#i needed a break from the super intensive illustrations and also wanted to practice color blocking and shapes hierarchy

[asterparfait]

toukentober day 14: red (ft kashuu)

[disownedbytiime]

Kotetsu Brothers by Mizusawa Nana

I bought the Touken Ranbu light novel “Novel & Illustration Anthology -Sakura-” and wanted to translate some chapters to practice my Japanese and English, but I guess it’s okay if I share the translations. I’m sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language and I’m still learning Japanese (and English I guess.)

If you can, support the artists by buying the novel/anthologies. 

Kotetsu brothers Written by Mizusawa Nana Illustration by Furuya Moko

During the battle. They should’ve had the upper hand, but before they noticed, they were outnumbered. 

“Nagasone-niichan, Hachisuka-niichan, what should we do? Because like you can see, more and more enemies keep coming.”

Sitting crosslegged on the back of a horse was Urashima Kotetsu who, as opposed to the situation at hand, asked with a bright voice. 

Nagasone Kotetsu stroke his beard once and smiled at Urashima. 

“It’s not a problem. If we three can break the forefront of the enemy, we can force our way out."

“Ehehe! Sounds right! Do you think the same, Hachisuka-niichan?

Even though he was being called dotingly by Urashima, Hachisuka Kotetsu kept his stern expression.

Skillfully handling his horse, he positioned himself in front of Urashima Kotetsu and stood face to face with Nagasone Kotetsu’s horse. 

“…… We? Stop speaking so overconfidently in plural. You counterfeit.” 

The younger brother Urashima Kotetsu protested against his usual cold words. 

 “Hachisuka-niichan, that’s not a good thing to say! Counterfeit or not, it doesn’t matter!”

“Not good. It’s an important fact.”

“Ah, my bad. It’s not exactly my intention to pretend to be your older brother. Just, I thought it was a good way to put an end to this situation. What do you want to do? If more time passes, it’ll become disadvantageous.”

Nagasone Kotetsu turned with a cold look. 

Hachisuka Kotetsu brushed his long bangs out of his eyes, looking for signs of the enemies ahead.

“Of course, for Master I'll throw aside everything and cut down all the enemies. Let’s go!”

Hachisuka Kotetsu’s horse kicked his front legs in the air, neighing loudly and breaking into a run.

“Ah, wait, Hachisuka-niichan!”

“… Geez”

Urashima Kotetsu and Nagasone Kotetsu also spurred their horses on, starting the assault.

As he had declared, Hachisuka Kotetsu was cutting down enemy after enemy. 

Dashing forward while his golden armor sparkled with the sunlight, he looked like a god of war.

Nagasone Kotetsu, who had been unconsciously watching the uchigatana cutting down enemies, was captivated by his fluid movements. Shaking his head, flustered, he focused his attention back to the battle. As a counterfeit, the only thing left to do is to prove his own power. Regardless of authenticity, that is enough to achieve a good outcome. 

Because of that, he needs to defeat more enemies than anyone, faster than anyone.

While Nagasone Kotetsu was thinking about that, Hachisuka Kotetsu's horse squirmed to pass the uchigatana. 

After cutting down around 10 enemies, the sharpness of the blade degraded, not being able to achieve the results he wanted. 

“…… I give up…… the enemy’s blood dried up and it makes it difficult to keep cutting down…….”

For a moment, Nagasone Kotetsu withdrew from the front lines, pulled out his bamboo canteen, sprinkled water on his blade, and wiped it with his sleeve. The uchigatana stained in dark red returned to his previous radiant silver color.

“Alright, with this I can take 20 more enemies.”

Nagasone Kotetsu adjusted the position of his bade and pulled the reins to change the direction of his horse.

Then, he caught sight of an assassin sneaking up behind Urashima Kotetsu.

“Urashima! Look out!”

Rushing quickly, he slew the enemy with a lot of force. 

“Sorry! I was caught off guard!”

“Are you alright, Urashima? If so then, I’m glad……. Hmm?”

However in the next instant, a horse ran into him with a lot of force, ungracefully throwing him off his horse.

“…… Damn! What’s this!? Reinforcements!?”

But there was no sign of an incoming attack from the enemy. Instead, golden armor fell into him.

“Hachisuka Kotetsu!?”

Nagasone Kotetsu ran up to him and held him up in his arms. It seemed like he passed out from the impact when he fell off his horse. 

A long arrow pierced his shoulder. Instantly, red blood started to flow from the the wound.

"No way, you shielded me……?"

Considering Hachisuka Kotetsu’s trajectory, that's the only explanation.

"Idiot...... why this......"

Immediately, Nagasone Kotetsu lifted Hachisuka Kotetsu, and while thinking about this being his top priority, he urged his horse on.

"Haaa! Get out of my way! Nagasone Kotetsu, going in!”

When Hachisuka Kotetsu woke up from a long dream, the first thing he saw was the face of his dear younger brother, Urashima Kotetsu.

“Ah! You woke up! Hachisuka-niichan, do you know who I am?”

“…… Urashima…… What happened? Your eyes are red.”

“Of course they’re red! Hachisuka-niichan, you’ve been sleeping for two days, I was really worried!”

“Two days……? What happened with the battle?”

He turned around and realized he was in the repair room.

Hachisuka Kotetsu tried to get up quickly, but he was stopped by Urashima Kotetsu.

"Don't get up so suddenly! It was really bad because you were struck by two arrows. We won the battle, so it's okay. Master was also really worried, they came constantly to heal you.”

“Is that so? That's not amusing. That I, of all people, became unconscious in the battlefield, that’s……"

“It's not like that! By the way, Nagasone-niichan came here with me all the time. But, because he never slept, I forced him to return to his room. I will be in trouble in my two brothers collapse.”

“Nagasone did……?”

Hachisuka Kotetsu furrowed his brow, meanwhile another voice was heard. 

“Really, you made us worry. And yet, why are you making that face right after you wake up?”

“…… Midare Toushirou. Why are you here?”

"Why, you say? Can't you tell from my appearance? I was nursing you too. How do I look? This white coat, I borrowed it from Yacchan. Are you curious about what's under it?”

By ‘Yacchan’ he meant Yagen Toushirou. Midare Toushirou showed the collar of his –slightly too big– white coat and opened it.

"No, not in the slightest.”

“Ehh. I thought I could make you wreak havoc with me.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Ah, how boring. But, well, it doesn't matter. Hacchan, aren't you gonna thank Nagacchan? Because it was really hard for him.”

By ‘Nagacchan’ he meant Nagasone Kotetsu.

“……Hard? What do you mean?”

“Hehe. Do you want to know?”

“No. I’ll rather hear it from Urashima. Urashima, what does he mean by that?”

“Ehhh. Whaat? That’s so mean!”

Midare Toushirou pouted, making it clear he was sulking.

"You know, our victory was a great success thanks to Nagasone-niichan. Besides, Nagasone-niichan carried you, Hachisuka-niichan.”

“…… That man?”

“Yes. The arrow barely missed your organs, so he gave you first aid in the middle of the battlefield. But because the vibration of the horses are intense, it was dangerous if it made your wounds open again. Besides, from here to that battlefield there were a lot of steep mountain roads, right? So he said it would be better if he carried you himself.”

“......All that distance? Doesn’t it take half a day to get there in a horse?”

Urashima Kotetsu smiled cheerfully.

“Yes! Plus, he was super careful when he was carrying you. That’s why your wound didn’t open again. ...... Isn’t that great, Hachisuka-niichan!”

Hachisuka seemed like he wanted to –reluctantly– say something, but he kept his mouth tightly shut.

“Geez. What a troublesome brother~. For two whole days, he kept watching over you from the corner of the room, always grumbling when he was nursing you. Why can’t you be more honest like Uchan?”

“Can the bystanders shut up?”

"You can't even be kind to such a cute nurse warrior like me. Master said that's what it's called a 'tsundere.'"

“…… ‘Tsundere’? What is that?”

"Who knows. Isn't it a stubborn person? Well, I'll go tell master.”

Midare Toushirou left the room with noisy footsteps.

"You know, Midare-chan came here all the time because he was worried about you. By the way, I’m really happy that you protected Nagasone-niichan."

“I was protecting you, Urashima. Not that man.”

Urashima Kotetsu stared at his brother with a troubled expression, but his usual bright expression returned when Hachisuka murmured again.

"...... But, I'll be sure to repay my debt, to Nagasone......"

[houseofvans]

ART SCHOOL | INTERVIEW WITH LITTLE MADI | FRANCE

Paintings by the artist known as Little Madi is filled with a surreal and dream-like pastel landscapes filled with symbols and chimeras. Not only one thing, this freelance artist, painter and illustrator is also a tattoo artist who will be opening a tattoo studio in September! Let’s find out more about Madi – her artistic journey, her inspirations, and her work . . . 

Photograph courtesy of the artist | Portrait by Boris Frantz.

Introduce yourself?   My name is Madi.  I’m an artist currently living in Biarritz. I have an art studio there and I feel really lucky because I get to see the ocean everyday. :)

Tell us a little about your artistic journey.  How did you start from doodling and drawing to what you do now? I draw all the time, I always carry a notebook that I fill with notes, quotes, sketches and ideas. This is the starting point of all my work. For a canvas, I prepare a sketch from which I start my background. I try to work in layers; I spend a lot of time looking at my work; I analyze it and then I add some details step by step. I love to get lost in this process– It gives me the feeling that the composition is created by itself. I’m constantly searching for the best balance between colors, harmony and details.

How would you describe your work to someone who is just coming across it? My work is surreal and dreamlike inspired by my emotions and how I feel. I create an imaginary world filled with female characters, scenes involving animals, humans, chimeras, flowers and natural elements. My painting is both singular, intimate and endearing. I paint because I need to. It’s a private universe free from any boundaries. I always have trouble to define my style of painting because I constantly have the need to make it evolve and to give it a style of its own. 

Who and what were some of your early artistic influences? What artists inspire you these days? I’m inspired by everything that surrounds me, the people I see, a landscape, a precise moment, a sensation, a song, a memory … I’m in love with artistic movements like the surrealism & dadaism. I’m also really inspired by Picasso, Matisse, Henri Rousseau, Jean Cocteau, André Breton & Jerôme Bosch ( to name a few :) I also love different cultures and civilizations: the Mayans, Egypt, Mexico, African art ...

How has your style of drawing changed or evolved? What lead and allowed you to grow artistically? My style of drawing has evolved from a very detailed black & white style towards more colorful paintings. My work logic stays the same, but I visualize my ideas in colors and shapes in a different pictorial movement. I think that it is a logical evolution I grow, I learn, I change and my style evolves with me. What pushes me to evolve is my will of authenticity and sincerity. I try to be guided by my instincts. I am lucky to be surrounded by other artists it is a really positive energy: we share our thoughts, exchange ideas and listen to each other.

You’ve been working more with color and paints vs. drawing or working in black and white. When did you start working with paints and what do you enjoy about it that you might not have gotten from working with pen on paper? I started to paint when I was at the school of La Cambre in Brussels. Once I graduated, I worked as a freelance artist, and I did a lot of black & white illustrations. When I started my tattoo apprenticeship, a strong will for color and painting came back to me. It was like an evidence that I had to be more spontaneous– to get out of a frame and to escape. I always followed my instincts when I started a black & white drawing. I never had a clear idea of the result. It is the same thing now with my paintings, but the working process and the path I have to follow give me a more intense satisfaction. This new medium gave me the possibility to work on a bigger scale and to accept mural projects in different cities like: Biarritz, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier, Cape Town, Los Angeles, San Clemente…

Not only do you make paintings and drawings, but you also do tattoo work. How did this first start for you and what do you enjoy so much about it that is different from what make, if at all? It’s my friend Supakitch who gave me the tattoo virus.  At first, I was terrified, but he encouraged me a lot to keep going on. Tattooing is a difficult but very rewarding practice. It brings me rigor and discipline and especially an intense production of drawings.

Take us through your artistic process? What’s a typical day in the studio like? In general, my daily studio routine starts with a chat with my friend Koralie. Beyond the fact that she is an artist that I admire, we share our workplace, our everyday life our doubts, fears, laughs and joys. Then I take a dive in my notebook with a cup of coffee, and I look for a new idea to start with. I prepare different mediums and canvas in that way that I can go back and forth between them. I can give myself breaks between the different ideas and drawings. Being in the studio is one of my favorite feelings. It’s a place where I can lose track of time and easily escape in my mind. 

What are your essential art tools and materials? Pencils, brushes and acrylic paints.

How has this environment or that city influenced the work you create?  What’s your favorite thing about residing there? Living in Biarritz brings me stability. It’s a caring, quiet and resourceful environment. It’s also a perfect starting point for all my travels, and I can still find a balance of nature, ocean, and friends.

What has been the most challenging project you’ve worked on? How did you overcome those obstacles and what did you take away from it? Tattooing has been one of the most challenging projects because you have to start all over again by learning a new technique that needs a lot of training. Once you have started you want to get better, and it can get pretty obsessive. It helped me to have more discipline in my artistic work, and it also gave me the opportunity to encounter a lot of interesting people.

What was your last adventure that showed up in one of your illustrations, thematically or just visually? My latest inspiration was my California trip in May. It shows up in my work through color inspirations, shapes and culture: palm trees, the sunlight, the people, music, mid-century design, the landscape …I was there with my best friend Marynn. We did two amazing murals together–one in San Clemente at the Stance office and another one at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in Lemoore.

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps and pursue art? Be motivated, passionate and don’t be afraid to work a lot.

What’s your best Art School tip that you want to share with folks? One really important thing that I remember is that making mistakes always leads to new possibilities. And it’s important to take a step back from your work and keep an open minded spirit.

What’s been the largest thing you’ve painted on?  How long did that take and what were some of the most challenging and rewarding parts of that project? The largest art work I did was a 26m long and 6m high mural in Montpellier at the Marché du Lez. I worked together with Koralie, Supakitch and Frank Pellegrino and the most challenging part for me was to be good enough because they all are really talented artists. The reward was to spend a week with my friends laughing and painting and the result was beautiful.

What are your favorite style of VANS? Slip-Ons and Old Skools.

Anything you can share that is coming up? I’m opening a tattoo studio with my friend Supakitch. It’s a super exciting project called “En Plein Coeur�� . The adventure will officially start in September, and we plan to do a walk-in for the opening on the 1st. I can’t wait !! :)

FOLLOW MADI | Instagram | Tattoo | Website

[houseofvans]

Art School | Sophie Roach (Austin, TX)

Drawing and painting her way through an imaginative landscape of intricate and visual entanglements is Austin native, Sophie Roach.  Her artwork has endlessly covered  surfaces from– guitars, beer cans, Vans, to entire rooms.  And if that isn’t already insanely rad, her organic approach and laid back attitude make her not only incredibly humble, but also a super awesome collaborator.  While finishing up one mural and starting up new projects, we had the chance to ask Sophie a few questions about her art, her career, and her approach – from finding her voice, attacking a mural, to digging the quietude one might find as a mail person hah!  

Photographs courtesy of the artist. 

Introduce yourself.  

My name is Sophie Roach and I'm an artist/illustrator/muralist based in Austin, TX! I grew up in Austin, went to college in Seattle, then I scooted back to my hometown as quickly as I could after graduating in 2011.

As a self taught artist, how did drawing take shape and become what you do- did it start as a hobby or random habit? 

I was a total jock growing up, not an artsy kid at all. I started drawing when I was 20. At first it was in the margins of my lecture notes, eventually I gave up on the note-taking part. I’m only a good student when I feel like whatever I’m learning will be applicable to life outside the classroom. For me, since I didn’t have a career in mind, that was around 5% of my in-class experience so I wound up drawing a whole lot. By the time I graduated I was interested in doing something creative, possibly graphic design, but I didn’t think that those doodles would be a part of my career until about a year later.

What did your early drawings look like and / or did they evolve into what they are now?  How did you find your particular voice in your art? 

They looked like anyone’s notebook doodles. I’ve had depression and anxiety issues since I was a kid and I found that the meditative, time-intensive work helped me deal with that. I became obsessed with drawing and my skills evolved  quickly as a result. I didn’t know I was looking for my voice until I stumbled upon it in early 2012. Making art was always fun, but once I hit upon a style that felt like my own, I knew I was totally screwed. I had to make it work full-time.

In terms of influences, artistically and in general, what are they and how do they influence the work you make now?

I love the utility of Milton Glaser’s decorative design work, Keith Haring’s visual language, and Sol LeWitt’s ability to make minimalism totally overwhelming with his installations. I love the sincerity in Keith Shore and Nathaniel Russel’s work. I love the bold abstract nature in the work of Blexbolex and in old polish posters and book covers. I’m sure that these things that I love make their way into my work but I don’t spend much time thinking about where my inspiration comes from. I focus more on positioning myself to receive it by taking long walks, traveling to new places, reading books, and simply paying close attention to my surroundings.

You’ve worked with various mediums and from small to super large. Take us through the preparation and thought process when you work in large scale?  What is your planning like and do you find yourself drawn to creating more large scale works?

Step 1: Develop a loose concept (vague organization and goals for the piece) Step 2: Determine appropriate materials for scale and location Step 3: Pencil out boundaries for linework based on loose concept Step 4: Start drawing. Sometimes sticking to the initial pencil marks, more often making up new stuff as I go. Step 5: Have imposter moment. “Oh my god why did I agree to do this, this looks dumb, the result is going to look dumb, I don’t have the skills to make this look good and everyone can tell.”  With murals, you have to complete the ugly parts of the process in front of people. It’s a little nerve-wracking. Step 6: Stop whining, get back to work Step 7: Once the linework is complete it’s time to color Step 8: Go back through and re-draw lines near the color sections Step 9: Usually jalapeño, pepperoni, pineapple pizza

To be honest, I found little joy in the mural process when I first started. Now that I have a few murals under my belt I find it hard to work on small scale pieces. It's very satisfying to work large scale. I feel like each office/commercial/public mural is practice for the immersive installations that I'm dreaming up for the future.

What’s something you don’t think folks might not know about an artist or being a “working artist”?  

I used to think that I wasn’t a real artist because I rarely show work in galleries and I don’t like sitting in my studio all day. I make art full time but at the moment my work is more appropriate for commercial design-y projects and murals. I don’t feel restricted in the commercial art realm because I’m strict about retaining my voice and most clients are cool with that due to it’s abstract nature. Because I pay my rent with commercial work, I get to have a lot of fun with the works on paper. I don’t think you can feel totally free when making things for the “fine art” world unless you don’t care whether you get a financial return for your energy.

Your work is filled with details and patterns – how do you decide which pattern goes where? Do you have a running sheet of various patterns and shapes constantly running through your mind? 

I just go with my gut. There are rules for organization that I'm constantly making and breaking throughout my process. I don't think I could put the rules into words but I can feel them when I'm working. I do have shapes and shape combos that are vaguely representational of real life things, but its not always obvious. I want it to be apparent that a method exists within the madness but I don’t care how decipherable it is.

Top 3 bands while you’re drawing? These days: -Alex Cameron -Lucy Dacus -King Krule

Albums get old fast because I have headphones on for most of my waking life. I always have something playing because I find that I can control my fatigue with different types of music/audiobooks/podcasts. I've developed a self-regulating listening process when I'm working. If I'm having trouble concentrating on the work, I turn on an audiobook or podcast and focus on that. If I'm having trouble keeping up with the talky stuff, I turn on music and focus on the work. Then there are more ways that I decide what kind of music makes sense for what I'm working on or how I'm feeling.

What is the most asked question you get on social media?  Shall we lay it to rest once and for all? ha

Anytime I post a process video I get tons of comments, DMs, and emails asking about my materials. I think materials are important and I’ve spent a lot of time and money finding the right tools to achieve the aesthetic that I want. I know people don’t mean any harm when they ask, but I can’t help but cringe when I get the pen question for the 10000th time.

That said, here are my favorite tools: Rotring Rapidograph Pens Copic Markers Smooth bristol paper Molotow empty paint markers Golden High Flow Acrylic in Carbon Black

What do you think you would have been doing if not for art?  

My alternate reality fantasy job is to be a mail woman oddly enough. The concept of putting things in their appropriate boxes is really soothing to my Virgo/OCD brain. Plus, I love that I'd be able to work alone, walk a lot, and constantly have my headphones in. It's basically what I do now but without all the challenges and angst, ha.

What’s your big dream? What kind of work do you want to be making in fifteen years? 

Over the next few years I’d like to expand my style into 3D form and eventually design a compound of buildings a la Antoni Gaudi, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Niki de Saint Phalle, and St. EOM. I’d love for it to have a function as well. Maybe a hotel or event space. Maybe a waterpark.

What are your favorite Vans? and why? I was able to keep one of the 50 pairs of shoes that I hand customized for a Vans/iamsound event in Austin in 2013. It was one of my first collaborations with a brand that I actually cared about and it showed me what kind of projects were available for artists in the commercial realm. I used to wear them all the time but now I keep the pair on a shelf in my studio as a memento.

What’s the best and worse advice you’ve gotten in regards to art? (if any)

I try to put all of the good and bad advice in the same pile in my head. Then I generally ignore that pile. People are always telling what I "should" do. I used to make an effort to do all of those things because it's a lot easier and less scary compared to coming up with ideas on my own. Turns out there are plenty of great ideas that just don't light my fire. I'm learning to trust my gut.

However there is one bit of helpful advice that I heard in a documentary a long time ago. I don't remember what it was called or who the artist was but he said that his best advice for young people who want to make art for a living is to QUIT NOW. When things get hard I tell myself to quit, then I remember that I can't. I need to make stuff! Then I get back to work.

What do you have coming up for 2017? What’s your next project or show people should know about?

I'm continuing to focus on murals this year. So far almost all of my installations have been in Austin so I’m stoked to have projects scheduled around the country in 2017. Best way to keep up with what I'm doing is to follow me on Instagram.

Follow Sophie Roach:

Website: www.sophieroach.com Instagram: @Sophieroach