Holiday Special #3: Mari Kubota

4 Jan 2008 Category: Features, Illustration, Japan

Holiday Special #3: Mari Kubota

Oh my! What a combination of utter cuteness including little animals and waves of romantic locks! A piece of work by digmeout artist Mari Kubota.

Our peaceful winter holidays are slowing to an end (too bad!!) In case you are still recovering from a New Year’s party - here is #3 of our Holiday Series to give you some energy through illustrations with a romantic touch: Look into these deep eyes surrounded by mountains of undulating hair… This mysterious girl is the creation of illustrator Mari Kubota, a member of Osaka based art project digmeout which we introduced to you before. PingMag was so drawn into it, that we had to talk to Mari…

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Yuka Tero

Why did you become an illustrator?

Since I was young, I have always loved drawing and still do. I’ve been thinking that there is nothing else I could be proud of, and drawing is the one and only thing I could do. So, I decided to major in art.

Mari drawing a mural for her exhibition.

Do you have any kind of obsession with your painting tools?

Nothing particular, really. However, I quite prefer using acrylic gouache paints for wider expression.


A fair-skinned woman with a looong, alluring neck…

… and another half-naked character with curly waves.

When or where does inspiration hit you mostly?

Often when somebody tells me off and makes me feel down, I start painting. There is something about the act of painting that comforts me and somehow cools me off. Also, the ideas sometimes come from dreams I have at night or memories. I’m sure you have experienced something impressive, such as scenery you saw as kid, reappear in your dreams, haven’t you?

Uber girliness galore! Red and pinky, checkered and floral-printed…

When an idea pops into your head, do you sketch it out straight away?

It depends. Occasionally, I draw a quick sketch on the back of an advertising leaflet or things like that.

Dreamy image inspired by Mari’s longings and memories…

Is there anything you keep in mind while drawing?

I always try to make it “cute.” What I express represents my desires such as, for instance, my childhood pop idol. I believe that, as kids, we all used to draw pictures of what we wanted to be. My current drawing style can be basically traced to this and I haven’t changed. I think of it as quite cute, others often find it creepy!


Can’t get cuter - with a hundreds of bows.

A Japanese taste for traditional floral motifs combined with nostalgia.

Regarding 2007: Tell us about your exciting projects so far!

I spent a month making an animation: YOKOSOYOKO should come out next year, so I’m very excited. In my personal life, I got married and this has made me well-adjusted, I feel a very comfortable to concentrate on work.

Mari Kubota’s super sweet 2007 animation work YOKOSOYOKO features a boy and a girl on an adventurous trip.

The installation of a picture story show for Mari’s exhibition at digmeoutcafe

Finally, what’s your New Year’s resolution?

I would like to focus on producing new works for a painting exhibition, for example.

Mari Kubota working on one of her romantic paintings.

Thanks very much, Mari. We will be keeping an eye on your new works!

101 Comments

  1. Gorgeous! now, if only she could take a little tour to SEA…well, can’t wait to take a look at YOKOSOYOKO. Will pingmag do a follow-up piece on it by any chance? :)

    Posted by: shermeen on January 5th, 2008 at 2:20 am

  2. great artwork

    Posted by: Guilherme Land on January 5th, 2008 at 3:42 am

  3. stunning work…

    Posted by: nick on January 5th, 2008 at 8:52 am

  4. Very decorative, vibrant and elegant. I love it.

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  5. I love it so much…Thats awsome!! Impressive ^^

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  6. Very nice~~ I like the first one with little animals

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  7. Beautiful! I like it!

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  8. Awesome~ i love the art style~

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  9. They are so beautiful, especially neck’s shape. Oh my~~

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    and im looking forward to see YOKOSOYOKO !!

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  13. Love the huge mural piece she did for her exhibition !

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  14. Ah…..I’ve heard of her before.
    ^_______^
    She makes all her work so beautiful. (I found out about her through digmeout.)

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