Rachel Lee - Artist

We catch up with Rachel Lee, an artist who specialises in drawing marine life...

Let’s start with a bit of your background. How did you get into creating fish art?

Kia Ora! I’m Rachel Lee, a South Korea-born kiwi artist specialising in drawing marine life. In other words, I draw fish every day! I often get asked how I got into my art, and like everything else, there is a little story behind it.

I immigrated from South Korea to Aotearoa about 22 years ago with my family. I was a high school student, unable to speak English, which, combined with my extremely introverted personality, meant that I struggled to talk to others. I was quiet as a mouse at school, not good at sports, and didn’t stand out at all. Instead, I read comic books at lunchtime, and always enjoyed drawing the characters. Through this, I developed a deep passion for art, which was the beginning of my career.

I managed to leave high school early and enrol myself in the Elam School of Fine Arts. The hardest part was persuading my parents! Once I graduated from Elam, I worked as a freelancer for a short time doing general illustration jobs. However, it wasn’t creative enough for me. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always liked comic books and drawing characters, so I asked myself, “Is there a job where I can do this?” Pretty soon I was on a plane back to South Korea, where the IT industry is much bigger than in NZ. I eventually got a job at a video game company, designing game characters, which was my ultimate goal.

After working for a few years in Korea, I met my husband, Sean. Because he was living in NZ, we realised that one of us would have to move. So, I decided to move back to NZ, and I haven’t looked back since. We now live in Hamilton and have three daughters together.

As you can imagine, being a freelancer artist freshly back in the country, and having a young family to care for, means financial stress. Through this tough time, Sean never complained and always supported me. I couldn’t have gotten back on my feet without his support, as well as all the others who believed in me. 

Why do I draw fish? To be completely honest, I don’t even know how to tie a uni knot. I’m not a fisher or an outdoors person. But Sean is absolutely addicted to fishing and diving, and he always tells me about the marine life he sees as though it’s another world. One day he asked me, “Can you draw me a snapper?” So, I started doodle-drawing one… and that’s when I got hooked! There are so many species to draw, and each of them has its own beauty and individual story, just like video game characters. 

What’s your favourite species to draw, and why? 

I personally like snapper – and my daughters like eating them the most. I like their facial features, especially around the forehead, nose, lips, and eyes (the way they stare). They’re like characters in a video game or a comic book.  What kind of life do they live? I try to imagine their life in the ocean by reading their facial features. Then it becomes serious when I pick up my pen, I make sure they become the main character in the scene. Brush-stroking the beautiful unfolding pectoral fin and the solid dorsal fin, drawing scales one by one. It sometimes feels like I’m building hard armour for a warrior who is about to go to war. No matter how long it takes, I put all my effort into making the strongest and most formidable armour.  

I also quite enjoyed drawing a great white shark last year. It was so fascinating to see how the shark was carrying a huge history in his skin. With so many scars and scratches, I could almost write a book from my imagination about his life.  

Can you describe the process you go through when creating a piece?

First, I study and research each fish. It’s crucial to know as much as I can so that I can draw a bigger picture in my head. In order to build them into a character, I need to know everything about them. Particularly for catch-and-release orders, I don’t want to miss any details – my art piece must reflect the story and history behind it. Once I am happy with my initial observation process, I then cut a piece of paper, draw the fish frame, and position its eye. 

Then the game is on and the ink work starts; I don’t pencil-sketch the details beforehand so there is no going back. Breathe in, breathe out. Brush strokes for the fins, followed by the patience game: using a fine pen to catch all the micro-details. Most importantly, the date, location, weight, and length of the fish have to be correctly recorded at the end.  Most of my customers prefer to pick up their artwork, rather than have it delivered. It is truly amazing to meet them all and see first-hand how passionate they are about fishing – they don’t mind travelling far when it comes to fish! 

What’s your favourite medium?

My main medium is black ink. I often use a combination of Sumi brushes and fine ink pens. Black and white art is my strength. Although it sounds very simple, even a slight difference in the thickness of a brush stroke can change the characteristics of the fish totally. Finding the infinity within the limit is what it’s all about.

How would you describe your style, and what other artists have influenced you? 

From a young age, I learned calligraphy from my grandfather, and soon drawing with black ink and brush became second nature. He taught me the importance of brush control techniques, which is where I think I got the confidence to use the Sumi brush without hesitation. 

My extremely sensitive personality allows me to view things in a different way. Instead of viewing objects as a whole, I see the lines and dots that make up the surface of that object. Combining these lines and dots together, I have found my own unique way of expression, using only a brush and fine pen. 

I also get inspired by the underwater photographers who interact with marine creatures and capture their everyday life. This really helps me when it comes to imagining the life of the fish that I’m drawing.

How do you know when the piece is ‘done’?

Hmm, that’s not an easy question. It has to be perfect; I know when there is absolutely no single spot that I want to work on, then it’s done.

After spending a lot of time putting in all the micro details, lines, and dots, I often fall in love with the fish; sometimes I even feel like keeping it. But I guess you have to release them every now and then, right?

When you’re on the water and you catch a fish, do you ever look at it and think of making artwork, or vice versa?

Whenever I get a chance to see fish in real life, I just can’t stop looking at it. Identifying the special features of fish has become part of my life. I would love to draw them all, but I have lots of customers waiting, so I can only dream about it for now. 

What new pieces are you planning to create?

I am planning on drawing more freshwater species next year. They are very different to saltwater species; if it was a game, I feel like they would be from a different tribe. For example, if snapper were the human warriors in the ‘Lord of the Rings’, trout would be the elves – there’s just something special and cool about them. Besides, Sean caught his first trout recently, and he told me all about it as if he was a professional trout fishing guide.

I’m also looking forward to drawing tuna and swordfish, and all the other species I haven’t even heard of yet. I am looking forward to catching them all (with my Sumi brush), it works a treat!

January 2023
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
Copyright: NZ Fishing Media Ltd.
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