My Showreel's done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuPSADR0jWc

When you don't have anything to do for 1 minute and a half, please click on this link to watch my new showreel for 2007-2011 animation work!

２００７年〜２０１１年分のアニメーション作品集ができました。１分３０秒です、ラーメン待ってる間にでもどうぞ！

SMILE JAPAN :D*

Finally here is the announcement of our charity activity for Japan Earthquake Relief, named "SMILE JAPAN", which was established quietly and passionately by three Japanese London-based illustrators, Kazuko Morishita, Nanae Kawahara and me. Please visit our blog to see the details.

http://smile-japan311.blogspot.com/

ようやくのお知らせですが…東北関東大震災からの復興を願って、ロンドン在住のイラストレーター河原奈苗、森下和子と私の３人で、小さなチャリティーグループを立ち上げました。SMILE JAPANといいます。上の赤いまるっこいキャラはスマイルちゃんです。活動内容の詳細は専用ブログの方で是非ご覧になってください。

http://smile-japan311.blogspot.com/

Even we poor little artists can raise money for those who suffered in Japan by selling our old art works, prints and cards we won't use anymore, and also some second-hand jumbles at the London's popular market stalls. Not only three of us but also other artists donated a great number of work to our stall, and the 1st trial at the Backyard Market in Brick Lane made an amazing success. Thanks a lot for all those people who helped us, visited us, bought our goods, donated coins and notes, and gave us warm cheering. We can only show you our appreciation enough by carrying on the activities. Please keep your eyes on our upcoming charity sales, come visit us anytime you can. Things are cheap on our stall anyway!

こんなちっぽけなアーティストである私たちにも何かできるはず、と考えた末、ロンドンの人気マーケットで月１くらいの頻度でお店を開こうということに至りました。過去に刷っていらなくなったポストカード、印刷物や昔の作品、ついでに古着や中古品などを安値でどばっと売って義援金にしちゃえ！という企みです。第一回目は先月ブリックレーンのバックヤードマーケットにて開いたのですが、私たち３人以外にもいろいろなアーティストの方が作品を寄付してくれ、おかげでとても成功に終わりました。今回の活動に尽力してくれた方、ストールに足を運んでくれた方、商品を買って行ってくれた方、お金を寄付してくれた方、そしてあたたかい言葉をかけてくれたみなさん、本当にありがとうございました。どうお礼を言ったらいいのか分からないので、感謝の気持ちは活動を続けることで見せていこうと思います。次回も是非、よろしくお願いします！

Below, our little flyer.

下は、当日道で配り歩いたフライヤー。次もがんばろーー！

UPside Exhibition

Here is the link of the upcoming exhibition called "UPside" by me and my ex uni-mates from the illustration, book art and printmaking class. The show is from 13th Sep until 7th Nov in a cafe and its gallery called Medcalf at Exmouth Market.

http://upsideart.wordpress.com/

We all created something new under the theme of "UPside of life" aka "the reasons to be cheerful". Please have a view and enjoy how each of us visualized the theme. When our aim comes true, the show will make you happy for sure!

The image above is a part of my work for the show, titled "UPworld". I connected this UPside concept and my ongoing "Depicting Poems" project, and ended up drawing 2 zeppelins inspired by this old nursery rhyme:

“What is the news of the day,
Good neighbor, I pray?”
“They say the balloon
Is gone up to the moon!”
(anon.)

It's a simple rhyme but very uplifting for me, and for you, too, hopefully! :)

and from today, I kind of decided to write articles in Japanese as well... when I feel like...

９月１３日から１１月７日まで、ロンドンのMedcalf というギャラリー付きレストランで "UPside" という展示をします。メンバーは、キャンバウェル大学院のイラスト、ブックアート、版画コースの面々。去年の卒業以来展示しようって言い続けてようやくその一部が実現しました。

展示詳細：http://upsideart.wordpress.com/

テーマは"UPside of life" 、「楽しくなる理由」（私のこのド直訳もどうかと思うが…）。日常のひょんな出来事だったり、自分の好きな物だったり、もっと大きな目で「人を楽しくさせるもの」、だったりを描いて、自分も来る人も楽しませられるポジティブな展示をしようと、そんな考えです。

上の絵は私の作品の一部です。展示のコンセプトと普段やってる詩シリーズを絡ませて、UPという言葉が含まれる詩をベースに描きました。元の詩はこの飛行船を唄ったマザーグース。たった四行で随分楽しくなる詩だなぁ！

“What is the news of the day,
Good neighbor, I pray?”
“They say the balloon
Is gone up to the moon!”
(anon.)

UPside展、全体的にはイラストベースで、難しく考えすぎないマイペースな展示だと思います。でもメンバーによってはコンセプトアート寄りだったりして、小規模なりにバラエティに富んだ楽しい展示になるんじゃないかなぁ。みんなの見るの楽しみです。レストランもあるし飲めるし、近くに来た際には是非覗いてやってくださいね。

そして今朝、人生で数度目かと思われる「ごはんですよ」を食べて感動しました。え、こんなに美味かったっけごはんですよ…！！ちっちゃいころの苦手意識払拭か。しかしお茶漬けにかけて食べたのは失敗だったと思いました。味が相殺したあげく二倍濃くなった…まずった…

Where Angels Fear Contemporary

Now I belong to this online contemporary art gallery called "Where Angels Fear Contemporary". They are the newly established organization, and "committed to the promotion and selling of original affordable art by emerging artists" as it's said on their website. Please visit their website and have a look at my page, and of course, enjoy the other great artists there.

http://www.whereangelsfear.org.uk/

They also made each artist's youtube video which features their art works. Thanks a lot!!! Here is the link to mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SceOGI64rKg

OTOUTO US Tour Poster!

Here is the poster for the Australian music band OTOUTO, and their Final North American Tour 2010. I love their twinkle surreal sounds with childlike spirit, so what I imagine from their music are such as a shiny piece of glass bottle, toy box, blue minerals, mysterious living things in a grassland, planets and the outer space... And here it is.

These are mineral forming typography saying OTOUTO, and each letter has the key word I came up with by listening their new songs. From the top left, it is "Chewing Gum with a Finger Turtle", "Human-like Plants", "Fatty Mineral Man", "Moon Harp", "Mad Scientist", and "Embroidery on Minerals".

I made 2 versions as above, and the white one is now uploaded on their myspace. Listen to their lovely songs and become a fan! Good luck for the tour :)

http://www.myspace.com/hazelbrownmusic

Pen Pusher issue 16

Here is what I was doing since the last post. My illustrations are now published in the "Pen Pusher magazine Vol.16", where they gave me 6 pages to showcase my work. Pen Pusher magazine is the London based literary magazine where new born writers can raise their voice of pens, such as short fictions, poetries, columns and so on. They also have 1 artist featured in each issue, and this time, in the issue 16, that is me :)

Respecting to the concept of this magazine, I made a series of drawings inspired by one one poem, called "Eaka Neeka" by Walter De La Mare. I love this old nonsensical poem and tried to depict its insanity. The second illustration is the old couple, Mr.Neeka and Mrs.Lee, who possess the things either one doesn't have. For example, as it's written in the poem "Here is a door without a handle,", Mr.Neeka has a door without a handle, and Mrs.Lee has a handle without a door. This is why they are drawn like that.

The third illustration is the house they live. I thought, the house should be nonsense and unlivable because the residents themselves are incomprehensible.

These illustrations were actually short listed in the art competition featuring the Barbican Surreal House Exhibition. I'm one of those 10 runners up.

http://www.jotta.com/article/v2-published/933/barbican-surreal-competition-winners-announced

Pen Pusher is such a lovely magazine and I'm sure the lover of literature will enjoy its fresh collectives. You can find it in Foyles bookshop, Rough Trade CD shop in Brick Lane... and many other bookshops in London.

http://www.penpushermagazine.co.uk/

Finally it's done... the new illustration inspired by 2010 Iceland volcanic eruption (ages ago!). I wanted to draw the power of nature, unknown creatures and fossils hidden beneath the earth, infinite expansion of outer space (including our planet), and its whole chaos... bra bra bra...

My work always gets messed up with over work in the end, and my concern is if it's good or not, and if it's called 'Yuki's style' or 'un-matured disorder'...mmm. Maybe I'm gonna move on more simple stuff from now on.

Anyway, I'm glad I got the new characters such as the thundering ammonite, the Trilobite with primitive village on its back, and the nose drill scull rider. They will appear again somewhere in my work.