Kim Jung Gi, acclaimed comic book artist, dies at 47

Credit: Romuald Meigneux/Sipa/Shutterstock

(CNN) --

What takes many artists weeks or months to create took only hours for Kim Jung Gi.

The acclaimed South Korean artist would craft extensive and intricately detailed scenes with incredible speed, often before a live audience.

He narrated as he worked, sharing his process with his rapt admirers as he created a fully realized work of art before his eyes.

Kim, an influential comic book artist, died suddenly this week, his US agent told CNN.

He was 47 years old.

The artist was in Paris for an exhibition of his work when he experienced chest pains shortly before flying to New York, where he was supposed to appear at Comic Con. He was transported to a hospital, where he died, according to a statement shared on your verified social media accounts.

A lifelong artist, Kim began drawing at the South Korean comic publication Young Jump before creating his own manhwa, a style of South Korean comic called "Tiger the Long Tail" or "TLT."

Known for his live drawing sessions, Kim covered blank canvases with incredibly detailed scenes that he often drew without a reference image.

He would create scenes using visual fragments that he had collected and memorized, and then apply them to paper.

He told art publication Visual Atelier that for his most radical pieces, he had about "60% of the image in (his) head of him" and improvised the rest.

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Kim Jung Gi used conventions and gallery visits to demonstrate his art live, teaching viewers as he created.

Credit: Pau Berrena/AFP/Getty Images

He also taught in formal academic settings, lecturing at universities on manhwa.

With his students, she emphasized the ability to "visualize the moment," merging observations of his daily life with images in his imagination.

"It's miserable when you can't draw what's on your mind," he said in an interview in June.

At the Daniel Maghen Editions gallery, where he was exhibiting his work in Paris before his death, a line of supporters circled the block for a chance to sit on the floor and watch him work.

While in Paris, he completed a Batman-themed illustration featuring the Dark Knight, Catwoman, and several of the superhero's best-known foes, as well as soccer-inspired artwork for Paris Saint-Germain FC.

Jim Lee, editor and creative director of DC Comics, called Kim "one of the absolute greats" in a series of tweets remembering the Korean artist, who occasionally designed covers for DC series and participated in drawing workshops through the company. .

"@KimJungGiUS was a truly phenomenal talent whose magic with pen and brush captivated and inspired millions of fans around the world," Lee tweeted.

"While he did draw some amazing comics, it was his live drawing of him and his sketchbooks of his life, travels and dreams that spoke to me the most."

Marvel Comics editor-in-chief CB Cebulski echoed Lee's praise: "There was no one like (Kim)," he said of the artist, who has also worked on Marvel comic book covers.

Kim's frequent collaborator Hyun Jin Kim, with whom he worked at Superani Studio, a creative group of Asian artists and creatives, shared a brief message along with the official news of Kim's death: "After doing so much for us, Now you can put down your brushes. Thank you Jung Gi."

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