Small production for christmas

These are my christmas cards!

My small room become a small printing factory.

I really enjoy lino-cut and its textures. This is only single layer,

but I'd like to try multi-layers in future.

Christmas cards

Ok, finally I come back to my blog!

I've been doing some small projects, and this is one of them. I'm making my christmas cards by lino cutting, and today I finished making plates and printed them at home. In Japan, wood cut is more common than lino and I've never done lino-cutting before I came to UK. Anyway today I'm happy the results and I will put colours on them after the ink dries.

Forest

Finally I did my etching prints last week. I made this plate long time ago in my university, but I missed the chance to print. This is the steel plate I used for the first time. A steel plate has really rough surface and it is very different from zinc plate. I couldn't control the time to etch, and maybe this plate is slightly over etched. But I found it is interesting after I put some shadow.

priests?

Few days ago, I saw 3 priests who were wearing the black costume with special hair style. 3 of them made beautiful curls hair in front of their ears, but they shaved the other part of their hair. They look medieval, and it was funny to see them on the escalator of London underground.. This sketch is from my memory.

bike!

Fat ladies swimming

Last Friday I went to the swimming pool near my flat. There were few people in the pool, and they were swimming back and forth. About half an hour later, big 3 women came and started swimming. They were floating in the water and it was really comical. And here is my illustration I inspired by them!

Collage with fabric

This is a girl I sketched at a flower market a long time ago.

For collage, I used an old handkerchief that my friend gave me

as a souvenir from her trip to Italy.

Self produced

During this week, I'm producing lots of cards to sell at the Themes Festival on this weekend. I printed the images on the painting paper, cut them out, folded, add some colours, sign my name, then packaged with the envelopes. I like this process and I'm satisfied with the result! I also make some books to sell, but I can't mass produce because it is long process. But I'd like to make carefully one by one. It would be great if this work will be my main job! I will keep producing, as many artists are doing. And someday this would be my main job.

Brick Lane

At the market in Brick Lane on Sun. Many people are selling stuff.

Sometimes it is really random but very fun to see. I described it

with animal characters. Used colour pencil and water colour.

Collaboration

This is my small project with my friend Paul. We started this picture from one rabbit in the bottom, and every time we exchange the picture, we add the other character little by little. I haven't recognised our drawing has similarities, and it seems very natural even if we combined both characters in an illustration. His characters have lots of movement which I have to learn. I'm happy with the final image!

Fairy

Recently I use very basic media such as water colour and colour pencils. Sometimes I can not express the same feeling of my sketches, and regret after painting. It is little bit similar to a film camera. I can not go back to the beginning by one click.

I think I need to practice more!

Waffle Car

I found this waffle car in Brick Lane. It was really cute and big woman

was making waffles inside. I was inspired by this actual moment and

draw this picture with my imagination.

The flower market

This is the image of my ongoing project. I use animal characters

to describe London sceneries. This is my favourite flower market

in Colombia Road. I used colour pencils and will put some water colour.

Modify (Illustration Friday)

Finally I could submit to Illustration Friday!

This week's theme was "modify". I used colour pencil

which is one of my favourite drawing tools.

Final show

The final big event of the college life was the Final show. I exhibited my etchings and the story book I made with these images. It was the first experience for me to hang my work on the wall in the exhibition. I had many feedback from people, and I enjoyed my talented course mate work as well. One of my friend said to me that my work reminded her the scandinavian art. It was unexpected opinion and I was surprised.

And the other unexpected thing was some visitors and friend bought my books. I really appreciate people who bought them. Now I'm making few more books to sell at the book fair on next weekend. Making one book takes few hours and I needed to buy new materials, so it might not be good business, but anyway I am enjoying a lot!

And I realise I really love printmaking especially etching. I miss etching studio and I'm going to find new place to etch my work. My internet is working now so I will start to upload new work very soon!

Portfolio

I sorted out my portfolio today.

Add new images, get rid of old images...

And I drew the top page illustration!

I struggled with scanning watercolour again,

but I decided to add colour on the computer on it

if the colours were faded.. I will print them out tomorrow!

Rumour

From the town to the village.. what are they talking about?

More Flowers

I tried "soft ground" etching technique for the first time today.

Compared with the hard ground technique, soft ground can 

make a delicate texture like fabric patterns or the pencil lines.

I made a image of the girl who spread the seed of flower

on the bird. I like the texture this process can make.

Dream

My new etching work. I used blue and black ink. 

Wall Paper

I combined my scribbles and made a wall paper.

The images were inspired by traditional stitches.

Port

I printed this few weeks ago but I have kept forgetting to

put colours and scan. This is nowhere but only exist in my imagination.

Aquatint etc

New work by etching.  The second picture is aquatint, which 

makes really smooth texture. The original illustration was 

really really simple, but aquatint makes it more interesting.

I like this big fish. He looks more lively compared with

 my line drawing. I will put some subtle colours later.

Cracked (Illustration Friday)

The naughty cat pretends to be innocent, but he is not clever enough? Using soft colours and textures are my favourite, 

but I always struggle with scanning. Today, I made image less contrast by photoshop. I hope it works.

Walking in the Spring Breeze

This is my new etching work. I really like the result and I decided

to send this work to the Cheltenham Illustration Awards instead 

of previous one. Some patterns and details help my simple lines.

Contagious (Illustration Friday)

My quick drawing for Illustration Friday. It is good training for me to draw for one theme and everytime I learned new vocabularies so it is good for my english too! 

Contagious |kənˌteɪdʒəs|

 • figurative (of an emotion, feeling, or attitude) likely to spread to and affect others :

Learn from evil character

This is my practice of drawing evil character because

I tend to draw innocent characters.

 I was suggested this image was similar to "The BFG"

that I have never seen before and quite famous. 

I realised it is easy to draw typical image 

and I need more originality of my drawing. 

Dream of my childhood

This is my new work which I'm going to submit to Cheltenham 

Illustration Awards. Theme is "True Stories", so I decided to draw

my childhood memories. When I was a child, my imagination was 

really active and  I could see a dream world in my actual life. 

I often visited my grandparents house in country side and I

enjoyed nature walk on my own. It was my treasure moment.

Ancient Map

This is my current project. I like looking at ancient maps and

I am very excited imagining adventures in an unknown world.

I tried to desaturate the colours, and made it old looking.

The names of the places are Japanese.  

Hierarchy (Illustration Friday)

Children's book

I have been away from my blog for a long time because

I have concentrated my small challenge, which is submitting

my work to a children's book competition. To be honest,

I don't expect to win a prize at all, but it was good experience 

to learn a process to make one children's book including

making story, story boarding, character making, layout, etc etc.

I spent too much time on this. And now I need to go back to

my work for the college exhibition. Busy busy.. but keep up! 

Fleeting (Illustration Friday)

Talisman (Illustration Friday)

I made a simple image for Illustration Friday. "Talisman" is the theme

of this week. I like the astronomical images depicted in manusctipts.

It bring a lots of stories to us. 

Etching

This is my new work by etching. I used zinc plate this time.

I've always forgot making mirror image when I transferred

my drawing to a plate, but I didn't forget today!

I found even simple drawing become unbalanced 

if a image is reversed. I'm still struggling with tones,

and leaning little by little...  

Poise (Illustration Friday)

Submitted work to Illustration Friday this week. Theme is "Poise". 

I draw an air battle of two rabbits, but not in a cruel way.

Mixed media of colour pencil and computer.

Etching

This is my new work by etching. I tried copper plate for the first time,

and I was surprised that process took so long time.

I still struggle with controlling ink, so I would like to try more.

I like simple image but some decorative details as well.

Subtract (Illustration Friday)

This work is the one I submitted to Illustration Friday.  

I used water colour, pencils, and collage but 

I didn't use computer this time. 

Breakfast

This is my mixed media drawing by using colour pencil

and computer. I like drawing innocent characters.

Legendary (illustration Friday)

This image is from Japanese old literature "Hikaru Genji".

The Character is Princess Oboro Zukiyo, who falls in love 

with Genji, the main character of the story.

Man on the horse

I'm still learning a etching technique, but I found myself really like 

the texture. I can express my fine lines and details with it.

This is my second work by etching, and I feel the tone 

is better than first one.   

a girl of the earth

Intricate

This is my second work for "Illustration Friday".

The theme of this week is intricate which was intricate for me..

I used colour pencils and Japanese paper.

So can you...?

I am not a religious person nor stoic, but I really like religious paintings. This illustration is inspired by Byzantine painting. Normally, people would hold a Cross, but I replaced them with other items.

Diet cat's question

During almost 2 weeks of writing a research paper,

I've been just staying home and sitting in front of computer.

Then ate something, made tea, ate something, made coffee...

Obviously, this process made me heavier. 

This poor cat is still writing a research paper, and 

can't stop her "eat, write, drink, write" process. 

Breezy

This is my first work to submit to "Illustration Friday".

The theme is Breezy. Where does the spring breeze take me to?

Medieval Starbucks

Long queue at Starbucks in a "Medieval" style.

The idea for the style is inspired by Spanish manuscripts 

from around the 11th century.

Contemplating Cat

This is the cat I found at Broadway Market. 

He might think his life... no, maybe just about food?

Valentine's Day

Fairy Tale

I learned the pattern from a manuscript in 15th century.

 The horse is from a old children's toy. This is a typical 

scene of fairy tales, so it might be more interesting if  

the position of a prince and a princess is swapped ...

Snowy Day Drawing

This is my practice of two scene narrative illustration on the snowy day. Snow gave me the time for drawing at home. Thank you snow!

Broadway Market

I drew this from the photo I took at Broadway Market. 

Market is very attractive place for me and I can't stop 

taking photos of food shop. This is my bad habit because 

"food photo" in the market is typical and not so interesting,

but if you draw you feel bit different. I feel it is more lively.

I love this woman's pon pon on her cap, and lots of 

 colourful dots printed on the table cloth. 

Disappearing

This is my new work for exhibition titled "disappearing". 

The man who is making bubble is the symbol of the 

people who lost his most important person and

 things suddenly as sensitive bubbles. 

Story

This is my recent work. I tried to make illustration typography.

 It might be subtle but can you see the words? 

who's next?

I still continue drawing same houses and enjoy put the different character inside. First one was colour pencils, second was etching, and this is watercolours for third one.

This image of the bird-man came from the Celtic manuscript. He wasn't a main character in the manuscript, and almost disappeared in the background. But I found he would become a really funny character. Now he is a hero in this illustration. He must be happy.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas!

This is my Christmas card I made by etching

Houses on houses...

Buildings on buildings, houses on houses..

 It's interesting to see how impression become

different depend on colouring. 

This postcard design is for children's event 

organised by citibank in Japan last year. 

In the event, kids had one day experience

in their parent (probably father) 's work place.

Colour pencil

Woman and baby in the castle 

Colouring Time

This is for our 3rd mini exhibition of "Colouring Time".The idea is bit obvious, but I like framing picture with simple lines and put small letters. I realise his illustration seems sad..  maybe I need to draw more little creatures in it.

 

German key

V&A is one of my favourite museum in London.

I found this in the corner displayed a lot of keys

in Europe beyond the history. I like this German

key, because it seems to be related to the old 

fairy tale. Also I started feeling my house key is 

very boring and nothing special... just normal key. 

Fork family

*Fork family gathering at Foyles cafe*

I made them in the beginning of this year.

Foyles used to have nice wooden fork, not like resent

one (recent one looks cheap), and also spoon, knife.

Also their wooden table and chair is relaxing. 

I corrected these wooden cutlery everytime I visited  

to have a cup of cappuccino, then brought them back home 

and painted. I brought the family to the cafe, which is 

their home town, put them on the table and took photo.