Artist Feature
Artist Feature: Sakae
Sakae is an illustrator from Japan who is notorious for painting tokusatsu-related fan art with ink. The ink strokes he painted draw out the energy of his pieces and attract audiences with the unique style.
Would you like to give a little introduction of yourself to the readers?
My name is Sakae, I’ve been drawing illustrations since 2016 mainly on Twitter and on Pixiv
Can you tell us about your personal background and what drove you to become an artist?
Both my parents are artists so I’ve been drawing ever since I was little. I don’t really have a starting point.
Did you grow up watching any kind of kaiju/tokusatsu/Power Ranger shows or movies? Do you have a favorite?
My father loves tokusatsu, so when I was little we’d always gather and watch together. The oldest series I can remember is Mirai Sentai Timeranger. My favorite series is Kamen Rider W. I love the story and world but I also find the Dopant designs wonderful. I particularly like Nasca and Bad’s design. Of course, I look forward to reading the sequel series Fuuto Detective.
What is it about the show(s) that inspire your works?
The dialogue and communication between characters in tokusatsu.
Do you have any formal training or schooling in the arts? If so, what was the most rewarding experience about going through a formal fine arts program? Would it be a path you’d recommend to aspiring artists?
I attended a Design Program at school for three years. I learned about this after I started attending, but I learned that Kamen Rider W’s kaiju designer, Katsuya Terada, graduated from the same school. I was really happy to have met him while attending as a student.
Works from people of the same generation can be seen as very similar. You can acquire the knowledge you didn’t know as well as realize new ideas from others, which I believe that people should experience. You can listen to teachers as well as their acquaintances’ stories as a class so I highly recommend it. It also doesn’t hurt to take with you the basics and theories of rough drafting and sketching.
What special tools do you use for art / what is your favorite medium?
I use big brushes like calligraphy brushes, as well as acrylic gouache. As for paper, I use Japanese Calligraphy Paper as well as PM Pad’s for Copic. I love big brushes. I can bring out lively motions.
How did you develop your particular art style and what influences it the most?
I used to use ball-point pens and felt-tip pens but didn’t get the satisfaction that illustrations have without drawing. A certain Manga Author said in a magazine interview that, “just for action scenes, they use only a brush,” and eventually I learned how to use one.
Can you walk us through the process of creating a new piece of art?
I create a rough draft on a smaller paper -> use it as the guidelines for the actual size paper I want to use -> trace it onto the actual size paper I want to use then add the details, and then add color. Then finally I add my seal.
Do you have any upcoming projects or fanart you would like to share?
Please check out my Twitter and Pixiv Accounts
