by REERA YOO
The Starbucks siren is one of the most recognizable logos in the world, but for the past few years, Korean artist Soo Min Kim has been reinventing the iconic green siren’s image with his incredibly detailed and creative illustrations.
A self-described “paper cup artist,” Kim creates his art by first painting the cup white except for the siren and then drawing a new scene with a green marker. Kim has transformed hundreds of sirens into both original characters and pop-culture figures such as Psy, the Avengers, Darth Vader, and more. Recently, his art has become even more elaborate with cups now displaying cutouts and tea lights, adding depth to the illustrations.
Here are some of his amazing cup artworks:
“Career” depicts a scene from the movie Wanted. (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
Starbucks siren turned saiyan. Kamehameha! (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
“Kentucky Fried Coffee” (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
“The Fighting” combines the use of a paper cup and painted canvas. (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
“Grow Up” uses various sizes of Starbucks cups from short to venti. (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
A Starbucks cup that features Facebook’s “like” icon with a pop of blue. (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
“View From an Open Window” (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
“Black Moon” (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
The Starbucks siren as an Avenger. (Photo: Soo Min Kim/Fseo)
Kim occasionally posts time-lapse videos of his cup art process. To check out more of his Starbucks artworks, visit Kim’s official blog, Facebook, or YouTube.
