoring in Communication Design at Hongik University in Korea until I decided to transfer to MICA in the United States to broaden my artistic view and interest. Currently, I am studying Illustration. … Experience in both Communication Design and Illustration helped me to work freely with both the computer and hand. Also, I became more interested in children’s books after taking Professor Shadra Strickland’s Book Illustration class.

I like to work in small size[s] but with highly detailed delicacy. This is because I like to express happiness through my … materials. I love when people get interested in my illustrations and start to observe them closely to find all the smallest details. For this reason, I try to put in as much fun and interesting details as possible as a present to those who show interest in my drawings. I feel happy giving pleasure through my illustrations, but feel happier watching people feeling happy. I am an illustrator who cares about my viewers.

My illustrations are usually done with watercolor and pencil. If those were the first tools I used to express dazzling colors, now I try many other tools. I used acrylic and paper cut and many other mediums as I started studying Illustration. I also found out ways of expression [with] limited color use or a limited medium. I still continue to explore new and various ways on my illustrations.

Three Little Rabbits is one of my earliest illustrations:

Little Red Riding Hood [are some] of my recently finished illustrations [pictured above and below]. I reconstructed the original Little Red Riding Hood … by changing the wolf to cats.


Most recently, I am working on Secret Garden spot illustrations, using mixed media, pencil drawings, and Photoshop:


* * *

Many thanks to Sairom for visiting and to Shadra for the heads-up about her work. I hope Sairom keeps in touch and that we hear more about her work in the years to come. What’s your favorite piece, dear Imps? My favorite is the one opening the post (which would be precisely why I put it up there, all tippy-top).

All images are © Sairom Moon and reproduced here with her permission.

* * * * * * *

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *

1) Over here (the last song), you can hear a piece from Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt’s upcoming CD. I look forward to that, and it was a nice surprise to read about that this week. I like Tift Merritt’s music, and I love love love piano.

2) This below from Conor O’Brien (a.k.a. Villagers) also made me happy. He has a new CD coming soon, though what he sings here is an older song from his excellent 2010 CD. I find his voice mesmerizing.

3) Discovering the poem “Desire Is Never on the Map” by Holly J. Hughes at this post at John’s site (or “JES” to us kickers).

4) I’ve started initial prep for a grad course on picture books I’ll be teaching this summer at The University of Tennessee (I’m over 200 miles away but will teach it from home, using special fancypants, twenty-first century, robotic-bionic software of some sort), and it’s slightly terrifying, given that I have to create my own course/syllabus from scratch. But it’s also kicky in that I get to think about what I want these students to read.

5) I already blabbed about this on Facebook (god help us all) in all my excitement, but as a freelance writer, it was neat to see: My weekly online Kirkus column last week was also included in the print version of the magazine (the January 2013 issue), and it even made mention on the cover, which I didn’t know would happen and made me gasp, as only it would make a nerdy freelance writer gasp. My eight-year-old snapped this pic after I first got the issue in the mail, so it’s blurry, but we were excited.

Best of all, the column is about a really great picture book, Jonathan Bean’s Building Our House, which I hope lots and lots of people see, on account of its sheer wonderful-ness.

6) I found an old note about how my 8-year-old, back when she was nearly four years old, said “reading is engorgeable.” I think it should be 7-Imp’s new slogan.

7) Best kick of all, so I don’t know why it’s listed last here (other than I’m generally disorganized): Over at Heavy Medal, Jonathan Hunt wrote a tribute to my friend and co-author Peter D. Sieruta and asked folks to come leave memories and kind words, and there have been some wonderful comments gathering over there. Here’s the link.

What are YOUR kicks this week?





24 comments to “7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #312: Featuring
Up-and-Coming Illustrator, Sairom Moon”

  1. Jules,

    Happy New Year! Congratulations on all the great things happening in your life!

    I love Sairom’s illustrations.

    I know I’ve been away for a long time. The renovations are nearly complete on our in-law suite. Still, we have to clean out our house and put it on the market.

    MY KICKS

    1. The built-in bookshelves were installed just before Christmas in our in-law apartment. They look great. Yesterday, I started moving my children’s books to my new home. It may take months to transport them all.

    2. My granddaughter Julia LOVES books!

    3. We celebrated the New Year up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with good friends.

    4. We are SO pleased with the renovations on our new home. Fortunately, we found an excellent contractor. We can’t wait to move in.


  2. Welcome Sairom. I love The Secret Garden pics. I wish her luck on her endeavors.
    Jules, congrats on the Kirkus cover mention. Love the photo. Yes, reading IS engorgeable.
    My kicks:
    1. Writing critiques group meeting.
    2. Return to school.
    3. William Stafford month at my blog, Check It Out. I have an interview with his son, Kim Stafford, coming up on Wednesday.
    4. Staff gathering for food and fun last night.
    5. My word for 2013: mindful.
    6. Mindful Writing Challenge: listing at least three observations per day.
    7. Winter days.
    Have a great week.


  3. Hi Elaine, crossed in cyberspace. Congrats on renovations being done in the in-law suite. Good luck with the sale of your home.


  4. I love that top image too. It has a really lovely graceful kind of movement. I REALLY like her work. Dang.


  5. IT’S AN ELAINE SIGHTING!

    Hi, Elaine! I didn’t know you all were building an in-law suite. This means what I think it means? That you’ll be living RIGHT BY Julia? This is great news. I’m sure you’re super psyched. … I’m glad she loves books, but I’m not surprised.

    Jone: Ooh, thanks for the heads-up about Stafford month. Haven’t ever read a poem by him that I didn’t like. … I like your kick #6. I’m doing something sort of similar.

    Hi, Laurel! She’s got a distinctive style, huh?


  6. Sairom is as lovely as her work. I have big big hopes for her as a future book maker.

    My kicks are:
    1. Not leaving my house all week to work on art.
    2. Finishing all four seasons of Battlestar Galactica while being locked in the studio.
    3. Making homemade chocolate chip cookies in a fit of procrastination last night.
    4. Coffee
    5. Netflix
    6. Sweater Boots and sweatpants…alllll week
    7. Peace and quiet
    Congrats again Jules on the Kirkus feature. You are such a rockstar! Have a wonderful week~


  7. Shadra, thanks again for telling us about Sairom.

    I just sent a friend this. Have you seen it?

    I watched the first eps of season two last night (Portlandia, that is), and even though I’d seen this before, I didn’t know that it continues on later in the episode. They actually got the guy who plays Admiral Adama and Dr. Baltar to appear in a skit. It’s very funny.

    I’m not even sure what sweater boots are, but they sound like my kind of thing.


  8. Okay, I looked up sweater boots, and they definitely ARE my kind of thing, given that I shiver in *seventy*-degree weather.


  9. Bwahahahahahaha! Yes, this is exactly it!!! (including the chinese food)…cut to four days later and there I am. lol!!!!

    Sweater boots. http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/rocket-dog-shoes-honey-pup-sweater-boots?ID=416152

    They will change your life.


  10. Hello, Kickers!

    These up-and-coming-illustrators first Sunday of the month features are always fascinating and even exciting to see, Jules. Sairom Moon’s Red Riding Hood Vs. The Cats concept definitely falls over the line into “exciting” territory, I think; wolves of legend may be vicious and they may be merciless, but cats can be outright MEAN. 🙂

    In that series of RRHVTC illos, I really liked (once I noticed it) the pale-blue brush-swipes of each fish. The point there, I think anyway, is not even to TRY to “paint within the lines” — because those blurry washes make the fish seem to come alive in mid-air, like they’re flopping about too fast to focus on. Cool!

    Jules, first, WOOT! on the printed Kirkus piece! (FIRST OF MANY, right???) And yes, if Sairom Moon had retouched the photo of you she’d be completely justified in using a big brush and a big ol’ double swipe of blurry pale blue.

    Thanks for the heads-up on Villagers, too. I think I need to look into more of their music. O’Brien’s got a lovely voice.

    (“Reading is engorgeable”: even if I didn’t already know it, I’d guess that perfect line had to have come from one of your girls…)

    Hey there, Elaine — good to see you! Books + friends + home: classic 7-Kicks themes… so glad you’ve been well!

    jone — another modest person — just to help out other Stafford junkies, I thought I’d actually include a link to your blog. (Of course you’d open the month with a hymn to Oregon. :)) Looking forward to the interview with Kim Stafford!

    And hi, Laurel! I visited your site just now, and have to say that I’m very very jealous of (and wish I’d invented) the word “bewilderblog.” 🙂

    Welcome (back), Shadra.! Love the way your description of finishing the BG episodes sounded like the culmination of an intellectual orgy rather than a torture session. I’m still catching up, myself! (Never watched the original series, though.) And negative words like “procrastination” simply do not belong in the same sentence with “homemade chocolate chip cookies.”

    Kicks here, hmm…

    1. I’ll go with Shadra. Netflix definitely on my Kicks list this week, too.
    2. Learning (in researching a childhood “earworm”) about an East Asian canine species known as raccoon dogs. They actually look like a cross between a raccoon, a fox, and… um… well, their body style to me says “Corgi.” Here’s what Wikipedia says about their voices:

    They do not bark like foxes, uttering instead a growl, followed by a long-drawn melancholy whine. Captive specimens have been known to utter daily a very different kind of sound when hungry, described as a sort of mewing plaint. Males fighting for females will yelp and growl. Japanese raccoon dogs produce sounds higher in pitch than those of domestic dogs, and sound similar to cats.

    I don’t know why they’re not native to Australia, haha.
    3. Just recently saw the pilot episode of the Alias TV series, with Jennifer Garner. I knew very little about the show and didn’t have really high expectations for it, but that was a darned good pilot episode. I waaay underestimated how good it was going to be. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
    4. Slooooow days off.
    5. Loooong family letters.
    6. Commingled smells of bacon and maple syrup. (Or maple anything, really.)
    7. Reading a mind-bending book now, called Why Does the World Exist?… all about the question (as the author keeps asking) “Why is there something, rather than nothing?”

    Have a great week, all!


  11. Thank you, Jes.


  12. I think that top illustration is also my favorite of Sairom’s illustrations here, Jules, but I also love the one where Red has tripped and fallen. I mean, I feel badly for poor Red, but there’s a lot of story there in that picture, and I think Sairom perfectly captures a fall there. I am also hoping we see more from her.

    I am so glad you had such a Kick-y week.

    Elaine, Good luck with your moving. I just moved: it takes a lot of stamina.

    Jone, I LOVE William Stafford.

    Shadra, I’ve been wanting to watch Battlestar Galactica. I have got to get on that.

    John, Bacon and maple syrup is a magic combination.


  13. I forgot to put up my carefully prepared kicks last night and am running so very late this morning, that I will have to be rude and read everyone’s kicks (and look at the pictures) later!

    1. Survived 3 days of work even without the nap that had become habitual over the holidays
    2. In a random book clearance centre I found a copy of a Hilary Mantel’s “Bring up the bodies” in trade paperback for $5, I had been waiting for the paperback to come out (this version was a brief lived one last year) so to get it early and for a good price was a nice surprise
    3. I mentioned ages ago that we had been watching a butcherbird sitting on her nest. I never mentioned that we also saw the tiny chick being fed, and then stand around as a fledgling. Such a treat to see the whole cycle like that.
    4. Finally got around to tidying up the pantry, and putting the spice bottles together in a little tray
    5. New curtains for the lounge room from IKEA – cheaper than expected and will be much easier to use than our current arrangement of three curtains that have to carefully pulled across and still barely fit
    6. Christmas decorations taken down and boxed up for next year. It is so much more boring taking them down than putting them up. Though I did leave some more hollow plastic stars and hearts on our tree in the courtyard as the ants have been enjoying living in the few that we had up last year.
    7. A very social weekend including a family birthday party and a group of people who take turns telling stories.


  14. I adore the delicate lines in Sairom’s art. Thanks for highlighting her today. I think they’re all my favorites.

    Jules: So thrilled your Kirkus article is published in print version. If I could I would so take that class; how fortunate for those students.

    Jone: I like your 2013 word, mindful. For me it means slowing down a tad, noticing more.

    Elaine: I like the visual of shelves filled with children’s books.

    Shandra: Sometimes our favorite flicks provide the best inspiration. I like the idea of being locked in, watching and working.

    JES: Thank you for introducing me to raccoon dogs. I had never heard of them before. Their appearance is not what I imagined.

    Hello, Adrienne

    Emmaco: Rarely have I ever been able to watch birds lay eggs, and follow the growth of the new ones. What a joy!

    My kicks:
    1. A new haircut; still long but looks better
    2. Visit to my favorite indie bookstore
    3. Warmer temperatures have made the snow wetter; lots of interesting animals tracks–rabbits, mice, deer
    4. Reading wonderful children’s books by amazing authors and illustrators
    5. Fresh cut flowers
    6. Amaryllis bulbs are growing
    7. Walks with Xena


  15. Sairom and Jules: Thanks for kicking this post off with Red Riding Hood and a black cat! Nice to meet you Sairom. Thanks for sharing your art and your background! I can’t wait to see more of your interpretation of The Secret Garden. The white rabbits are adorable, also.

    Jules: Congratulations! What a kicking week for you. How fantastic to see your name and words in print. How cool that you get to teach from home. Tell her that’s a great slogan. Listening to Home right now. Liking his voice so far. Thanks.

    Elaine M.: Bookshelves = yay. Books= yay. Glad that you’ve had a good week.

    Jone: Nice word selection for the year. May it serve you well.

    Laurel Snyder! Hi, Laurel. 🙂

    Shadra: I don’t have any sweater boots, but I do have boots and sweaters. That clip is funny, Jules – I’ve seen people share it with captions to capture their feelings about other shows, too. “This is how I was when I watched Doctor Who DVDs,” et cetera.

    JES: Cats are awesome. So are spy shows. Some are better than others.

    Adrienne: And clearly, the cat’s going to help Red up. Right? Right??

    emmaco: How sweet! Happy little bird family. Great find. I love when stuff like that happens, when you’ve been waiting/looking for something, and it appears when/where you’re not expecting it/looking for it, and it’s a fun surprise.

    Margie: Rock your new haircut! Please say hello to the critters for me.

    My kicks from the past week:
    1) New year
    2) My best books of 2012 list is up! Let me know which you’ve read and loved, which you’re marking to read, and so forth.
    http://slayground.livejournal.com/728692.html
    3) I updated my blog post about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: why I love the original, which film/book/other adaptations I like (or don’t), and so forth. http://slayground.livejournal.com
    http://slayground.livejournal.com/172382.html
    4) Writing
    5) Promises made to myself
    6) Soul Survivor has been republished as an e-Book, so now y’all can go get it!
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AS2ICIC
    7) Mini index cards


  16. late fly by…

    Love the half-repentant/half-skulking cats staring guiltily at poor, sobbing Little Red Riding Hood. ha!

    Hello kickers! Good and amusing shared kicks. THX. (That Portlandia video fest; been there, done that with The Wire and The Walking Dead and others.) : – P

    Just back from a “vacation” road trip, helping my older son move to New Orleans. Drove 10′ U-Haul truck with his studio apartment belongings across California’s Mojave desert, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. Totally underdressed (I thought those states were always hot! duh. Froze my So Cal arse off.)

    Kicks:

    Between all the unpacking and move-in cleaning, New Years and the FOOD in New Orleans were fabulous. #1 son seems happy. Just got back. Exhausted.

    2013! Back to writing work! with new vigor and determination. See y’all next Sunday. (My son’s in the south now, can I say y’all as an honorary parental visitor?) Have a good week y’all.


  17. Jules, Jack White has a non-speaking cameo in the first episode of season 3. I was pleased, as you might well imagine. In the meantime, hurrah, hurrah for your cover byline on Kirkus!

    Kicks:
    1. My family got to hang out with some family friends yesterday. There was a party, and we hung out after the other party guests had left, and ended up ordering Thai food for dinner. Then, the kids put on a play in which the two girls stuffed the boy vampire into a knitting basket.

    2. The Bollywood Burn DVD I ordered from the library came in today. The girl and I are going to do our best at bhanghra in the living room.

    3. I’m doing Pilates twice a week now at the feisty studio up the street from me. The instructor today was a sub, and she played 80s hard rock with distinct 80s guitar solos.

    4. I made the Baked brownies for a friend’s birthday, and saved some for the family. We’ve nicknamed them the Brownies of Doom.

    5. Our local library is now open on Sundays.

    6. Check out the artwork for the Steampunk Paper Dolls, by Ramona Szczerba (published by Dover). I bought the book with strict instructions that we not cut out the dolls! I want to refer to the art for embroidery inspiration.

    7. Here comes an evening cup of tea…..

    Farida


  18. How did the day get away from me? I refuse to read kicks quickly. (Say that seven times fast.) So, I’ll be back in the morning to take my time and respond.


  19. I really enjoy reading your post. It takes my boredom away.


  20. Gorgeous illustrations – I’m glad I had a chance to look properly now.

    Jules, a printed column in Kirkus is so exciting! Congratulations! It’s champagne time at your household recently!

    Elaine, renovations seem like they can be stressful, so it’s great to hear your’s are nearly done and you love the result! I walk past a house every day that has built in bookshelves in their front room and am always very envious.

    Jone, a couple of us at work were talking about mindfulness and how it is a good NY resolution. Great minds obviously think alike 🙂

    Shadra, sweatpants all week sounds like a perfect kick.

    John, thanks for link to the modest Jone’s blog. Those racoon dogs are ridiculously cute, kinda like little red pandas, but stripy. We have lots of random introduced animals in Australia, many of which do enormous environmental damage, but I admit that sometimes I wish that if people HAD to introduce things they had picked cute things like these racoon dogs rather than cane toads and goats.

    I have actually remembered to bookmark Jone’s blog and your’s so I can read them more regularly.

    Margie, I have never seen a bird lay an egg. I think I would need more time watching out…and seeing as heaps of birds breed for looong seasons here I might have another chance! I love your kick about animal prints in snow, so much fun to see evidence of animal life around you.

    LW there are so many books on your list I haven’t heard of! thanks for the ideas!

    Denise that road trip sounds epic but fun.

    Farida, your combination of fun social events, brownies, steampunk paper dolls (so cool!) and pilates makes for the perfect week I think.


  21. Good Monday Imps!

    Sairom’s images are lovely. I think I’m rooting for the cats in the Little Red story.

    Jules- Congrats on your article making it into the print version along with a cover mention. I am happy to see the Peter tributes continuing. Wayne State is a lucky school to have such a collection.
    Elaine- I’m so happy to hear of you and your books new home.
    Jone- Mindful is a great word of the year. Are you familiar with Jon Kabat-Zinn?
    Hi Laurel and Adrienne
    Shadra- I am envious of all of your kicks.
    L.W.-New Year! Yes!
    emmaco- I only fell asleep once last week during my three day work week 😉
    JES-Mmmmm bacon
    Margie- Can’t wait to hit our local indie during their January sale next week
    Denise- Whoa, that’s some roadtrip. Good for y’all.
    Farida- Brownies of Doom sounds delicious

    kicks

    1. Started my winter hours at work which means more studio time (or where I move the studio to when my kid is home sick like today).
    2. I made a picture of a hawk in memory of my uncle who died last year. http://moiraswiatkowski.com/2013/01/03/hawk/
    3. Saw the Life of Pi movie. Not a big fan of 3D but in this case it was awesome.
    4.Youth Basketball season starts this week.
    5.Both Swiatkowski kids were presented with certificates for good report cards at their school.
    6. Snow
    7. I was included in Jule’s year end round up post which I still haven’t fully poured over, so much good stuff.

    Have a mindful week y’all (said with a Boston accent)


  22. I’m late to this post, but wanted to congratulate you on the much-deserved appearance of your article on the Kirkus cover. And to say how very smitten I am with Sairom Moon’s amazing illustrations.


  23. I’m here. I’m finally here!

    John, your book-of-choice right now sounds intriguing, and I like your slooooow days off and loooooong family letters. You’re takin’ it easy.

    Adrienne, I assumed you’d seen Battlestar. SO GOOD. SO, SO GOOD.

    Emmaco, friends who take turns telling stories are the kinds of friends to have … We also left up some Christmas lights, as they’re shaped like snowflakes, and a gal can dream, right? (Snow, snow. Please, let us have snow.) p.s. Do you know I’ve never been to an IKEA? For real.

    Margie, so envious of your snow. I hope the temps don’t get so warm this winter that it goes away.

    Little Willow, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen mini index cards, but I’m curious now. … Thanks for the links!

    Denise, say it! Say it as often as you want. Y’all! Y’all! So glad your trip was good, despite the cold, and I hope he settles in well.

    Farida, is there supposed to be a link in kick #6? Steampunk paper dolls, Brownies of Doom. Will you adopt me?

    Moira, congrats to the Swiatkowski kids! I love that hawk.

    Hi, Carin! Thanks!


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