utomaru is an illustrator and designer who
dishes out eye-popping color and dazzling line work. Powered by generations of Japanese
subculture, ‘80s anime and manga, with a generous helping of American superhero
comics, her work feels nostalgic, familiar, and contemporary at the same time. Maybe best of all, her portraits of
imaginary cute girls come without cavets and are free of the pretention that sometimes bogs down
otaku-inspired art from Japan. The big picture is that a new generation is inheriting and remixing the past, and the results are close to literal eye candy as you are likely to get.
Please introduce yourself!
I'm utomaru. I'm an
illustrator and a graphic designer. Yuko Motoki is my real name but my friends
call me utomaru. It's been my nickname since I was 15.
When did you start drawing?
Probably since I was 4
years old. I began to study illustration and graphic design in earnest and
eventually went to art college and I began to do design for some minor rock
bands from when I was15 years old.
Tell us about one of your
favorite illustrations that you have done.
I always think my best
artwork is my newest one. Right now, I like my illustration of Iron Man (above) that
was created for an event flyer. But it is hard to show off proudly because it
is unofficial. Another one I like is an illustration of a girl wearing a rabbit
helmet. I painted it for the cover of the book by my and finished it the day
before yesterday.
What are some of the influences
on your artwork?
My father was my biggest
influence. He owned many magazines, comics, and movies from the 1960s to the
1980s, and they greatly affected me. He didn’t dare give them to me, but they
were always put in a position where I could see them and handle them.
Do you have any favorite films,
TV shows, or books you can mention?
It is a very difficult
question. Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining” is special to me the way it is for
many other people.
Also, I like the movie
director Teruo Ishii. Often to relieve stress from school, I would go to
Japanese grindhouse theaters and see his films. I also like flashy movies that
have cruelty, monsters, and lots of explosions.
I know that American superhero
comics are among your favorite things. Can you explain why you like them so
much?
I think, it was slow.
That is from 18 years old probably. I have read Japanese magazine about
American comics called "MARVEL X", and also I have found "INFINITY
GAUNTLET". It's soooo amazing! It was trigger. Few years later, I read
Watchmen that has been republished to fit the movie then and I was shocked
again.
Your illustrations have a
strong 1980s flavor. What is it about that time period that appeals to you?
A lot of movies and
Comics in 1980s are very energetic, violently and flashy. (Is it just me or is
it really so...? Probably some are sober but I love something extreme.) This
are my favorite. I would like to recreate the atmosphere of those.
Why do you think you mainly
draw pictures of cute girls?
Because it's cute! Cute
girl is the best motif than anything else. But, to be honesty, I also like boys
or old man. However I just have not had a chance to draw until now.
Your use of color is one of the
most striking things about your art. How do you choose which colors to use?
It's not a natural
ability. I alaways make color selection mechanically based on hue, saturation, and brightness. Because I studied it in
school. I think anyone could do it.
Please tell us about your brand
Bangkillporn and how you are involved with it.
I began Bangkillporn in
May of last year with another illustrator named Superlog. We are illustrators,
but because we didn’t necessarily have a lot of work, we came up with Bangkillporn to be kind of an advertisement for ourselves.
What does the word
"otaku" mean to you?
The meaning of this word has
become lighter now. But, but in the truest sense, it means few people who are
familiar with everything. An extremely small number of them are around me.
What is your image of American
otaku?
Everyone is good at First
Person Shooters! Why? Because they have guns?
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