Phrozen wants to take this opportunity to introduce our audience to Jisoo Kim, a rising designer all the way from South Korea! Jisoo has his own workshop where he creates all sorts of creative and adorable sculptures.
In this interview, Jisoo tells us all about how he gets his 3D printing ideas, how he goes about designing his pieces, and why he shares behind-the-scenes videos on his YouTube channel.
Let’s take this opportunity to learn more about Jisoo Kim and take a look at some of lovely pieces of artwork he has created:
Could you please briefly introduce yourself to our audience? How long have you been using 3D printers?
Hello, My name is Jisoo Kim and I’m from South Korea. I’m a digital sculptor and I have a very small workshop called “JS-ALMIGHTY.” My 3D printing journey started when I bought an FDM 3D printer a long time ago. I was just getting interested in 3D sculpting, so I started sculpting and resin printing for about 3 years. I usually create large-sized statues, though I often create small and cute statues too.
Most of your pieces are really adorable! Where do you get your inspiration from?
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
Most of my inspiration comes from the people around me and my daily life, but that doesn’t happen often. So I usually get inspiration from my favorite Korean dramas, games, and movies and then I create my sculptures in my own style, as a form of fan art.
On Instagram, you’ve shared photos of creating super-cute diorama figures! Could you share your experience? How did you go about creating those pieces?
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
With my piece, “It’s Okay to Not be Okay,” the 3D work wasn’t that difficult. The most important thing in the diorama was the texture of the clothes. The fact that the 3D printed parts were able to blend in with the grass that was used for the diorama base as well as the texture spray for the surface of the building part was very satisfying to me.
How do you design your pieces? How long does it usually take for you to create these models?
It normally takes about 1-2 months to make sculptures. When 3D sculpting, it takes about a week to create simple sculptures. However, it takes about a month to create large diorama-style statues and another month to print, post-process, and paint these 3D printed models.
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
There are three main steps. The first step is sketching. This is when we roughly block out 3D printing models and scenes using ZBrush and Maya.
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
Next, I always think about the center of mass and how I should use aluminum pipes and brass rods to support my pieces as my sculptures tend to be fairly large. I make sure to check the size of the reinforcement materials and look for positions that fit with the statue as naturally as possible. Oh, and I also make sure to polish the 3D models and add in tiny details.
Lastly, it’s time to prepare models for 3D printing. First, you have to turn 3D models into solid objects. This means that we have to make sure that the 3D models have no holes, non-manifold vertex, or overlapped surfaces. Then you have to separate the models into parts, to make it easier to paint. This is a boring process, but a very important one. After that, HAPPY PRINTING!
On your YouTube Channel, you share very beautifully shot behind-the-scenes videos of how you create your 3D models. What made you want to create your very own YouTube channel?
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
Initially, I just wanted to capture and record the process of how I create sculptures. Now, I record the entire process by creating a short episode for each sculpture. When my sculpting and painting skills improve, I plan to create a detailed 3D printing vlog style video.
What do you like to print in your spare time?
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
Well, I don’t have much spare time because I’m always thinking about what I should create next! During that time, I usually print small and cute 3D models that I have sculpted in the past.
Could you share some of your secret printing tips with us?
Courtesy of Jisoo Kim
Most people are really good with 3D printing these days! So this may not be a secret. In CHITUBOX, my go-to slicer, you can add multiple support heads in a single support. If there are too many support pillars, it’s not easy to remove the supports smoothly. But, if you have multiple heads in a single support, it is much easier to remove the supports and get a smooth surface.
Also, when you’re printing a large and hollow model, make sure you create a wall that is over 3 mm in thickness and use CHITUBOX’s infill function to prevent the 3D printed models from deforming during the UV curing process.
What Phrozen devices do you use? What has your experience with Phrozen products been like?
I currently use Phrozen Transform, Phrozen Sonic Mini, and I’ve also pre-ordered the Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K! As I made my way to the Sonic series, I thought that the firmware had changed and had become much more user-friendly. Also, thanks to Mono-LCD 3D printing, I was able to enjoy the printing process because the printing speed is much faster. This is the reason why I pre-ordered Sonic Mega 8K with no hesitation whatsoever.
Since you usually use larger printers, what are your thoughts on the Sonic Mega 8K?
When I was using Phrozen Transform, there were two things that I felt like needed to be upgraded: the resolution and the printing speed. Even though Phrozen Transform came with the Mono-LCD Swap Kit, I was still very envious of the newer Phrozen 3D printers as I was using the regular RGB LCD Transform from the Kickstarter campaign.
As the screen size was large, the printing resolution was a bit low, so the fact that the little details were not sharp enough was a real bummer. But Sonic Mega 8K has solved all of this! The pre-calibrated building plate and the price of a replacement LCD, which Phrozen has openly told us about, are also very satisfying.
Is there anything that you would like to share with our audience?
In the past, I just simply downloaded 3D model files from the internet and printed them out. However, there is a lot of pleasure that is derived from creating your own 3D printing projects, sculpting your own 3D models, and then printing them out. Creating your favorite characters and adding your own message, it’s like designing a whole new world! I would encourage everyone to start today, right now!
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