Mix Dostoevsky, 2/3 Cup Street Fighter, and 4 Parts
Confucius - 1
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That's interesting. Although your artistic style is still evolving, two
elements definitely stand out when I view your work. The first is the
enlargement and exaggeration of details like stitches, buckles, ropes,
muscle striations, etc. The )
second
one, a sense of timelessness, is seen in costumes and machinery that look
antiquated and futuristic at the same time. Tell us more about these aspects
of your work. Do you consider them characteristics of your budding style?
I like blowing up these details because they're important and can pop out. A person cannot remember everything about an object she sees. So she remembers a few details that pop out and thinks that they are important information about that subject. So I began exaggerating objects that pop out to me and adjusted the quantity or size accordingly. But I also exaggerate because I want to give volume. Personally, I love objects that have volume. I like subjects that have complex structures and textures. This is why I give volume to details like stitches that don't have much volume by thickening them. As a result, I sometimes hear that my illustrations are ''cuter'' than intended; I guess they sometimes look like toys.
And, like you mentioned, my illustrations clearly have an element of timelessness. I think this is because I have very diverse interests. I like documentaries and have a deep interest in different eras and histories. So I've come to like everything from antiques to the latest fashions, crossing eras and cultures. I freely put these in my work and end up having a somewhat timeless feel. Nowadays, since I do commercial work, I usually have limits of period and culture. It's enjoyable to portray the special characteristics of a certain era, but, if possible, I'd like to incorporate cultures of different time and space without constraints.
Let's talk about books. Tell us a little more about your interest
in philosophy, especially with respect to Confucianism and Buddhism. In
what other ways have the Analects of Confucius and The Buddhist
Morals influenced your approach to art?
I do have a keen interest in philosophy. I am not a religious person,
but I'm interest in Western religions and eastern ideologies like Confucianism,
Taoism, and Buddhism. Confucianism is the ideology of China's Confucius;
Taoism, of China's Lao-tzu; and Buddhism, of India's Gotama Siddhartha.
These ideologies widely teach what we are and how we should live in theory
and in religion. All of them represent the eastern ideologies that have
been the doctrine of individuals and nations for over 2000 years. My favorite
books are Analects of Confucius and Tao Te Ching. Each
has the main principles of Confucianism and Taoism. These texts taught
me how to treat illustration, including where to place emphasis, how to
practice, how to improve, etc.
)
What's
your favorite novel?
The novel that left the biggest impression on me was Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. I admire Dostoevsky as a writer because there's so much to learn about his reflections on man. Whenever I read his novels, I feel that I should think more deeply before I draw (my website's front page is actually a drawing of Raskolnikov, the hero in Crime and Punishment). I also like Tolkien and Murakami Haruki's Norwegian Wood. Hmm... they're not really novels, but I like The Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong and Sima Qian's Records of the Historian too.
Sounds like you keep yourself busy. What is a day in your life like?
Everday I try to arrange my thoughts on drawing when I'm not busy, like when I'm walking or riding the subway. Sometimes I startle myself whenever I'm crossing the street with my mind adrift. Since I like arranging my thoughts about art when I'm not drawing, I plan to keep on doing this.
)
On
weekdays, I spend the day working on commercial work. I work separate
shifts: morning and afternoon. I enjoy casually playing video games with
my coworkers during breaks. I often work after company hours. This is
primarily because I don't have a separate workroom at home. I typically
get home around midnight. Since it takes a while to get to and from work,
I pass the time reading books or looking through the work of artists I
admire. I have dinner with my girlfriend once every two or three days.
You could say this is the most important weekday event.
I have a regular session of croquis on Saturdays. They last over two
hours. I'm not sure if it's because I'm lazy, but most of the time I end
up running away in the middle of the last session. On Sundays, I go back
to the company to practice drawing. It's really exciting to draw alone
in the quiet company building. I've become good friends with the security
man. It certainly has its benefits. [Smiles]