With bright colours and soft pencil lines, Neuhyo draws attention to idyllic moments

The Seoul-based illustrator shares how she flipped negative feelings on their head and channeled her emotions into a flourishing illustration career.

When studying at art college, the illustrator Neuhyo would have described herself as a “negative” person. The only thing that brought her out of her negativity, and into a more productive mind frame, was the moment she “stopped comparing [herself] with others”. From this point on, Neuhyo recalls how her life is full of “happy moments”, the exact ones she now endeavours to depict in her delicate, peaceful illustrations.

On the scenes she ends up depicting, Neuhyo isn’t too specific. What she does do, however, is try to capture moments people usually tend to take for granted, like “the moment we wake up in the morning and exercise, the moment we eat and the moment we talk to our friends”. Although dabbling in digital methods once in a while, Neuhyo predominantly works in analogue, prioritising soft pencil lines and bright colours instead. Neuhyo’s main influence is the painter Raoul Dufy, both for his outlook and style. Despite a hard start in life, Neuhyo admires how – like her – he sought to “sing the joys of life” in his bright, expressive paintings.

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Neuhyo: Oranges in the bag (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Sunday (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Summer swimming pool and figs (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Summer swimming pool and figs (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Free movement (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Summer (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: A lovely table (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2022)

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Neuhyo: A sweet table (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2022)

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Neuhyo: Greek yogurt & Granola (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Stretching (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2022)

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Neuhyo: Untitled (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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Neuhyo: Cookies (Copyright © Neuhyo, 2023)

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About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) is associate editor of the website, working across editorial projects and features as well as Nicer Tuesdays events. She joined the It’s Nice That team in 2021. Feel free to get in touch with any stories, ideas or pitches.

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