Storytelling through drawing

Korean webtoon illustrator trains young Filipino artists, animators in Manila workshop


Korean illustrator Na Seung Hoon with Animation Program participants.JPG
HEARTS OUT Korean illustrator Na Seung Hoon teaches students from the Design + Arts Campus of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde about the art of webtoon-making

Basic Practices: Storytelling through Drawing, an intensive workshop facilitated by globally-renowned Korean illustrator Na Seung Hoon, guided young Filipino artists and animators on how to create an immersive visual experience for the readers.

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) of the Philippines hosted the initiative in response to the growing following of webtoon in the country.

Webtoon is a serialized digital comic that originated in South Korea. It is typically published weekly and comes in the form of a vertical page. The art, which has been exponential in the Korean Wave, has likewise expanded to countless adaptations of animations, K-dramas, and films.

Among the most famous K-dramas inspired from webtoons include W: Two Worlds, Business Proposal, True Beauty, and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.

Korean illustrator Na Seung Hoon JPG.JPG
THE ART OF WEBTOON-MAKING Korean illustrator Na Seung Hoon works on a webtoon, a serialized digital comic that comes from South Korea

Na Seung Hoon, an alumnus of the Seoul Arts High School and Kookmin University School of Design, is the brains behind hit webtoon Don’t Let Go of the Mental Rope, which has accumulated a viewership of approximately three billion. It is still ongoing on Naver Webtoon. It was developed into an animated series in 2014 and into a 10-episode TV drama in 2020.

In an intimate lecture conducted at the Design + Arts Campus of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Na Seung Hoon rendered his experience to guide a pool of Filipino creatives into the rich tradition and the current developments of the craft.

He walked the attendees into the fundamentals and practices of webtoon-making. He further imparted his valuable insights and expert advice on how to refine their skills in building and delivering an enthralling story through images.

He also shared several tips and techniques in curating an immersive visual experience to effectively engage the curiosity, imagination, and emotions of the viewers.

The participants were comprised of young professionals, educators, as well as aspiring artists pursuing specializations in visual development, motion graphics, 2D and 3D scenes, character design, comics, and storyboards.

www.benilde.edu.ph/animation