Joon Ahn
Coming from what one could consider the archetype of an artistic family, with his parents, aunts and uncles all connected to visual creativity, it was no surprise that Korean-born decided to pursue a career in the concept design field.
After obtaining his degree in Furniture Design at Hongik University in Korea, Joon Ahn came across one of Scott Robertson’s books. “It had an impact on me” said Ahn. “I made up my mind, there and then, that I should not wait any longer to do what I really wanted to do”.
He soon started working on his portfolio for the world-famous Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where Robertson works as an instructor. At the Center, Ahn kept on fueling his natural talent, combining it with a strong traditional rendering and theoretical foundation, which he believes are essential to succeed in the field.
With a variegated background ranging from drawing teacher and 3D modeler to 2D/3D concept and environment artist, the designer is currently working on the much-anticipated Disney's television series “Tron: Uprising”.
When looking at this talented artist's work, one can truly feel the influence of Asian culture, in particular Korean and Japanese, with its taste for fantasy and sci-fi, which have inspired him since he was a kid.
Ahn's designs vary from fictional characters and buildings to vehicles and backgrounds, but no matter the subject, three distinctive features take the spotlight: roughness, tightness and balance.
Sure enough, when asked what he would like people to feel when looking at his drawings, his unhesitating answer was “epicness” and that is something everyone is bound to agree upon: you are definitely struck by the power of feelings his designs pass on.
