Interview with Umi, the grand prize winner of the pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2023 - “I just want to be me without putting too much pressure on myself.”
Interview by Silver | Written by Ichibo Harada
Looking for a cool summer project to work on during the holidays? The pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2024 is accepting submissions until 11:59 pm JST on Sunday, September 1st! The theme for this year is “Heat.”
This contest was first launched in 2018 and has heralded the discovery of numerous young creative talents. Umi, who won the grand prize out of 1,310 entries in last year’s contest, pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2023, even told us that they had the opportunity to do professional work as an illustrator as a result of their win last year! In this interview brought to you by Silver, one of last year’s judges, we spoke to Umi about the inspiration behind their winning work, their future aspirations, and more.
Index
- I missed the award ceremony stream
- The inspiration for my piece came from the symbolism behind morning glories
- I often get ideas from scenes I shoot myself
- Getting to know other creators through the contest
- The main visual is inspired by the heat of the sun
- The pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2024 is accepting entries now!
- Past interview articles for the pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest
- Silver
- A full-time instructor at Kyoto University of the Arts, Silver began their career as a storyboard artist in 2009. After mainly working on collectible card games, smartphone apps, and light novels, Silver joined a game company as an illustrator in 2017. Currently, they are mainly involved in art direction and project management.
I missed the award ceremony stream
── Allow me to congratulate you once again on winning the pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2023! How did you feel when you learned that you had won?
── Looks like winning had a lot of perks for you!
── May I ask how you spent the 200,000 yen you won, by the way?
── That’s really responsible of you! If I remember correctly, you entered the High Schoolers Illustration Contest for the first time when you were a freshman, which led to your subsequent win. How did you first learn about this contest?
── Had you ever submitted your work to other contests prior to the pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest?
The inspiration for my piece came from the symbolism behind morning glories
── I’d like to learn more about your award-winning entry next, which I heard took you roughly 12 hours to complete. Which parts of the drawing did you pay the most attention to?
── Is there some kind of backstory to the two girls featured in the piece?
── Did any of the judges’ words leave an impression on you?
*The literal translation of the Japanese name is “morning face.”
── That just goes to show how imaginative and thought-provoking your illustration is!
I often get ideas from scenes I shoot myself
── What’s your current work environment like?
I first draw a rough draft by hand before sketching it digitally on my iPad. For software, I use the free version of ibisPaint and Procreate.
── Procreate is a pretty sophisticated choice. What do you like about it?
I like the Gradient Map tool since it allows me to adjust the colors easily.
── I see. So you’re more about the adjustment tools than the brushes. And how do you usually practice drawing?
── Have you always enjoyed drawing?
── Did you do any drawing practice when you first started out?
── I’d always taken you for a natural-born genius, so I feel somewhat relieved to learn that you had a tracing phase too! When do you find yourself in the mood to draw, by the way?
I often feel like drawing after watching movies or reading manga. I also tend to take many photos when I’m out and about, and that sometimes gets me thinking stuff like, “Hmm, what if I paired this scenery with this sort of character?”
── Do you have any creative techniques that have changed your way of drawing?
When coloring characters, I first apply the primary color of the illustration as a base before layering additional colors over it. By getting rid of the idea that human skin can only be painted certain colors, my illustrations have become much more cohesive.
Getting to know other creators through the contest
── One of the great things about the pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest, I feel, is the opportunity to get to know other young creators. Did you become friends with anyone as a result of the contest?
── Ah, I remember this illustration! As one of the judges, I’m thrilled to hear that you were able to gain a new friend through this contest. Are there any creators you’ve been a fan of recently, of the same age or otherwise?
── I see that ying yi tends to draw a lot of concept art. Would you say that their style of showing not only the characters but also depicting whole worlds within their illustrations is something you’re aiming for as well?
Yes, you could say that.
── Are there any series or games you’re into?
I love the anime Mononoke. As for games, I’m not really a gamer, but I do play Endless Ocean Luminous on my Nintendo Switch. It’s a game where you take on the role of a scuba diver tasked with documenting marine life, and you get to see all sorts of underwater creatures.
── I think I’m starting to see what sort of stuff you’re into. Now that you mention it, you do tend to feature a lot of sea life and water imagery in your art.
The main visual is inspired by the heat of the sun
── As last year’s grand prize winner, you were in charge of the main visual for this year’s pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2024. What points did you pay particular attention to when creating this illustration?
── Solar heat—now, that’s creative! I’m impressed. What kind of career path do you have in mind? Do you plan on studying illustration professionally or pursuing it as a career?
I’m thinking of enrolling in a professional training college or art school to study illustration after graduating. Since I’m purely self-taught, I think it’d be nice to learn the basics of sketching step by step.
── A year ago, when we interviewed you right after last year’s pixiv High School Illustration Contest, you expressed interest in attending art school but were concerned that you might start to dislike drawing due to being overwhelmed by assignments and work. It seems like you’ve had a change of heart since then. Are you also considering becoming a professional illustrator?
── That’s a cool concept; your work will probably look and feel different when combined with music. I hear you already have experience taking on commercial work, by the way. How did that go?
It was really challenging! Besides making sure my work was in line with what the client requested, I had a hard time knowing whether my emails sounded professional enough. Negotiating fees is also difficult, and it always makes me super nervous.
── I like how, despite being nervous, you’re still very motivated.
Although I initially felt that I’d rather just draw what I want at my own pace than make drawing my job, I am genuinely very grateful for the professional work that I've gotten to do so far.
── As someone who was on the panel of judges last year, nothing would make me happier than if more people got to know your art through the professional work you do. (laughs) Do you have any other goals for the future?
Part of me feels some pressure to constantly create amazing art now that I’ve won an award. This might not quite count as a “goal,” but I’d like to continue drawing what I want to draw and genuinely enjoy the process.
── Ultimately, the most important thing is that you have fun. Do you have any comments for people who are considering submitting their work to this year’s contest?
Entering an illustration contest is no easy thing, so I totally understand wanting to win an award for your effort. That said, it’s also important to find what you want to express and how you want to express it, and I hope you can enjoy that part of the process too.
The pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2024 is accepting entries now!
The pixiv High Schoolers Illustration Contest aims to give rise to the next generation of flourishing creators and is open to all high school students. Acclaimed illustrators gemi and komugiko2000, as well as corporate sponsors, will be participating as judges, and all entries will be reviewed from their professional points of view.
Award recipients will receive prize money and special prizes from each sponsor, as well as the opportunity to create visual works and participate in projects sponsored by pixiv.
The application deadline is September 1st, 2024, at 11:59 pm JST.
Why don’t you give it a shot during this summer vacation?