illustrator,yanggae_양개KR Details
Hello, I’m YANGGAE, an illustrator. I have worked as a freelance artist for over 10 years across various fields, including webtoons, games, animation, publishing, and VTubers. Throughout my career, I’ve continually questioned and balanced the gap between commercial artwork and the personal style I pursue, developing my own methods for harmonizing the two. I am currently teaching as an instructor at Raum Academy.
This course focuses on establishing a structured personal style, developing a professional perspective on commercial illustration, and improving the skills needed to work as a freelancer. It is packed with practical tips on industry-relevant theory, how to apply it in real projects, workflow management, and the common roadblocks that most artists encounter. I hope it provides meaningful support for your growth.
[Current] Freelance Illustrator Instructor at RAUM Academy [Projects] Character design & illustration for Cinnamon Games 'Maybe' Character design & illustration for Ringgo V-tuber Character concept art & illustration for Animation Project at Company M Illustration for Tencent DNF Mobile Illustrations for Blit’s <I Didn’t Want This Kind of Reincarnation> Cover illustration for D&C’s <The Heroine Saves the World> Cover illustration for D&C’s <Weren’t You the Regretful Heroine?> Cover illustration for KW Books’ <The Genius Idol’s Guide to the Entertainment Industry> Cover illustration for Paragraph’s <Sigrid> Over 100 additional cover illustrations and numerous undisclosed projects [Awards] Featured in NAVER’s 'Hell Camp' Short Story Collection
[Current] Freelance Illustrator Instructor at RAUM Academy [Projects] Character design & illustration for Cinnamon Games 'Maybe' Character design & illustration for Ringgo V-tuber Character concept art & illustration for Animation Project at Company M Illustration for Tencent DNF Mobile Illustrations for Blit’s <I Didn’t Want This Kind of Reincarnation> Cover illustration for D&C’s <The Heroine Saves the World> Cover illustration for D&C’s <Weren’t You the Regretful Heroine?> Cover illustration for KW Books’ <The Genius Idol’s Guide to the Entertainment Industry> Cover illustration for Paragraph’s <Sigrid> Over 100 additional cover illustrations and numerous undisclosed projects [Awards] Featured in NAVER’s 'Hell Camp' Short Story Collection
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths in your work?
From a young age, I studied art in formal settings, but I often received feedback that my work lacked appeal or a distinctive edge beyond basic fundamentals. I was not someone with what people usually call “natural talent.” Feeling that my skills sat in an ambiguous middle ground, I went through a long transitional period, working across webtoons, animation, games, and publishing while experimenting with many styles. Through that process, I kept searching for answers to what commercial appeal truly means and what kind of art I personally want to create.
Thanks to this journey, I gained a broad understanding of commercial art across different fields and discovered how to make illustrations engaging while still maintaining a strong overall structure. Based on systematically built theory and real world experience, I believe my strength lies in being able to explain the balance between versatility and individuality from A to Z, showing how to elevate a style’s completeness while preserving each artist’s unique strengths and intentions.
How are those strengths reflected in this course curriculum?
This course focuses on reinterpreting character illustration from a commercial perspective, grounded in art theory. I explain how the rigid theories learned in formal education are actually applied and adapted in real commercial work, and I explore the core elements of appealing yet market ready illustrations, namely stable form construction and trendy coloring, starting from fundamental principles. By breaking down where problems occur and how to solve them, I aim to share the full process and know how I personally went through, helping students learn how to diagnose their own work and build effective study methods.
What is the planning intention behind this course, and what makes it different?
As you spend more time drawing, your skills do improve, but many of you may still feel that something is missing when it comes to becoming a professional. I believe that real change in one’s art does not come from drawing more or relying on intuition alone. It requires a shift in the underlying way you think about drawing in order to identify the missing piece. In this course, I unpack the causes and solutions behind artwork that feels studied but not applicable, or polished yet unsatisfying, explaining them step by step like an answer key. I also expand the range of choices so that you can independently judge direction and commercial selling points, and I include guidance on how to manage your work even after becoming a professional.
Is there anything you would like to say to your students and fellow creators?
There was a time when I almost gave up drawing entirely. I stood in front of the canvas unable to draw anything and put down my brush for nearly a year while searching for another path. Ironically, the farther I stepped away, the clearer one thought became: I still wanted to draw. By meeting great teachers, relearning from the ground up, and finding my way back step by step, I eventually returned to drawing. Through that experience, I came to want to be someone who can light the way when others feel lost, and that is why I began teaching.
The market today is changing more fiercely than ever, but at the same time, it is also a moment when personal identity and fundamental understanding can stand out more clearly than before. There will be moments when you want to run away, but for those who go beyond technique and learn to ask better questions and respond flexibly to change, opportunities will surely open up. I hope this course becomes one of your guiding stars, a place you can pause, regain direction, and find a little extra strength to move forward on your path. I sincerely support each of you on your journey.
High Efficiency Learning Direction and Career Guidance for Illustrators
Learn how to define the minimum skill set needed for stable drawings, then strategically build your own individuality on top of it. Understand the core requirements of commercial art across different fields and establish efficient practice routines. Discover professional tips for developing a personal style without wasting time.
Highly Appealing Character Form Design Across Semi Realistic and Casual Styles
Define the most appealing facial proportions from a commercial perspective. Based on clear, numerical approaches such as maxilla and mandible ratios and key stylization turning points, learn unique balance control techniques that preserve a character’s appeal from any angle.
The Secret Behind Non Flat Drawings Practical Perspective and Construction Mastery
Identify the causes of flat drawings through line work and perceptual thinking, then resolve them effectively. Using point line plane theory, brush stroke approaches, visual stability principles, and construction methods, eliminate awkward perspective and give solid three dimensional volume to space and objects.
Lighting Principles That Shape Mood and Advanced Rendering Techniques
Dive deep into the characteristics and types of light that improve visual clarity. From basic shadow calculation to handling direct and diffused light and grouping values, learn a structured approach to lighting. Apply situation based rendering techniques to understand how light behaves across different moods.
Clear and Trend Driven Moisture-Based Coloring for Mood and Tone Control
Master controlled use of pure white and black and achieve clean tonal balance for intermediate level artists. Learn color mixing principles and neutral bridging concepts from color theory, then understand the mechanics of water layering. Design your own palette to match intended moods and achieve transparent, refined coloring.
Boost Commercial Quality Material Rendering and Final Illustration Workflow
Learn practical texture rendering techniques that elevate commercial quality. Study optical theories such as the Fresnel effect and subsurface scattering to enhance realism, and understand the properties of different materials. Confidently depict metals, glass, leather, silk, and more with convincing detail and clarity.
1st Release (Ch. 1 - Ch. 6) : 2025. 6. 9 18:00 (UTC-8)
2nd Release (Ch. 7 - Ch. 26) : 2026. 8. 5 18:00 (UTC-8)
**Class release dates and content are subject to change without prior notice.
- Section 01
Learning Guide and Basic Environment Setup
01. Orientation- Instructor introduction, course goals & guide - Pre-course self-assessment and direction setting - Connected learning methods for efficient study
02. Environemnt Setup and Workflow Support Tools- Introduction to Photoshop features and shortcut settings - Tablet pen settings - Useful plugins and websites for illustration
- Section 02
Guide to Three-Dimensional Form
03. From 2D to 3D: Breaking Flat Perception- Diagnosing the causes of flat drawings - Point, line, and plane theory and brush stroke approach - Line art for reading volume & practice routines - Using grids and plane division - [Practice] Drawing cubes, cylinders, cones
04. Perspective and Depth- Vanishing point, eye level, and horizon line - Principles of 1/2/3-point perspective - Diagonal vanishing points and paired vanishing points
05. Scene Illustration: Camera Angle and Distortion- Picture plane and cone of vision - Extreme perspective and flat perspective - Character presentation points based on camera angle
06. Applying Basic Shapes and Construction Techniques- Dividing proportions, drawing circles, extracting height - Extracting height - Drawing objects using construction methods such as wine glasses, stairs, and windows
- Section 03
Character Drawing
07. A Practical Guide to Commercial Character Illustration- What commercial appeal is and what defines a commercial character - Is understanding anatomy really necessary?: Focusing only on the essentials - Key differences between slim and muscular body types - Principles of natural posing: Contrapposto - Easy-to-miss human body detail tips - Figure drawing study methods by style
08. Drawing Faces- Basic facial proportions and structure with appealing design points - Stylization transition points based on realism - Drawing eyes to avoid flat-looking faces
09. Drawing Hair and Folds- Hair structure based on the skull - Differences between short hair and long hair - Understanding clothing structure through seam lines - How force points and gravity affect folds - Practice methods for natural-looking wrinkles
10. [Practice] Drawing a Character- Practice methods for the adaptation stage - Drawing standing male and female characters
11. [BONUS] Frequently Asked Questions- Q. Why does the opposite side of the face look strange when I draw three-quarter views? - Q. I want to draw broader shoulders, but the pose looks stiff - Q. My characters keep looking too young. - Q. My front-view drawings look awkward. - Q. When the angle changes, the character’s impression breaks or the volume collapses. - Q. What should I do if I want to draw both casual and semi-realistic styles
- Section 04
Light and Shadow
12. Principles of Light That Determine Readability- Three elements of lighting and types of light sources - Local color and inherent value - Standards for hard and soft edges and blending - Value practice methods
13. Creating Natural Shadows- Differences between direct light and diffuse light - Shadows within shadows - Calculating cast shadows - Multiple light sources - Applying shadow calculation principles
14. Types of Rendering- Situation 1: Stage lighting - Situation 2: Flash lighting - Situation 3: Soft lighting such as candlelight - Time of day: Daytime, evening, and night
- Section 05
Building Your Own Palette for Clean and Trendy Coloring
15. Expanding Your Color Range: Color Basics and Relationship Mapping- Color hierarchy and fundamentals of color harmony - Additive and subtractive mixing in digital painting RGB and CMYK - Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and color mixing principles - Color relationships and color temperature - Terminology and contrast-based color schemes - Using nine value key notes and inherent value
16. Color Adjustment- Color constancy and color continuity - The bridging role of neutral colors - Broken-color techniques and points of cautions - White in traditional vs. digital painting
17. Moisture Layering (Moisture Rendering)- Definition of moisture rendering - Color temperature spectrum (warm / cool) - Brush-dependent texture and moisture layering - Universal base color-mixing method
18. Illustration Color Tone Design- Using the rendering sphere - Depth and fixed value planning practice - Mood-based value planning practice - Creating personal palette rules - Points to consider when expanding your style
- Section 06
Material Rendering That Connects Visual and Tactile Sensation
19. Understanding Material Structure Through Light- Common principles for reading materials - Subsurface scattering based on transparency - The Fresnel effect
20. Material Rendering- Material rendering on objects - Material rendering in clothing
- Section 07
[Practical] Creating a Character-Centered Illustration
21. Basic Planning- Concept development & draft variations - Reference management - Rough sketching
22. Color Rough- Lighting setup & palette finalization - Basic adjustments
23. Main Painting Process- Line cleanup - Coloring & detailing - Layer management and essential checkpoints during rendering
24. Finalization- Overall finishing and cleanup - Post-processing
- Section 08
Outro
25. Freelancer Mindset Setup- Characteristics of each commercial illustration field (webtoons, games, animation) - When you're unsure about your career path - Differences between academy training and self-study, and efficient self-learning methods - Diagnosing and overcoming creative slumps - Making a living as an illustrator
26. Congratulations on Completing the Course!- Closing remarks from the instructor
This course will use Adobe Photoshop 2025.
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
