hello! welcome to my art portfolio, where i post the illustration and design projects that i'm working on. if you have a comment, question or want to collab, please feel free to send me a message!
Metropolis is a quarterly lifestyle magazine based in Tokyo published since 1994 and the most distributed English magazine in Japan. Upon graduating from university, I started working there as the print magazine’s Art Director and this is the second issue I had the privilege to design.
This was a tough issue to design because the layout suffered constant changes due to a stream of incoming ads throughout the entire production schedule. The winter issue usually gets more ad deals so I had expected a tight schedule. Thankfully, we were able to finish all the editorial section well ahead of the deadline.
Also, if you didn't pay enough attention to the cover, yes, that's Miyachi there, the man behind the "Konbini Confessions" Youtube series sensation. Pretty exciting, huh?
But anyway, here are three lessons I learned while designing this issue:
Avoid start working on articles remotely related to any ads until further client confirmation is received. Clients may want to add/take out content, which will require a lot of layout changes.
Also put off the design of advertorials until they're confirmed, some drop out last minute (argh!). But submit it with enough time for the client to give feedback (2-3 days), they can be rather slow in their response.
Interns need a image sourcing and crediting guide. Need. You'll waste your time repeating yourself a million times. You'll have to spend your time creating one but it'll probably pay off in the long run.
That's it for now, I wanted to keep this short and sweet!
You can pick up a copy at any of these locations or read the issue online here.
Tokyo Weekender Article: 5 Trailblazing Japanese Women Writers
An article I wrote and illustrated last year for Tokyo Weekender in celebration of International Women's Day, highlighting the groundbreaking work of five female writers from late Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras. You can check it out here.
"Japanese female authors have only recently been gaining recognition worldwide. It’s long overdue. The rising number of translated titles have flung names such as Mieko Kawakami and Sayaka Murata into the spotlight. Aside from receiving high international acclaim, their books touch on important feminist issues. In a society where women are still pressured to meet patriarchal standards, Japanese female writers today speak openly about the female body, notions of womanhood and misogyny.
Yet these topics are not new to the Japanese literary scene. The country has had a long history of women challenging social norms through their work. Living during the turbulent late Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras, these writers, many of whom were also activists, witnessed their country undergo profound political and social transformation. In the face of changing times, the fierce language of some and the quiet but powerful writing of others spoke volumes. The work of these women not only paved the way for modern-day counterparts but continues to inspire generations of readers."
You can continue reading this article on Tokyo Weekender’s webpage.
Come see some of my never before seen film photography pieces at “First Roll,” a group photography exhibition with the theme of first impressions and feelings on your first film roll.
I’m excited to see how exhibiting artists—including some good friends @yappangie.arts and @lookingforbrave —interpret and take their shots! Save the date!
“Shower Thoughts” is a collection of funny observations that occurred to me in the shower. Written in comic style, this 24-page zine is bilingual (English/Japanese) and you can purchase it at MOUNT ZINE's physical or online store.
Here is my latest article for Metropolis, on my favorite topic in the whole world! For a week, I visited different big and small bookstores, galleries, and shops in search for the best places to buy zines. If you're interested in getting to know more about them and where to find self-published works in Tokyo, please have a look.
"In an era with high demand for digital content, it may seem contradictory to invest in print work. But these two worlds aren’t mutually exclusive. Thanks to social media, zines have boomed in Japan in the last ten years. In a country where self-publishing is more accessible than in the US or Europe and customers have a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, the zine community has thrived and continues to expand.
It can also be argued that the increase in the number of hours we spend online, whether for work or entertainment, has led some of us to search for offline forms of spending our free time. Zines are not only a medium of self-expression but also a way to connect with our inner selves and others in a creative way. Anything on paper tends to stay with us much longer than on a screen.
With a long history of self-published creative work, Tokyo has much to offer for zine fans, from specialized stores to events and workshops. If you’re looking to dive deep into the world of self-made print work, here is a guide on where to find zines, where to meet like-minded people, and how to make them. Who said print is dead?"
You can continue reading this article on Metropolis' webpage.
Metropolis is a quarterly lifestyle magazine based in Tokyo published since 1994 and the most distributed English magazine in Japan. Upon graduating from university, I started working there as the print magazine's Art Director and this is the second issue I had the privilege to design.
In this post, I'd like to have a quick run at how the process of creating this issue went and some of the changes we made. It's a good way for me to reflect back on the experience and this might provide some helpful insight for those interested in editorial design.
Themed around love, this issue takes you on a trip across Japan, bringing stories of people from different backgrounds on what they hold close to their hearts and why it matters to them. Included in this issue is also a scenic fall hiking guide and a rundown of quaint, cozy little spots to bring your special someone with you.
Now, design talk: after working on the Summer Issue, I realized I had to reconsider a few of the design choices made previously. My goal this time around was to simplify some of the features in order to create a clean but effective design that continued to reflect Metropolis' house style. Also, having "love" as the theme, I decided to spend time selecting photos that best portrayed the passion, excitement, and dedication of the individuals featured.
One of the changes made was the style of the captions. The previous design (left) took up precious real estate needed for other content or breathing room, so I decided to place the captions on the corner of the images instead (right).
Another significant change was the pull quotes. At first, I had kept the style of previous issues (left), but in order to increase readability, I opted for a non-italicized serif font this time (right). The single pull quote at the top made it for a sleeker look.
Lastly, the advertorials. In my first issue, I didn't give enough attention to them, so I made sure to enhance their layout this time. I brought the table back to allow quick visualization of the event or business information. For longer advertorials, I also added a pull quote.
I'm particularly happy with how the layout for the section on Tokyo coffee shops turned out. I wanted to design something that looked different from the regular features "About Town" and "Good Eats" but at the same time still belonged in the same universe. If you're curious about the design or a coffee aficionado, make sure to check out this special beans compilation!
You can pick up a copy at any of these locations or read the issue online here.
Kaki: A Japanese to English/Portuguese Haiku Translation Project (Part 1)
Kicking off this Tumblr with a quick drawing process! This is a cover illustration for a zine I’m working on with my family. The zine will have a selection of haiku written by my Japanese great-grandma, who migrated to Brazil late in life.
Her profoundly curious and insightful observations of the strange new land she'd spend her remaining years were compiled in a little book titled Kaki ("persimmon"). The haiku depict her interest in the differences between Japan and Brazil and her fondness for the country where she spent the "best years of her life". The book was released in 1990 but had largely been forgotten by our family. After rediscovering it early this year, we're hoping to share her work with more people.
Translating haiku is a monumental task so there isn't a release date for this zine yet. If there is anyone who has experience/knowledge in the area and is interested in helping or giving some advice, please feel free to message me!
The book's title, Kaki, is a play on words created by my great-grandma. It's written as 加喜 (pronounced with the Chinese reading), a combination of the verb 加える (kuwaeru, to add) and 喜び (yorokobi, happiness), creating the portmanteau "to add happiness" (or 加喜). It also phonetically refers to persimmon, her favorite fruit.
Knowing that sweet orange fruit is central to the book, I naturally wanted to incorporate it into the cover of the zine. But instead of drawing a single persimmon as in the original cover painted by her stepson, I wanted it to have many persimmons. I'd like to think that if she was able to see her grown-up grandchildren and great-grandchildren today, and especially reading her book, we would be part of her "added happiness".
And yes, I know the book looks very beat up and dirty but fortunately this isn't the only copy we have! (*phew*) On the right is my grandma sitting by her garden. She loved tending to her plants and I heard from my aunt she'd even sometimes forget to make dinner for the family because she was so engrossed with it.
I started with a rough sketch of a few branches of persimmon trees. While cleaning up the sketch, I decided to redo and add some leaves. to balance out the composition. I initially thought of outlining the drawing with a slightly darker shade of brown as the sketch, but ended up changing to dark green for better contrast.
The final stages: cleaning the outline and coloring. I still don't know whether I prefer the background to be white or green (top of this post) for the cover, so I'll play around with it and post the results sometime next month.
If you've read it till the end, thank you! I'd love to hear your thoughts or questions so feel free to leave a comment :) see you in the next post!
