Jooyoung Kim’s illustrated book is about a long boi in a world of fluffy short bois

Emerging from a refreshing swim, a long dog leaps onto the grass to swish and shake the water off its body. In her hilarious new book, Leipzig-based illustrator Jooyoung Kim creates a world of day-to-day dogs.

Jooyoung says of the story: “It’s about a dog living on a mountain. She lives on a mountain, commutes downtown every day and has a normal life.” Jooyoung’s inspiration for the book came from pet-sitting her friend’s sausage dogs when they were out of town. In particular, one named Kami, “this year the mommy Daschund spent the whole summer with me,” she tells It’s Nice That, “I felt very peaceful watching her running around on a field freely and happily,” she continues.

The book itself was never planned, instead, it progressed naturally from funny sketches drawn on a whim. “First I made a few illustrations of the character taking a bath, eating lunch and so on and slowly it started becoming a project,” she tells us.

As a freelancer, Jooyoung’s working life is sporadic and she finds herself constantly wondering what normal life is like: “I fantasised about having a day job, a normal daily routine and a regular income.” Reimagining herself as an everyday city dog, Jooyoung says: “the book reflects two of my longings: happy dogs and stability.”

Hailing from Seoul, Jooyoung came to Germany as an exchange student back in 2008. After studying Illustration in Halle, she dipped her toes into the underground creative scene of nearby Leipzig, which she now calls home.

Jooyoung’s naïve drawing style is awash with deadpan characters and awkward scenes. “I realised almost everything I make is already weird, even if I don’t try to be,” she says. Using a mixture of analogue materials from paints to pencils, she relishes in the clumsiness of her media: “I like to make images that are not too obvious. I like to mix opposite aspects: big and small, happy and sad, messy and neat,” she says.

Next up for Jooyoung will be 3D projects and lots more books, which are bound to tickle you further. However, as she tends not to plan ahead, she concludes by saying: “I will have to see.”