Artist Research - Irene Koh Edited

Irene Koh is a comic artist. She is best known for The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars. She also worked on Batgirl, Teen Titans, and TMNT. Irene is Korean-American and lives in the United States. She studied art and storytelling, and she uses these skills in her comics.

darkhorse

Her art is clean and clear. She draws faces and body movements very well, so you can see how characters feel even without much text. She uses soft colours and simple backgrounds, which makes the characters and their emotions stand out. She often draws themes like identity, change, and friendship.

I chose Irene Koh because I want to show my characters’ feelings and power in my Elementals project. I want to show not only what they do, but also how they feel inside. Her way of drawing people and energy helps me think about how to design my own characters. I also want to try soft colours and simple backgrounds like her, so the focus is on the characters and their emotions.

dc

Irene’s use of soft colors and simple backgrounds is something I’d like to try in my own work. She creates beautiful artwork without needing too much detail in the backgrounds, which makes the characters and their emotions stand out more. I think this approach will be helpful in my project, as I want the focus to be on the characters and their feelings rather than distracting details.

Irene Koh’s work in the comic book world has had am She is an artist who understands the power of emotion in storytelling and the importance of connecting with readers through her characters. Her art makes her characters feel real, and it makes you care about what happens to them. This is something I want to achieve in my own work. Through Irene’s art, I’ve learned how important it is to show both the external actions and the internal feelings of a character. It’s not just about what they do, but about who they are inside.

https://avatarnews.co/post/687354302251073536/update-2-we-finally-figured-out-what-happened

This artwork by Irene Koh shows a character drawn with soft colours and a simple background. The body pose and facial expression clearly show the character’s feelings. I may use this idea in my “Elementals” project: draw my character with a clear emotion, use colour to show mood, and keep the background simple so the character stands out.

http://www.multiversitycomics.com/irene-koh/

I really like how Irene Koh shows emotion in her characters. In one of her illustrations, the characters’ hair and clothes flow with the movement, which makes the scene feel alive. I probably use this idea for my element characters. I can make their hair and energy move together to show their power and feelings.

gallerynucleus

In this artwork by Irene Koh the character’s hair and cape move in the wind. That movement helps show the character’s feeling and energy, even though the background is simple. For my “Elementals” project I can use this idea by letting my character’s hair, clothing or surroundings flow, so you can feel both their power and mood.

References:

Fandom.com. (2025). Irene Koh. [online] Available at: https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Irene_Koh [Accessed 29 April 2025].

DC. (2025). Irene Koh. [online] Available at: https://www.dc.com/talent/irene-koh [Accessed 29 April 2025].

Darkhorse.com. (2017). The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part One TPB. [online] Available at: https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/29-495/The-Legend-of-Korra-Turf-Wars-Part-One-TPB [Accessed 29 April 2025].

https://avatarnews.co/post/687354302251073536/update-2-we-finally-figured-out-what-happened

Multiversity Comics. (n.d.). Irene Koh – Multiversity Comics. [online] Available at: https://www.multiversitycomics.com/irene-koh/ [Accessed 13 Nov 2025].

Multiversity Comics. (n.d.). Irene Koh – Multiversity Comics. [online] Available at: https://www.multiversitycomics.com/irene-koh/ [Accessed 13 Nov 2025].

Irene Koh. (n.d.). Character illustration. [online] Available at: https://www.gallerynucleus.com/artists/irene_koh [Accessed 13 Nov 2025].