Category Archives: Japan

Takashi Nakamura

March 12, 2018 12:03 AM \

Admiring the incredible work of Japanese artist Takashi Nakamura. The freelance illustrator graduated from the Design Academy of Omiya and is currently residing in Saitama prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. He depicts scenes and details of ordinary life in a style influenced by reading manga, hence the precise line work and light applications of color. The illustrations are all handmade starting with a faint draft and then patiently painting textures and colors with gel ink pens.

You can see follow the artist on his his website and on Tumblr.

Images: Courtesy of Takashi Nakamura.

Posted in: Drawings, Illustration, Japan \ Tagged: , ,

Tetote Note

February 28, 2018 12:03 AM \

Going to have fun creating this woven look using an embroidery technique. Found this project on the Japanese site, Tetote Note. The swatches would be great for darning or decorating cloth. All you need is: 1) cloth, 2) embroidery thread, 3) embroidery frame, 4) round template, 5) embroidery needle, 6) washable chaco marker and 7) threading scissors. The instruction in Japanese is located here but the photos make this DIY project easy to follow.

Images: Courtesy of Tetote Note.

Posted in: Embroidery, Handcrafted, Japan \ Tagged: , ,

Mayuko Fujino

January 15, 2018 12:03 AM \

Mayuko Fukino is a self-taught papercut artist from Tokyo currently based in New York City, who combines paper cutting with collage to create these truly unique and intricate illustrations.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and has worked on commission for various clientele. On Roadside Scholar she tells us about her inspiration:

“i think what inspires me most are the challenging technical restrictions of paper cutout. sometimes when i have an idea it does not fall within the conventional rules for my method… and when i see something then the rules decide 1) if i can actually craft it or not and 2) how to go about making it. it’s fun for me to see how far i can go within the limitations. to do that, i always have to make the best use of inventiveness, and sometimes unexpected ideas occur. sometimes i think it almost acts like a guide for me to understand the world. and of course music (like moondog) and literature inspire me a lot. a sound body with storing of memory in five senses.”

The artist can be found on her website and on Instagram.

Images: Courtesy of Mayuko Fujino.

Posted in: Collage, Illustration, Instagram, Japan \ Tagged: , , , ,
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