A bit more ISO 12757-1

This is all very nice, but what if someone would like to try making art with all these fancy ballpoint pen refills without buying an expensive Italian-made pen or spending hours in an office supplies store trying to look for the least-rattly one? There is one more interesting hack-like solution to this - using a clutch pencil (or a lead holder as these are called in Japan).

I’m obsessed with ISO 12757-1

A few years ago, when we still lived in the center of Tokyo, I made a few cool art supplies stores the goals of my walks. Once or twice a week, I would stroll to Ginza or Nihonbashi and visit stores there or along the Sumida river to the Kakimori. I would just browse, test…

Double sketchbook life

Recently I started leading a double life — a double-sketchbook life. In one book, I'm a neat, detail, and reference-obsessed architecture illustrator, but when the evening comes and my family sleeps, I open my leather-bound book on which pages all kinds of monstrous and wonderful art can happen. For the past few years, I have…

I’m lost… because of AI

Hi Matt! I saw a post where you talk about AI, but what do you think we should do as artists? I've so lost my motivation and drive to keep on… I'm lost. With the permission of the person who e-mailed me with this question, I'm uploading my answer for all of you to read.…

Ghibli animations you haven’t seen (probably)

I love animated movies – I think that this form of art, when done right, can be one of the most imaginative ways of showing stories and worlds fantastic. But, I somehow never really got into short-form animation. I have seen some great ones, yes (like our favorite Magnetic Rose or some of the Animatrix collection, for example),…

Making a book (in Japan)

Just recently, my third book to be published in Japan arrived at my door! Every time seeing a new book completed is just a moment of many complex feelings: joy and relief, feeling of accomplishment, and also giddy anticipation for seeing the books on bookstore shelves. This is the end of a long, arduous process,…

True artists don’t erase!

In recent years I have been trying to be more conscious about how exactly I make art, and one of the things that I managed to change significantly for the better in my creative process, is how I feel about fixing and redoing things. Until recently, I would often not only ignore things in my…

Can I be an artist with no imagination?

Since I was very young, and even when I had already started aiming to make art my primary occupation, I thought that I simply could not become a "true" artist because I felt I had no imagination. I think this notion started when I was just a kid, getting more interested in making art and…

Realistic Fantasy

Making fantasy look tangible. For me, one of the best parts about creating a comic, an animation, or even just a single illustration is thinking up its setting. What kind of place are we in, what buildings to feature, what about the atmosphere, the time of day, and so on. A lot of artists I…

Wishful thinking destroys creativity

First off, as this article touches upon mental health, I would like to point out that (obviously) I'm not a mental health expert by any means, and the following text should be read as my thoughts and musings, based only on my own experience. If you are in any distress and looking for help, please…