Hello! My name is Sang-Gi Kwak, but I go by the nickname “Mir.k”! Usually, my work is related to drawing and graphic design. I make storyboards and concept illustrations for advertising agencies and film companies. I also regularly teach at an art institute for high school students who are preparing for a College of Fine Arts and adults who want to learn design as a hobby. I started to get interested in online comics when I was in the military. After training, soldiers often gathered and talked about online comics, and that grabbed my attention because I didn’t expect even a TV show or a movie, much less an online comic, to be a hot topic.

The first piece that I read was 1001 Arabian Nights by Young-Soon Yang, who is a very famous and considered a genius amongst other cartoonists. The storyline was very profound yet smooth, and his drawings were marvelous. I once imitated his way of creative thinking and drawing. But after that, I began expanding and was inspired by other pieces, including the work of Il-Gwon Ha and Pil-Won Jung. Webcomics and I have been together for much of my mid-20s.

Il-Gwon Ha serves as one of my greatest inspirations. He is well known as a sentimental and romantic artist. My other sources of inspiration are Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle from Studio Ghibli.

I use different styles for different pieces/projects. There is a great cartoonist named Pil-Won Jung in Korea, and he tries different styles for each and every pieces. I believe that trying a new style of illustration is necessary for self-development as an artist.