Nobumasa Takahashi draws

8 Feb 2006 Category: Events & Exhibitions, Features, Graphics, Illustration, Japan, Top Page 10

Nobumasa Takahashi draws

Nobumasa Takahashi drawing on a small part of the huge, white wall

Nobumasa Takahashi is a young Japanese illustrator, who possesses an impressive range of different styles. He does contract work (e.g. beautiful abstract paintings for Isetan) as well as free artwork (e.g. individual respect series he dedicates to his favorite artists Egon Schiele or English fairy tale illustrator Arthur Rackham).


illustration for Isetan

part of the Arthur Rackham serie

illustration of the Egon Schiele series

With his interactive project Japanese Graffiti he pays his tribute to traditional Japanese sumie-drawings, the origin of manga comics. “And then look at what is happening on the streets in Japan - this rising awareness of street art and graffiti. Somehow I can see a connection between these two ways of drawing. With this exhibition I am trying to fusion these two, expressing my respect for both of them.” is what Nobumasa Takahashi told me, when I came to see his current exhibition at Space Force in NakaMeguro.

Nobumasa still drawing …

The exhibition started on January 17th and the goal is to fill up the entire big wall with Nobumasa’s drawings. What an incredible amount of work! When I asked him what is going happen with the finished work when the exhibition is over, he only smiled, saying:“They will paint it white again - and this no problem for me at all! I enjoy having the chance to draw here everyday and watch this project grow.”

geisha and….customer?

I could have spent ages in front of the wall only gazing at the images inside the images. So many ideas!

Shige-car and Betty-tower

Nobumasa asks his visitors to Give him ideas! and everyone seems happy to write a “wish” on a piece of duct tape.


wish-tape

finished! - written on completed wish-tape

English wish-announcement

The artist examines the tape and then puts it on the wall, somewhere where he thinks this “wish” would fit best into the huge collage of ideas. Beautiful to see it grow constantly.

I gave him a hard one, asking for the Japanese interpretation of my name “Uleshka” (which can be read as something like joyful scent in Japanese). He came up with the drawing of a fragrence-smoke-person coming out of burning incense spreading lots of hearts (they stand for the happy part he said) … thank you!


Uleshka interpretation

visitor wanting Nobumasa to include her flowers in the drawing

Seems like he can come up with visuals for any idea. Look! Girls dancing Hawaiian hula dance on a heart-shaped laptop.

Hawaiian hula dance on a heart-shaped laptop

And now look at these sockets!!!

invisible sockets

Sometimes Guest Artists are allowed to draw something, too. Then Nobumasa Takahashi finds a way to embed their graphics in the big picture.


space-men-chain by guest artist

Super-Lobo-Superman by guest artist

My favorites were these children’s scribbles! (They are actually the scribbles of an artist’s kids … beautifully embedded!!!)

scribbles by guest artist’s kids

This is definitely the exhibition with the most positive energy I have ever been to!!!
I highly recommend to go and see it if you have a chance! It’s on until February 18th and will end with a big “wall completion party”. Full info on Tokyo Art Beat.

Keep drawing, Nobumasa-san!!!

Nobumasa draws non-stop

NOTE: We just received the completed painting from Nobumasa! View the finished event space HERE and the completed wall HERE! About 1000 people came to view the exhibition and submit ideas. He is very happy about that and says thanks to every single visitor! Nobumasa is now working on a DVD - editing the footage of him drawing (from the first day to the last).

50 Comments

  1. nice site!!!

    Posted by: Modano on February 8th, 2006 at 12:45 am

  2. hey - that really reminds me of super-boring highschool classes. i guess nobumasa had some really bad teachers at school … but i still like his work a lot!

    Posted by: mattes on February 8th, 2006 at 3:27 am

  3. It’s wonderful how he’s able to add a sense of 3-dimensional space even with a sprawling unplanned drawing.

    Posted by: Jdesign on February 8th, 2006 at 3:30 am

  4. This Nobumasa is great! Very impressive, very talented! Keep the good work with these wonderful articles!

    Posted by: Eriksen on February 8th, 2006 at 4:02 am

  5. kakkoi desu yo! reminds me of kozyndan!
    please post a pic of the whole finished wall when it’s finally completed. :)

    Posted by: natalia on February 8th, 2006 at 8:32 am

  6. wow, that’s really awesome and detailed! i like nobumasa’s art and yeah like natalia said above, it reminds me of kozyndan’s work also. i wonder if nobumasa was told off by his parents not to draw on the walls as a kid… hehehe ^______^

    Posted by: G on February 8th, 2006 at 11:12 am

  7. Now I have another favorite artist! wonderfull article!!

    Posted by: Fei on February 8th, 2006 at 1:47 pm

  8. how does one get this dream job?

    Posted by: Claytonain on February 8th, 2006 at 6:45 pm

  9. [...] This is great! You know I think I might have to go to Tokyo to see the exhibition in person … First time I see Nobumasa’s work, but I am truly impressed. His website is here. [...]

    Posted by: Enrico’s blog » Blog Archive » Nobumasa Takahashi on February 9th, 2006 at 3:06 am

  10. [...] I &#9829 PingMag. Escrito por FACO, | 08/02/2006 | [...]

    Posted by: sieteochenta diseño colectivo » Give him ideas! on February 9th, 2006 at 7:13 am

  11. ºººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººGREAT!

    Posted by: j on February 9th, 2006 at 7:47 am

  12. WOW. WOw. Wow. wow.

    Posted by: bentong on February 9th, 2006 at 8:57 am

  13. OH LORDY!!! This is such a great article! I am so envious of this artist! Will have to try that out in my wall, too.

    Posted by: Sic n tyrd on February 10th, 2006 at 4:49 pm

  14. [...] [...]

    Posted by: MAGPIE » on February 11th, 2006 at 9:46 am

  15. i love it very very very very very much. can i ask thou, what kind of marker he used to draw on the painted wall?
    i want to start doing my own at my backyard! such an inspirative artist. love the work.gorgeous style. :)

    Posted by: jovietajane on February 22nd, 2006 at 10:12 pm

  16. I think he is using this one on the image titled “wish-tape” good luck in your backyard!

    Posted by: Uleshka on March 6th, 2006 at 6:21 pm

  17. Dopepope updates with artwork for BREED magazine.

    Posted by: dopepope on March 7th, 2006 at 7:42 am

  18. thaaanks :)

    Posted by: jovietajane on March 10th, 2006 at 11:09 pm

  19. can he draw ligers?

    Posted by: balloonman on March 14th, 2006 at 6:01 am

  20. it is very good.

    Posted by: dagang on April 8th, 2006 at 6:27 pm

  21. Amazing!!!!!!

    Posted by: Justin on April 22nd, 2006 at 6:29 pm

  22. This is inspiring.

    Posted by: farmerbob on April 23rd, 2006 at 2:36 am

  23. I really like your art work - the wall is amazing I wish I could see it in real live!

    Posted by: Alexandre Rosa on April 24th, 2006 at 3:29 am

  24. This dude is a true genius.

    Posted by: Tommy Kane on April 26th, 2006 at 3:11 am

  25. Really i like. awesome drawing.

    have a nice works ;)

    Posted by: gndzhn on April 29th, 2006 at 4:51 am

  26. [...] Illustrator Nobumasa Takahashi’s amazingly huge graffiti exhibition has ended. Here are some images, the finished illustration and the entire wall. All i can say is wow. [...]

    Posted by: Freakuency » Japanese Graffiti on April 29th, 2006 at 4:04 pm

  27. Ебанутый!!!

    Posted by: fontan on April 29th, 2006 at 9:52 pm

  28. [...] .flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } I recently came across this article about a young Japanese illustrator Nobumasa Takahashi in wonderful online magazine called Ping Mag from Japan. [...]

    Posted by: making » Blog Archive » Takahashi Nobumasa on May 10th, 2006 at 12:31 pm

  29. [...] nobuma takahashi [...]

    Posted by: Said and Done » Blog Archive » NOBUMASA TAKAHASHI PRINT on July 23rd, 2006 at 10:24 pm

  30. I used to have a wall I drew on, but then I moved
    =<

    Posted by: Badger on July 31st, 2006 at 4:32 am

  31. it’s good!

    Posted by: terrydou on August 23rd, 2006 at 2:58 pm

  32. I love it. Btw. I have similar “wish tape” comes handy!

    Posted by: ヤーッコ on August 23rd, 2006 at 5:36 pm

  33. LOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!!

    Posted by: David Castillo on August 28th, 2006 at 5:11 am

  34. cewl

    Posted by: cgh on September 7th, 2006 at 9:11 am

  35. OMG he’s like my new favorite artist!!! he’s awesome!!! I would looove to see the real thing!

    Posted by: Sanae on September 14th, 2006 at 10:12 am

  36. hi

    Posted by: min on October 6th, 2006 at 10:24 am

  37. [...] See more details on PingMag. [...]

    Posted by: Nobumasa - Japanese Graffiti « Gems Sty on October 15th, 2006 at 3:25 am

  38. Wow… very neat drawing!!!

    Posted by: apple-mac-ipod on October 16th, 2006 at 12:40 am

  39. [...] In an interactive exhibition, he drew buildings directly onto the huge wall of the gallery using visitors’ requests to populate his world with unexpected touches. After the exhibition, the wall was repainted white and he had no problem with that-how I want to take that wall home! [...]

    Posted by: Nobumasa Takahashi « Crust Station on October 20th, 2006 at 2:31 pm

  40. [...] Nobumasa Takahashi draws [...]

    Posted by: PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about « on October 29th, 2006 at 3:14 am

  41. Hello world

    Posted by: Rip on December 25th, 2006 at 9:56 pm

  42. Unbelievable!

    Posted by: Ryu on February 15th, 2007 at 8:48 pm

  43. He is very good, I have little sister he draw like him, but she wins many concurs in schooll so she is great ! I Think this guy is exellent.

    Posted by: giełda on April 16th, 2007 at 8:20 pm

  44. love this kind of crazy art!

    Posted by: pang chew min on October 10th, 2007 at 9:27 pm

  45. Interesting style and utilization of the features on the wall!

    Posted by: Dawid Michalczyk on October 25th, 2007 at 6:16 am

  46. I love it. Btw. I have similar “wish tape” comes handy!

    Posted by: kurye on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:06 am

  47. [...] Source: Nobumasa Takahashi pingmag.jp http://pingmag.jp/2006/02/08/nobumasa-takahashi-draws/ [...]

    Posted by: Notes on my Surf Art Project » Blog Archive » Japanese Street Style, unplanned drawings on October 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 pm

  48. you’re drawings are amazing ! one question, doesn’t it hurt your hand ? lol :p see ya XX

    Posted by: Sophie* on January 13th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

  49. yo

    Posted by: Anonymous on January 2nd, 2010 at 10:44 am

  50. i want to do this!

    Posted by: Anonymous on January 2nd, 2010 at 10:45 am

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