New drawing – Kim Da Hyun (김다현) of Twice

Drawing people is the most difficult kind of realistic drawing, because the slightest flaws are easily spotted by anyone, no training needed. Even babies see them! Thank you, evolution!!

Drawing real people, from observation is another level. Imaginary people are easy by comparison. Drawing famous people is another level that opens the artist up to widespread criticism if the slightest flaws are present.

So with that, here is my first attempt at drawing Dahyun, of Kpop group Twice:

Dahyun performing with Twice, Kcon LA 2018
Dahyun performing with Twice, Kcon LA 2018

Dahyun is a lovely, talented and unbelievably hardworking girl that brings up fatherly feelings in me. I have long wished for a daughter. Perhaps one day still, I might be blessed!

Ive wanted to draw Dahyun for a long time. To be honest, this drawing is a monstrosity that didn’t know whether it wanted to be a fine line drawing or a shades and highlights drawing. There are parts of this version that are missing because I drew them in white, over a rosy background. But when posting only the top layer came across, for some reason. I need a real multilayer drawing app for this phone.

That’s another challenge with drawing pretty daughter Dahyun – she is a study in white and pink! Not easy to find actual lines inside her face. Trying to suggest them with a sharp black pencil was a failure. Dahyun’s smile is probably her most famous feature. Getting that perfect is crucial, yet I’ve failed here.

So here is this mess for now.

And here is the original video frame on my Xbox:

Dahyun performing with Twice, Kcon LA 2018
Dahyun performing with Twice, Kcon LA 2018

As you can see, my first attempt is humiliating. Poor fatherly me!

There’s an interesting note about this photo. This picture is much clearer than what was actually on the screen, what I was looking at while drawing. This Note 9’s badass camera software automagically cleaned it up!

Dahyun has the look of a classic beauty from antiquity. I am 100% certain I have seen her ancient mother recorded in sculpture. Evolutionarily successful DNA often reappears this way, and spreads through time in a population. (undergrad specialty in stratigraphy and paleontology here, thank you) This ancient girl was identical to daughter here, but centuries ago. I’m sure it was on the side of an ancient building. My image memory is honestly mind blowing. I can’t take credit for it, it was a gift, I put no effort into it. I will find this girl of antiquity for you readers. I can see her in my mind, but not sure where I saw it.

I believe this is part of the reason Dahyun is so beloved by fans, especially her Korean fans. Koreans wish to preserve their culture, Dahyun is a new generation of ancient beauty. Plus she’s a very good example of young womanhood.

She’s a very devout Christian, which I’m sure my girlfriend loves, too.

It’s funny, about the Twice girls. Dahyun, Jungyeon and Chaeyoung seem like daughters to me. Jihyo and Sana and Momo seem like wife material, especially Jihyo. The others I don’t have strong feelings either way, as of yet.

I’m not sure why I react this way to the different girls, I just know I do.