kawaii to punkish / Mika Takada, Illustrator
by Hiroki Yanagisawa on March 19, 2010 1:50 PM
What she loves. What you see on her illustrations.
Related Article:
Meet Mika Takada at Design Festa Vol.31
Some says that a style of architecture is a mirror image of the time when it was built -- the external and internal features reflect the cultural and social atmosphere at that time.
Mika Takada's illustration works follow the same trait, but its decisive factor is something which she fancies.
"Say, depending on myself having a boyfriend, or having someone that I like ... the experiences I have with him resonote with my illustration."
Mika says, sipping coffee at a fancy and cozy petit-cafe in Yokohama.
Related Article:
Meet Mika Takada at Design Festa Vol.31
Some says that a style of architecture is a mirror image of the time when it was built -- the external and internal features reflect the cultural and social atmosphere at that time.
Mika Takada's illustration works follow the same trait, but its decisive factor is something which she fancies.
"Say, depending on myself having a boyfriend, or having someone that I like ... the experiences I have with him resonote with my illustration."
Mika says, sipping coffee at a fancy and cozy petit-cafe in Yokohama.
For instance, this illustration.
"I had a date with a guy that I liked back then, and had a hot mint chocolate drink with him! Later, I went home and worked on this piece." No wonder, its color scheme is derived from the constituents at the scene -- brown the chocolate, and green the mint.
This work, a pastel-color based one, was inspired from a person whom she'd met.
"I've come across anime-song DJ and he was really cool. So here it is!"
Also, she's a big fun of doughnuts.
By looking at these illustrated works, some people may think that Mika is nothing but a kawaii-taste illustrator. Well, not quite. Mika started drawing when she was in a high school.
"I used to date with a guy from the same high school and he was a member of a punk band. One day, I drew a flyer for his band's live concert, and he really liked it. It just made me so happy so I kept drawing for his band for a while."
The on the right is a flyer that Mika created back then. Without any doubt, there was an essence of punkish-ness, or edginess on her illustration.
After Mika broke up with him, she began drawing female figures. "There's more factors to play with. You get to choose the clothes, hair color, etc." That's more interesting than drawing a male figure.
An avid fun of manga, Mika recognizes that she gained influences from Fujiko F. Fujio, an author of Doremon, and Kazuo Umezu, a creator of The Drifting Classroom.
"In the past, I was been drawing whatever I wanted and didn't promote myself as a professional illustrator for magazines/advertisements. Now, I'd like to initiate some actions this year to support myself with what I love to do."
As its first step, Mika is planning to exhibit her work at the upcoming Design Festa (May 15-16, 2010), the biggest art event in Tokyo. If you want to interact with her work and immerse yourself in the world of Mika, here is the place to be.
Mika Takada's website:
http://www.mikamania.jp/
And image sets of the past works.
If you wish to contact Mika Takada for project opportunities, please contact via EDGY JAPAN.
"I had a date with a guy that I liked back then, and had a hot mint chocolate drink with him! Later, I went home and worked on this piece." No wonder, its color scheme is derived from the constituents at the scene -- brown the chocolate, and green the mint.
This work, a pastel-color based one, was inspired from a person whom she'd met.
"I've come across anime-song DJ and he was really cool. So here it is!"
Also, she's a big fun of doughnuts.
By looking at these illustrated works, some people may think that Mika is nothing but a kawaii-taste illustrator. Well, not quite. Mika started drawing when she was in a high school.
"I used to date with a guy from the same high school and he was a member of a punk band. One day, I drew a flyer for his band's live concert, and he really liked it. It just made me so happy so I kept drawing for his band for a while."
The on the right is a flyer that Mika created back then. Without any doubt, there was an essence of punkish-ness, or edginess on her illustration.
After Mika broke up with him, she began drawing female figures. "There's more factors to play with. You get to choose the clothes, hair color, etc." That's more interesting than drawing a male figure.
An avid fun of manga, Mika recognizes that she gained influences from Fujiko F. Fujio, an author of Doremon, and Kazuo Umezu, a creator of The Drifting Classroom.
"In the past, I was been drawing whatever I wanted and didn't promote myself as a professional illustrator for magazines/advertisements. Now, I'd like to initiate some actions this year to support myself with what I love to do."
As its first step, Mika is planning to exhibit her work at the upcoming Design Festa (May 15-16, 2010), the biggest art event in Tokyo. If you want to interact with her work and immerse yourself in the world of Mika, here is the place to be.
Mika Takada's website:
http://www.mikamania.jp/
And image sets of the past works.
If you wish to contact Mika Takada for project opportunities, please contact via EDGY JAPAN.
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