As a literati court painter, Yi Am's works spanned portraiture, bird-and-flower and animal paintings.

He used washes of ink instead of distinct lines to define the animal bodies, a method that heavily influenced future Joseon bird-and-flower paintings.

[1] This influence spread to Japan as well; Tawaraya Sōtatsu's paintings of puppies with a similar technique have been considered a possible starting point for the development of the Rinpa school tarashikomi.

[2] The themes of natural harmony and familial love in Yi Am's animal paintings also influenced later Korean painters Byeon Sang-byeok and Kim Sik.

The degree of fidelity to the animals' natural appearances reflect the closeness that Yi could afford to have with royal pedigree hounds and captive hawks.