I took off to Tokyo. Studio will be closed till August 25th. Also, next shipment for the shop will be on the last week of August. Thank you for understanding.
Vacation, it is not.
I was never that person who wanted to be on TV. I am actually still not into the idea. I mean, why do I want to embarrass myself in front of millions of people? After all, I haven’t even owned a TV in past five years, and I get most of my latest news from WNYC and NY Times.
But when a TV station from Japan comes knocking on my door, why not? Just once, to see whether I like it, or not. I am open to doing things at least once.
Nippon Television filming crew has been shooting a footage in NY for about a week, and now it’s my turn to go do a studio recording.
I don’t know much about Japanese TV shows, but it will be a 3 hour special program about multiple people who have changed their career midway, and how that positively (I think, hoping not to see negatively) affecting their lives.
The show title is 明石家さんまの転職de天職 and it is scheduled to be on air on September 15th in Japan. I think my segment will be only about 5 minutes long, though, flight is about 14 hours each way. Ha ha.
See how it goes.
I made this drawing specifically for Skillshare Ink Drawing Class and I want you to have it! (and other awards) Take my class and create and upload your awesome final projects. Deadline is July 15th (Tues) because it’s my birthday, and to see awesome works by you is the best birthday present I can ask for!
I will personally pick one winner to give this drawing to you.
Also, two runner-ups receive signed prints, as well as two of you who recive the most appreciation from the peers each receive a print as well.
Eligible to anything that’s uploaded already, as well as new works uploaded till the challenge deadline.
Don’t be afraid if you are new to inking, or new to art. I am an experienced art school instructor as well, so I won’t just pick because someone has the highest skill. I will pick works that speak to me the most, hopefully, something that shows who you are, what you want to express, and effort you have put into work. Good luck! Really looking forward to seeing your projects!
I have spent a lot of time and effort into creating this online class. Learn more about my Skillshare class here
The bidding has ended!
Thank you everyone who has participated in Friends of Bob auction to bid on my original drawing as well as all the other beautiful illustrations and photographies donated by Bob’s friends.
Here is the bidding result for my piece. It started with very low starting bid of $100, but thanks to those who participated, we can now donate $1,700 to Bob’s medical expenses.
Dear Mayor West, as soon as I get your information from the auction organizer, I will get in touch to arrange shipping of the piece.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
UPDATED on May 24: bidding has started now. Bidding link here (the link works on your computer, but not on mobile devise unless you have account with them. )
Maybe you want to buy my drawing, especially that your purchase will help out Bob’s medical expenses.
I will be auctioning off this, one of my favorite original drawings, as a part of Friends of Bob Benefit Auction, to raise fund to cover medical cost of a friend, long time supporter of my work, art director Bob Newman. Please read more about this benefit here.
Starting bid will be set low, about $100, which is equivalent of one print. And, matching color print comes with the drawing as an extra gift for the winning bidder.
Bid on this drawing of mine, or many other beautiful works by illustrators and photographers here (the link works on your computer, but not on mobile devise unless you have account with them. ) Auction should start in mid May and end on May 29. I hope to keep you updated when the site is up, but I am traveling abroad now,and may not be able to update details till I come back. So, follow Tumblr page for the latest news, please!
Hi Toronto! I will be coming to your city next week to speak at FITC the Technology & Creative Conference which takes place from April 27 to 29.
It’s been years since I last visited this awesome city, and I am psyched to be a part of this fantastic conference. Tickets are still available, great speaker line up including Stefan Sagmeister who will be the opening keynote.
Hope to see you there!
I will be coming to Detroit next week.
Lecture at College for Creative Studies on Wednesday, April 9 is open to public, so if you are in Detroit or near by area, please come stop by!
Wednesday, April 9, 6:00PM Walter B. Ford II Building, Walter and Josephine Ford Campus, College for Creative Studies
(presentation was made possible by generous grant from the Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation)
Thank you Donald Kilpatrick III for all the arrangements, and print awesome letter press posters.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Silver Medal was awarded to Barbed Wire Baseball, AD: Chad Beckerman, publisher: Abrams (below is a spread from the book)
Hana Sasaki Grows a Tailcover image publisher: A Strange Object Spring Snowcover image AD: John Gall, publisher: Vintage
above and below are two of editorial illustrations I have collaborated with AD SooJin Buzelli, publisher: Asset Inernationaldouble page spread illustration for Green Source Magazine, CD: Francesca Messina, AD: Heather Haggerty, publisher: McGrawhill
Society of Illustrators’ annual juried exhibition ILLUSTRATORS 56 opens this week (January 7) in New York City. This is part 1 of two exhibitions, and the next exhibit opens in February.
I am honored to have two pieces accepted in this show, one of them will be receiving Gold Medal.
The medal winner is Sketchtravel exhibit poster for Kyoto International Manga Museum in Japan, art directed by one and only Dice Tsutsumi. Please read more about Sketchtravel project Dice has started here. I am extremely excited that I was able to take a small part in this amazing project, and rewarded with a medal. Thank you judges and thank you Society of Illustrators.
Another piece accepted into the show is recently completed YES! mural in DUMBO, Brooklyn, in collaboration with Sagmeister and Walsh. Since I won’t be able to bring the mural to the museum, I will be showing large original ink drawing I have created as the preliminary drawing for the mural.
2013 is quickly coming to the end. And I want to thank you all, friends, family, clients and those of you who support my work though I may not know you in person or even live in the same country. A few years ago, I started seriously thinking about who I want to be as an artist and to keep growing. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had to come out of my comfort zone and to branch out and try out things that I have not done before. I feel very fortunate I was able to work on projects I could not have imagined on working a year before. None of them were easy, to be absolutely honest. But because they were not easy, there was this feeling of accomplishment I get whenever I was done with each project. I am not athletic, but it is probably how those mountain climbers feel when they reach the peak. photo by Giorgio Arcelli
I proved to myself I can draw for kids too:
I have mostly created images for grown ups for last ten years, and I understand some publishers were scared of me (?) because I am quite aware some of my works can look risqué. Nobody offered me to do kids books till I got contacted by Chad Beckerman of Abrams. Chad wasn’t scared of my work. My first kids book Barbed Wire Baseballcame out in April.
It was one of the hardest projects I have ever taken on for sure. I am used to making one image per project, then move on. For this book I worked on and off for about a year and half. During the busiest time before the deadline, I suddenly lost my hearing from stress, and had to run to ER because it was a long weekend and my doctor was not around. Luckily, I was OK, and now I have the contacts for some of the best ear doctors in New York along with a book that bare my name. SEE THIS PROJECT HERE
designed something that got painted on an 80 foot wall:
To push you to the next level, the best you can hope for is to have someone who you trust and respect who pushes you harder than you would normally do by yourself. Makes sense? Everyone who has ever worked with or studied under Stefan Sagmeister all say he is an amazing collaborator / art director who pushes you to where you have not gone before. It is always extremely exciting, and scary as hell at the same time. I had worked with Stefan twice before (and the second project is not out yet. Possibly in 2014), and that was always the case. He asks me things I have never done and not sure I can do, but he comes to me confidently believing I can do it, and then I get to work. I had spent chunk of the summer working on this mural project now you can see in DUMBO, Brooklyn. This was also the first time the fully colored illustration I had created only served as a ‘sketch’ for the mural painter Coby Kennedy, who single handedly paint both of the two walls in just ten days, all 160 feet of them. Well, it was a challenging project for me, but Coby should definitely get most of the credit. (and of course Wade Jeffree for being an amazing designer) SEE THIS PROJECT HERE
photos by Daniel Greenfeld
animation REALLY is a never ending work (but there is a reward waiting):
I mostly stayed away from animation projects in past, and after finishing one now, I have to be honest that I will most probably keep the same position except very few exceptions where I would strongly feel that I want to take on that project knowing what awaits me. Animation REALLY is a TON of work. Along with art-loving friends, I had worked on short 2D animation projects when I was in high school (yup, long time ago), so I knew how it goes, but 3D animation was a completely different beast that was just as, or even more time consuming.
For 2 minutes short animation film project for Italian fashion brand Trussardi, which just got released in Tokyo in early December, I spent most of September working 12-14 hour days every day, working on character designs and elements that goes into the film. I honestly thought I would not survive. I miraculously did, thanks of Rovina Cai, who is the most level headed, calm, ultra fast and super skilled coloring assistant god has sent me. (I mean, seriously, and I am not even sure if I believe in god, and I still say this, so this is major.)
It depends on how you count…, but I probably worked on close to 100 illustrations, if not more, in about one month period. But after seeing the finished animation, I knew that the work was even harder for the animators. It is quite a magical moment to see my drawings moving, in a way I have never done by myself. Kudos to the animators. I have higher respect to you now, more than ever. SEE THIS PROJECT HERE
Sarajevo and Bogotá made my head leveled and allowed me to grow up a bit more (+ amazing new friends)
I recommend anyone to travel, especially to those places where you don’t think of as typical tourist destinations, where you don’t know so much about. I guarantee the experience is richer.
I didn’t get to travel much when I was younger, so I am now catching up. I almost never say no when I get invited to foreign trips, most of the time workshops and/or lectures. I was so lucky this year brought me to places I have never thought I would visit. In April, an illustration conference brought me to Bogotá, Colombia, then in October I found myself in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina for a design conference. (If any organization anywhere have interest in having me over, contact me directly anytime!)
I learned about power of students, and pain of the war in Sarajevo:
After close to 20 years, Sarajevo is still recovering from what the war has done to the city and its people. Not many things are working quite well (museums are closed for last two years, not enough heat is provided in the winter, no water at night, bullet and grenade marks are all over the building facades), but the students at Akademija Likovnih Umjetnosti (Academy of Fine Arts) are focused and enthusiastic, they have organized their own design conference called SOS Dizajn Festival which started in 2012. We worked a lot, laughed a lot, and also cried a lot (during the war tour of the city and hearing the locals’ experiences during the war time). Experience was rich and dense though I only stayed there for 4 and half days.
No, Colombia is not what you think it is:
Please don’t think of Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Colombiana, when you hear the word Colombia. I can guarantee those are Colombians’ least favorite Hollywood imagination of their country of all time. (Just like we think Karate Kid 2 is totally messed up and wrong). No, it is not dangerous. No, Bogota is not a small town in a jungle, and people are warm and friendly, design is booming, and it is quite an amazing experience, I guarantee it.
So…., thank you all again very much. It was tough at times, but it was a year full of great experiences that made me grow slight bit more as a person, as an artist. Wishing you all very happy and prosperous 2014, filled with fun, challenge and adventures.
cheers to you all,
Yuko
