Page: 2 - We asked his father all about how to raise a boy genius!

Over 2,000 works of art were submitted to the Copic Awards 2019, and out of them the following masterpieces truly dazzled the judges and took the crown!

Five judges chose the grand prize winner and the runner ups, as well as the winners of the judges' award and the other prize categories! Each work of art is bursting with individuality and uniqueness!

Grand Prize

'The Explorer' Grace Netanya（United States of America）

All judges agreed that this piece stood out the most as the grand prize winner. A wide-eyed young boy stands in front of a mirror looking at a completely different version of himself. This unique idea really makes one think, and really shows the imaginativeness of the world of art. All of the judges thought it was really wonderful. When it comes to art, deciding on the theme of a picture is very important. This is especially true if art is a job to you - originality is essential. This picture reminds me of the importance of pursuing your own originality.

Comment: Junko Koshino

Second Place

'Awoken from a Deep Sleep' Hoshimi (Japan)

The first thing to catch your eye is the girl in the center of the picture. It's not that she looks particularly strong, but she looks beautiful and adorable and lovely. Yet at the same time, she does look somewhat sorrowful - all of the emotions she draws out are part of her attraction. We received a lot of submissions this year that had a girl as the center point of the picture, but this picture, in particular, stood out due to the incredibly unique use of greens. The other colors as well are perfectly balanced. To be 'Awoken from a Deep Sleep' is a very universal theme, right out of a science-fiction, or a fairytale, and it's amazing to see a slice of this artist's imagination portrayed so skilfully.

Comment: Rumiko Tezuka

Second Place

'Mother' Rodrigo Matias（Brazil)

All of the details are drawn so beautifully. It's as if every single minute detail of the piece fits perfectly into place to create a harmonious balance. The girl in the picture is beautiful, but the subdued tones of the piece also draw out the beauty of the overall picture. I feel pulled into a world of prayer, and I also feel the emotions of the artist behind it. I'd love for this artist to maintain the ability to harness such honest, vulnerable emotions in their future works of art.

Comment: Kei Matsushita

Junko Koshino Judges' Award

'Macaroon' ashleyphewlett（United States of America)

This looks so delicious that it's hard to get out of your head! I liked this picture because the artist chose a very day-to-day object as the theme. I evaluated it based the how I felt the artist didn't choose the theme in order to show off their skills, but rather that they drew it simply because they wanted to. I'd love if the artist continued to build their own world by choosing to draw many familiar every items such as food.

Comment: Junko Koshino

Judges' Award Tsutomu Okada

'保鮮盒裡的鮭魚頭' Mo Jiabin (Taiwan)

This is a finely-detailed, precise piece of art - you can practically smell the fish! There aren't many people who are able to draw as realistically as this. In the world of art, using lots of different art supplies to create a photorealistic image has been around for generations.

However, this piece is unique since its theme is a regular head of fish that you might buy in a supermarket - something that's not often used as the theme of a picture. It is very interesting that the artist chose this subject, and manage to put their heart and soul into portraying it in so much detail. Honestly, I thought it was a bit odd, but I really feel that this is a picture that only a human being could produce.

Judges' Award Kei Matsushita

'Camouflage Patterned Rabbits' Gaburiism Gaburimerry (Japan)

'This is the artwork really stood out for me and I put a high valuation on this piece from the very beginning of judging process. Although it looks like this artwork consists of a repeated pattern that usually works well with computer graphics, it’s obvious there’s a great effect of hand-drawing. We can feel some sort of story or even poetry because we know he chose hand-drawing to create this piece. Also, this artwork is using the characteristics of Copic very cleverly. I'd love to see her other works - I’m sure she is an artist who can continue to keep her own world while changing the medium, material or theme.'

Comment: Kei Matsushita

Judges' Award Rumiko Tezuka

'绘意天王Painted heaven King' punkge（China）

'I've never been an artist, so I don’t know much about the technique, but these very exquisite touches really took my breath away. This illustration reminds me a good old satirical comic strip that uses realistic drawings to depict a story, or a message. I believe this piece portrays the God of manga who descended right in front of a confusing artist, and giving the message that says, "don't be arrogant". Overconfidence is driven by arrogance and it makes us ignorant. As the matter of fact, this is the same message my father (Osamu Tezuka) has repeatedly delivered throughout his career. Maybe this kind of pressure can even be said to be the common karma for every artist.'

Comment: Rumiko Tezuka

Judges' Award Arina Tanemura

'The Dreamer' Yui (Japan)

'This is such a beautiful piece. I blessed with an opportunity to be the jury for this AWARD, and it was very fortunate for me to have encountered to this artwork. I fell into love with this piece at first glance - Technique is obviously excellent. Dreamy colors used here and the beauty of blank space or contrasting density are so amazing. Also, its composition is meticulously calculated considering the color characteristics of Copic markers, such as delicacy, or a sense of transparency. I hope she keeps on creating beautiful art and sharing it with the whole world.'

Comment: Arina Tanemura

Pixiv Awards

'Hydrangea Dress' Pooh (Japan)

'The composition and the character design of this piece is truly amazing. Also, I was surprised by the fine and vivid colors original artwork has. It's not inferior to the digitally created paintings and I really felt the powerfulness or potential of analog art.

"Hydrangea" is the perfect theme for the rainy season in Japan, and I believe its adorable manga illustration style is appealing to Pixiv users.'

Comment: Chitoshi Shimizu (Pixiv Inc. Representative)

You can see every work of art that was submitted on the official Copic Award website!

The Copic Award's next annual competition will take place in 2020! Submissions will be accepted from January 2020, so get your Copics and paper ready!

COPIC AWARD OFFICIAL HP

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