Interview with illustrator Senbon Umishima - Distilling Curiosity into Creation
Article by Ichibo Harada @HEW
Professional illustrator and manga artist Senbon Umishima's first solo exhibition Rooms is being held at pixiv WAEN GALLERY in Omotesando, Tokyo, until May 5, 2022. Held in commemoration of the release of Umishima's popular illustration series of the same name, roughly 80 of the works found in the compilation book published by PIE International on April 14th, 2022 will be featured. Some of those pieces are set to be replaced during the latter half of the exhibition, bringing the total number of displayed individual works to over 110.
Umishima is known for their rich backgrounds and soft color schemes. How did they come to create such diverse motifs that include foreign cityscapes, cats, maids, plants, sea creatures, and room interiors?
- Senbon Umishima
- Lover of the sea, islands, traveling, and dried sweet potatoes. After a stint as both an animator in charge of character design and chief animation director, Umishima now works mainly as an illustrator and manga artist, working on the short illustration and manga compilation book Rooms since February 2022. Senbon no Hanataba, an art compilation published by PIE International and Prism no Saku Niwa, a short story collection published by Shinchosha are currently on sale. The art compilation book Rooms, published by PIE International, went on sale in April 2022.
Refine info intake to continue healthily creating
── Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us.
I'm not much of a conversationalist, but I'll do my best. I've just been at home lying around doing nothing lately, so I hope you don't take anything I say today too seriously. I'll probably say something completely different three days from now....
── Do you avoid looking at or investigating other creators?
When I was drawing manga, there was a time when I looked at so many books on storytelling and scriptwriting that I lost track of what the right way was. And these days, you can gather information on just about anything online.
I think it's a good idea to take some time and consider just what it is you want to do and then focus on what you need to do to achieve that goal.
Also, staring at computers, books, and movies for too long will tire your eyes, so we should take good care of them.
── What sort of things do you recommend be used as references when creating?
When it comes to drawing or painting, it might be a good idea to use photographs or other real-life objects as reference materials. I, myself, often take inspiration from real-life objects.
Animator, illustrator, and manga artist; a triple threat
── You've worked as an animator, illustrator, and manga artist. Have you loved drawing pictures since you were a child?
Yes, I have. Looking back at my childhood sketch books, I found that for some reason all I drew were snails. Like snails crossing the rainbow (laughs).
── Did you know early on that you wanted to work in an artistic field?
I think I had a vague idea of making illustrations my career around the time I was in middle school.
Because I'm so lazy and so bad at things like public speaking, I always felt that I'd have to live my life as a recluse. I normally sleep in until noon.
From the short story Kami wa Onna no, included in Prism no Saku Niwa, an anthology published by Shinchosha.
── You often focus on a theme of "motion" in your manga and illustrations. Is this taken from your experience as an animator? Or is movement something you've always been interested?
It's hard to give a clear-cut explanation. I like drawing motion, but I may be a little different from someone who started out working to become an illustrator or manga artist.
── Now that you have experienced all three paths, do you feel as though the things you've learned in each role have begun to blend together?
While I'm not fully aware of it, I feel like that might be the case for some of it.
This isn't really relevant, but when I submitted a storyboard with the characters and background color-coded and shaded, the editor was surprised and told me they'd never seen that before. Doing so is a habit for animators.
Past or present, the way to practice is sketching and rough drafts
── You've said that you set your sights on a drawing career at a young age. How did you refine your technique over the years?
I don't do anything special at all. I just kept drawing and doing quick sketches every day. How one should hone their skills is up to each person, but perhaps it's true that consistency is the best. I think it's a good idea to consider what sort of practice techniques work best for you. If you find something that works, try doing it every day. For example, if you really like drawing cars and you want to become an illustrator with a strong interest in cars, perhaps drawing vehicles every day will get you closer to your goal faster than general drawing or quick sketches.
── How do you practice now?
Now I mainly do croquis sketching. I don't take a long time on drawings anymore, but sometimes for sketching rough drafts...
The thing about croquis is that it's more like "I'll just get to it." It's almost like making yourself some coffee when you want some. I don't go out of my way to hype myself up; I do it naturally when I want to do it. Even so, there are also days you don't want to drink coffee. That's how I feel about croquis. It's more for pleasure...?
── Sometimes when I'm drawing, I can't escape the feeling that something isn't quite right and get lost in the process. What do you do when you're in a slump?
I keep my hands moving until that feeling of something being wrong goes away. Otherwise I might take a break, have a bite to eat, or get some sleep. Whether it's better to keep on drawing or take a break depends on what stage of the process I'm stuck in. If I can't come up with a good idea, I have a bit of a breather. But when I'm having trouble drawing a character, taking a break wouldn't do me any good. If you find yourself stuck while you're in the actual drawing process, you can just take a picture of yourself to help you draw any human characters.
Try all sorts of things without worrying too much about style
── What is your current working environment like?
I've always loved Photoshop, and sometimes I use CLIP STUDIO or SAI for a change of pace. In the past, I also used an iPad, although I don't anymore because my Apple Pencil has up and disappeared.
── You've showcased many styles of coloring. Is that what you switch up for a change of pace?
Yes, that's right. From time to time, I'll naturally feel like trying something else. I don't really feel I have a set drawing style. Whether that's good or bad, I'm not sure...
Ten or twenty years from now, I may be drawing in a completely different way than I do now, and I won't know which way was best until very far in the future. So I think it is better to draw freely without being too particular.
However, the person in charge of the first book I published said to me, "No matter what you draw, I can always tell it's a Umishima original." I guess that people around you naturally find your style, even if you aren't consciously aware of it yourself.
Umishima's first art book Senbon no Hanataba was released in 2018 and published by PIE International. Currently, only the e-book version is available. It contains a wide variety of work, including stuff from their days as an animator, original illustrations, and one-shot manga stories.
── "The viewer decides the style."
I believe that the interpretation of not only the style but the work itself is in the hands of the viewer. Once I've finished a drawing, a one-to-one relationship with the work is created between it and everyone who sees it. I can't barge into that relationship just because I'm the artist. Of course, I remember all of the pieces I've created, but in a sense, it is almost like my relationship with a piece ends once I've finished drawing it.
A series of cute interiors
── This solo exhibition is centered on the Rooms series. How did you come up with the idea?
"Green tiles are so cute, aren't they? If I were to draw some, the drawing itself would have to be set in a restroom," was the simple idea that gave birth to my first work. After I had done quite a few, my editor suggested that I should make an art book series with rooms as the theme.
── Instead of deciding on the interior designs after considering the setting of the characters, did you draw the interior first, prioritizing how cute interiors like this would be?
That's right. So I thought things like, "it would be cute if we had something like this," or "this kind of thing might be cute too," and went about it in kind of a haphazard manner (laughs).
── If that's the case, did you get new ideas and add more accessories while you were drawing?
It's abstract like that up until the rough sketch is done. From there, the line drawing is done and all that is left is the painting. Once the rough sketch is decided, almost no changes are made until the drawing is finished.
── Is your ability to create such a wide variety of rooms a result of an interest in interior design?
I browse interior design shopping sites every day and could look at them forever...! In fact, I have another antique lamp arriving tomorrow. I have bought so many things online that one room of my house has become a cardboard storage space (laughs).
── Lucky! I live in an old Japanese style apartment...
Your place can look amazing if you don't mind a bit of DIY! Taking down the traditional sliding doors and turning your closet space into a work area has become very popular. You could also put some wallpaper on the sliding doors for some added charm...
── The fact that you can come up with ideas so quickly shows how much you really love interior design.
It's easy to suggest such unreasonable things when it's someone else's home (laughs). Drawings with that same sort of abandon is fun, too. Some of the furniture I draw wouldn't stand up on its own in real life. Desks with wheels, for example, would be dangerous if they actually existed. But since they are just illustrations, I think it's okay to prioritize cuteness over functionality.
Travel, diving, and long-held hobbies lead to creation
── Foreign cityscapes, cats, maids, plants, sea creatures, and interior decorations are just some of the many motifs in your drawings, right?
I don't approach any drawing with the intention of using a specific item as the motif; they are simply things I naturally enjoy. Traveling and diving have always been hobbies of mine, even though doing so is difficult because of the recent pandemic. I often use photos I took on my travels as reference material for my work, and I also drew a short manga called Date with a CAT in Dubrovnik based on my experience of traveling to Croatia.
Date with a CAT in Dubrovnik can be found on the Kurage Banchi website and in Umishima's Prism no Saku Niwa, published by Shinchosha.
── You like lots of things!
That just makes like more fun, right?
── The vivid colors in your works are impressive. The Rooms series is so intricately detailed down to the smallest areas. However, it gives both a clean and uncluttered impression.
Surprisingly, I actually use only three or four colors. I feel like this illustration makes this easier to understand. I decide to use yellow, pink, light blue, and red. Then I paint around those four colors and use hues that complement them for the details. This will naturally create a cohesive look.
── I see. I had this firm idea in my head that certain items have to be painted a certain color, like plants must be green. As a result, I kept using more and more colors, and the result was messy.
I think it's good to be a bit more abstract like making this world's cacti blue (laughs)!
── What are the highlights of your solo exhibition?
This might be better answered by the person in charge of pixiv WAEN GALLERY, who actually considered the layout and such, rather than by me.
In keeping with the Rooms image, we've created a personal room-like atmosphere by hanging dried flowers on the walls. We've also created wallpaper by extracting colors from Umishima's illustrations. Many of Umishima's illustrations are also displayed as canvas art to bring out their soft style. This is the gallery's first attempt at exhibiting separate works over two time periods.
Thanks a lot! As I said before, once a piece is done, I hope each viewer will freely have their own opinion of it. I hope you enjoy the exhibition as much as possible.
── Finally, what are your future prospects as a creator?
I would love to publish more books.
── Taken from the illustration and comic compilation book Rooms by Senbon Umishima, recently published by PIE International.
The solo exhibition Rooms is being held in Omotesando, Tokyo until May 5 during Golden Week. Please feel free to drop by.
"Rooms Senbon Umishima's Illustration + Comic Compilation" is now on sale!
Price: 1,800 yen + tax
Size: A5 (210mm x 148mm)
On sale: April 14th, 2022
Product details: https://pie.co.jp/book/i/5476/
"Rooms", Senbon Umishima's first solo exhibition is open to the public!
pixiv WAEN GALLERY by TWINPLANET × pixiv, a gallery jointly operated by pixiv and Twin Planet, is currently holding Senbon Umishima's first solo exhibition Rooms.
The exhibition features about 80 illustrations based on the popular illustration series Rooms, which depicts rooms with rich personalities and the girls who live there. The venue also features custom-made wallpaper to match Umishima's illustrations and decorations with dried flowers. Those who buy art books at the exhibition will have a chance to win autographed copies and will also be eligible to purchase exhibition items on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details, please visit the website.
Period: April 8th - May 5th, 2022
Some of the exhibited works will be replaced from April 25.
Closed: No holidays
Free admission
Location: TWIN PLANET South BLDG. 1F, 5-46-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm
* Please be advised that we may stagger admission via numbered tickets on crowded days
* Countermeasures against the new coronavirus
Senbon Umishima's exhibition Rooms is currently scheduled to run through May 5th (Thu). We will continue to monitor the situation, but there is a chance the exhibition dates may be subject to change due to the spread of the virus. You can find more information about products on sale, reaching the venue, etc., on the pixiv WAEN GALLERY official website and Twitter. We thank you for your understanding.
Merchandise is also available online!
You can purchase some of the merchandise sold at the exhibition on BOOTH. Please come and get your hands on some cute merch featuring Umishima's illustrations.
