Kou Artist Interview
Kou
I draw pictures of people and fairies.
Instagram
About current activities
I'm 19 years old and I'm going to art college.
Majored in oil painting. Besides that, I am announcing my work on SNS.
How I started painting
I started drawing when I was in the 6th grade of elementary school.
I started drawing with an iPad when I was in the first year of high school.
The high school itself is an art school.
My parents recommended it.
I also liked painting, so I was allowed to do it freely.
The high school has different specialties,
At a high school where there are Japanese paintings and oil paintings, and an exhibition is held at the museum every year.
The influence of my friends around me was great, and I was able to talk to everyone about my future, so I think it was a very good environment.
Evaluation on SNS
A picture of a daruma doll and a girl
More than 10,000 likes gathered on SNS.
There, I got the feeling that what I wanted to do and the evaluations of those around me matched, and this was it.
The app I use is a free app called ibisPaint that anyone can use, and I draw with my finger.
Are you drawing with your fingers? ?
By daring to draw with your finger,
I think this is good because I was able to draw a tasteful line.
At first, I thought there was a limit with my fingers,
There was a time when I wanted an Apple Pencil, but somehow I missed the opportunity to buy the latest model of the iPad itself,
It feels like I've gotten used to working with my fingers if I'm stretching.
(* It seems that he has graduated from making with fingers now.)
What made me happy when I was drawing
It's great that everyone can see it on Twitter.
I'm very happy to receive a verbal response in a reply after my drawing of the Daruma doll became a hit.
It is also a motivation for production.
What is important in production
As for myself
I really care about the composition.
It makes me very happy when people say it's a beautiful composition.
What was your impression when you heard about the DiGARO project?
I thought it would be interesting because there is no other place that mainly announces digital.
I also think that there will be more opportunities to present my works digitally in the future, so I think that's a good thing.
How did you come up with your current style? Or what inspired you?
I settled on my current style,
Around May 2020, when I graduated from high school and entered the corona wreck.
Before that, I liked Akira Toriyama and imitated him, and I used the cover art of ONE PIECE as a reference when drawing.
After that, I came across Katsuya Terada's work, and I was greatly influenced by his line drawing, composition, and character selection.
While gradually adding my own essence to it, it has become my current style.
About the motif
There is a place where I value the originality of drawing motifs that are typical of Japan.
Inspired by the awe of the great powers that humans cannot control, such as the corona crisis and natural disasters,
I started to draw small people and big demons.
I express what I have personally experienced and felt in a situation where I am constrained , and what I like.
Future prospects
I've been aiming to be an illustrator since junior high school, so I want to work as an illustrator.
I admire music-related painting jobs such as CD jackets.
I would love to work with your favorite artist.
June 2021
Click here for Kou's work
