Latest news with #illustration
Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Times
The Times Luxury Cartoon: June 2, 2025
Tom Reese is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator. His work appears primarily in a sketchbook on his kitchen table. He lives outside Chicago.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Mateusz Urbanowicz: ‘Miyazaki inspired me to put the audience first'
Mateusz Urbanowicz, 38, is an artist and animator from Bytom, Poland, who now lives in Chiba Prefecture. He worked on background art for anime such as 'Space Dandy' and 'Your Name.' Since leaving a full-time career in animation, Urbanowicz has released several art books including 'Imaginary Storefronts,' his latest publication that explores the beauty of mundane storefronts in Japanese neighborhoods. 1. What sparked your career shift from electrical engineering to animation? I always drew, painted and was into computers. I worked at a company in Poland selling drawing tablets and making illustrated demos. Working on digital art brought me to Japan and got me my first job in animation. 2. Who is your biggest artistic influence? Hayao Miyazaki. I watched his documentaries often while working in animation. He influenced me to put the audience first, rather than choose what would be easy to make or sell. 3. How long did it take to find your artistic style? My art is more of a tool for what I want to convey. For a while I was into making things realistic, but still painterly. At some point I started to veer away from that to make my pictures simpler and looser. I am still developing my style. 4. How has illustrating Japanese neighborhoods helped you rediscover Tokyo? It's a two-way process: I get inspired and then I'm inspired to hit the streets again. Lately I try to experience more freely, instead of getting hung up on capturing the perfect frame with a camera. Even if I don't take a photo, an image will still percolate in my brain and end up in some of my art. 5. What kind of preparation and research do you do to draw backgrounds for movies such as 'Your Name.'? For animated movies like 'Your Name.,' there's a team or background director that does the research for you. They provide sketches, photos and color palettes that you have to match. You are like a craftsman making a pot that has to be similar to other pots. 6. How was it adjusting your style to the movie's? I'm not formally trained. I learned all my skills from other people's art. I had an easier time looking at what everyone was doing, or how my art was being fixed by the art director and seeing my art improve with feedback. 7. How do you set boundaries between work and illustrating for fun? I don't do art for fun. Mostly I do art to create something good. And it requires me to be more intentional and focused. There's this pressure that if you aren't hustling, then you aren't really working or aren't really an artist. This is why my partner and I moved to a cheaper place to have more space to spare. 8. What do you do when you are creatively stuck? When I feel stuck, I know it means I lack knowledge about the subject. It took me five years to complete the 'Tokyo Storefronts' book (published in 2018). I wanted to make a book that was realistic enough where the storefronts seemed like they could actually exist, and fantastic enough that readers would want to visit. It was difficult because I am not used to drawing from my imagination. I draw from references. 9. What makes a great storefront? I love the human-designed aspect of storefronts. I think about what decisions they make, like where they would place flowers. 10. Traditional storefronts are increasingly shutting down as Tokyo goes through redevelopment. What are your thoughts on these disappearing shops? Tokyo is fast at redevelopment. They just build a high-rise there and nothing good really happens for the neighborhood's residents or visitors. The city would be better if it redeveloped with more conscious direction from the city and local government, as well as with people who care about the beauty of the neighborhood controlling this process. In your latest book, you create storefronts inspired by real ones you have encountered. 11. Can you tell us about one of your favorites? The ones where I've figured out the human dimension are my favorites. For example, I imagined the owner of a dry cleaner as a guy who once was a master cleaner in a fancy hotel in Tokyo. He is the perfect cleaner. He can erase any stain, and has perfected cleaning sheets. After leaving the hotel, he came back to his old town and set up a small shop. He wanted to be as independent as possible so he has a mishmash of Showa Era (1926-89) architecture with tanks, ducts, pipes and machinery. He likes giving lessons in cleaning. I had fun figuring out the quirky details. Urbanowicz has a soft spot for fleshing out the 'human dimension' of storefronts by inventing backstories and characters that inform their architecture and design. | Mateusz Urbanowicz 12. What do you want visitors to take away from visiting Japan? When people visit Tokyo, they already expect a retro-futuristic city. I recommend taking a step back to remember that people live in cramped spaces full of cars and architecture, and still manage to be civil and friendly. 13. What is an underrated anime with iconic scenes of Tokyo you recommend? 'Whisper of the Heart.' The scenes of 1980s to 1990s suburban Tokyo danchi (public housing) living are inspired by Sakuragaoka (Tama, Tokyo). I started watercolors because of the bicycle boy character. 14. What's one art tool you can't live without? A pencil, mechanical or traditional. Even though I paint with colors, I am a line person. 15. What is your favorite pencil? A 1960 Caran d'Arche 1.18-millimeter lead pencil. 16. What are your favorite colors for a limited watercolor palette? Lemon yellow, ultramarine, Naples red or any earthy red color, another red, another blue and orange. I like the combo of ultramarine and reddish brown to make neutral tones. 17. Do you have a sketchbook with you wherever you go? Yes, although I don't think of it as a sketchbook, but a secret journal to draw and take memos in. 18. What do you recommend for a travel-friendly sketchbook kit? Ballpens are great. I have an oil-based one and use it to draw line sketches and take memos. They are reliable, low-maintenance and waterproof. Great for fast sketches cause the line pops on watercolor. Also a small watercolor kit and a pencil. 19. What do you want people to take away from your art? To be more conscious about your surroundings. My biggest dream is that someone will read my books and see my Tokyo storefronts, and when it comes time for them to make a decision about their new house or garden, they will think more about what impact this will have on people when they see it. 20. Where can people learn more about your art process? I have a website and have made a lot of YouTube videos in the past. I also have a Patreon for Q&As about my art and techniques. To see more of Mateusz's work, find him on Instagram @mateusz_urbanowicz or YouTube @mattjabbar.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Over Portfolio Reviews, Art Directors and Illustrators Connect
The illustrations that readers see in the pages of The New York Times and on its website are a result of collaborations between Times art directors and artists from around the world. At its best, an illustration is inviting, providing a visual metaphor or narrative that helps readers better understand the topics that will be explored in an article. During my 13 years of art directing, first at The New Yorker and now at The Times, I've been lucky to meet illustrators at portfolio reviews, panel discussions and industry parties around New York City. Those in-person opportunities disappeared during the coronavirus pandemic, and around 2022, when we all began to peek our heads out from wherever we had been milling away since 2020, I was keen to cultivate relationships with artists once again. In speaking with my Times colleagues Tala Safie, Antonio de Luca and Alicia DeSantis, we wondered out loud if we might be able to put together a Times illustration portfolio review. We wanted to carve out space to speak with artists generally about their work, outside of the often transactional back-and-forth of commissioning an illustrator for an official assignment for The Times. A portfolio review is a meeting between an artist and another creative professional — in this case, a Times art director — in which the artist can receive feedback on his or her work. An artist may submit published, personal or student work, or sketches and other materials, for review. The reviewer considers the artist's full body of work and provides guidance. We may offer an artist ways to employ stronger concepts, for example, or advise on how to use color more effectively. This kind of holistic feedback is abundant in art school, but it is hard to come by once artists enter the professional world. We organized the first Times portfolio review in 2022. We wanted it to be accessible; artists at any career stage, and who worked in any medium, were encouraged to apply. To spread the word, we contacted our former design and illustration professors, and those at other art schools, across the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany and Latin America, to name a few. A silver lining of the pandemic years was that meeting virtually became the norm, so there weren't any geographical limitations on who could apply. Applicants were asked to fill out a short form with their contact information, explain a bit about themselves and share a link that directed us to their work. As we watched the applications pour in, we grew excited about all the new artists we would meet. We received nearly 3,000 applications. Many of the applicants were recent art school graduates, but there were also illustration veterans and those outside of the editorial illustration world who worked in advertising, children's books, animation and fine art. It's worthwhile to speak with artists whose work we appreciate, even if it may be different from what we would normally commission for the newspaper. Now we're in our fourth cycle. The application period, which opened in April, will close June 5. About 50 Times art directors, myself included, have volunteered to take part in the reviews. We will divide up the applicants and select those with whom we feel we can have meaningful conversations. We also want to select applicants who would benefit from concrete feedback. Maybe someone has a really confident, cohesive style, but their concepts could be stronger; maybe someone has the ability to create a narrative, but needs help editing. We're able to select about 80 illustrators to review in the fall over a two-week period. Each selected artist will receive three 30-minute, one-on-one reviews. In that time, artists can receive feedback, ask how to tailor their portfolios for editorial work, get tips on how to self-promote and learn how to make their websites easy for art directors to find and navigate. We also give insight into how we work at The Times: how we find new talent and what makes someone right for a particular job. Every art director has their tried-and-true roster of artists, but it has always been important to me, as someone in a position to hire freelance illustrators, to cultivate meaningful relationships with new artists. The portfolio review is a small way we're able to use The Times's resources to make that happen, and I hope it will continue to grow for years to come.
ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Can you belong to a culture you're still learning how to carry?
Illustrator Jaelyn Biumaiwai has spent most of her life navigating that question. Raised on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Jaelyn's story is about piecing together identity when the world doesn't offer you the full picture. Growing up in a twin bubble, surrounded by family, she didn't always have the words — or community — to help her feel grounded in her Fijian identity. That journey she's had to seek out, reclaim, and learn to carry in her own way. Now, through bold and beautiful illustrations, Jaelyn brings her culture to life, not just for herself, but for others still searching too. In this episode, we talk identity, cultural reconnection, and the joy of finally seeing yourself, and helping others do the same.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Can you spot the 3 differences in cute turtle drawings in under 10 seconds
A new brain teaser featuring a pair of sleepy-looking cartoon turtles has taken social media by storm - and it's not as easy as it looks. The side-by-side drawings, shared by X (formerly Twitter) user @BholanathDutta, challenge viewers to spot three subtle differences between two nearly identical illustrations. At first glance, the turtles appear to be mirror images of each other, right down to their relaxed expressions, round shells and tally-mark patterns. But eagle-eyed viewers will quickly realize something's a little off. The challenge? Find all three discrepancies in under 10 seconds. It may sound simple, but even the most confident puzzle-solvers have found themselves stumped. The image has racked up hundreds of views and sparked debate online, with many users boasting lightning-fast times - and others admitting defeat after staring for far too long. So what exactly separates the two turtles? The first difference is in the nose. If you look closely, the turtle on the top has a tiny nostril above its grin, giving it a slightly more realistic expression. That bottom drawing has no nose making the turtle look even more uninterested. The second variation hides in the turtle's shell. Among the dozens of tally-mark shapes scrawled across its back, one grouping in the bottom image features a bright yellow line that stands out against the otherwise all-green markings of the top turtle. It's a tiny detail, but once you spot it, it's hard to miss. And finally, the third difference lies in the lower part of the turtle's shell. Just above their little webbed feet, both turtles have a rim that outlines the base of the shell - but look closely, and you'll notice that the bottom turtle's shell rim is a noticeably lighter shade of green compared to the one on top. If you managed to catch all three differences in under 10 seconds, congratulations - you've got the eyes of a hawk and the reflexes to match. But if it took a little longer, you're not alone. These kinds of visual puzzles are meant to trip up even the most observant minds. As brain teasers like this continue to captivate users online, experts say they offer more than just fun - they also provide a quick mental workout, helping to improve attention to detail, concentration, and short-term memory.
