A Stunning Story: Sunnu Rebecca Choi Illustrates Tears of Prince Sado

Tears of Prince Sado, the best-selling novel by Kyu Hee Lee, has received a rich and distinctive reimagining through the illustrations of Sunnu Rebecca Choi. Commissioned and published by Bluebird (Yolimwon Publishing Group) in South Korea, we caught up with Rebecca to find out more about the work.

Can you tell us a bit more about the story?

The fictional story is based on the true historical event of Crown Prince Sado, the second son of King Yeongjo of the Joseon dynasty, who died while confined in a rice chest by his father’s orders.

Where did the inspiration come from for the illustrations? Were you influenced by anything in particular?

The story of Prince Sado is special to me. Hwaseong Fortress was built by King Jeongjo, son of Prince Sado, to honour the remains of his father. It’s located in Suwon, South Korea, where I’m originally from. For this project, I focused on the psychological and emotional aspects of the characters and ensured that all the historical and cultural aspects were correctly represented.

What is your process for creating the work?

Since the book is based on historical events, research about the Joseon dynasty was a big part of my process, including clothes and accessories of different social classes, architecture, furniture, food, landscape, and lifestyle.

What tools did you use? How do you create the textures in your landscapes?

I combined analog and digital mediums. Textures were created mainly by printmaking (monoprint) or acrylic paintings.

Which is your favourite illustration and why?