Illustrator MON straddles the line between eeriness and beauty with their art - "I love it when my art creeps people out."

I was lucky enough to get some job offers while I was still in school, so it felt like a natural transition to me. Now that I'm freelancing, I've realized just how heavy the workload is—it's definitely not what you'd consider a relaxed job

I majored in Japanese painting. I was drawn to the delicate lines and the unique colors of mineral pigments, especially in Buddhist art. The techniques I studied for my entrance exams, such as sketching, don't really overlap with my usual style, but I still try to mix the unique palette of Japanese paintings into my illustrations. Going forward, I plan to use more traditional paints and tools in my projects.

The anime Eureka Seven had a big impact on me. In terms of creators, I'd have to say Takeshi Obata and Yoshitaka Amanoーtheir coloring styles and linework all influenced me a lot.

That's right. I was into creating manga until middle school, but I found storytelling quite challenging and eventually gave it up. However, I realized that illustrations allowed me to focus on worldbuilding just as well. I began posting my artwork on social media, which led to job offers and gradually steered me towards a professional path.

I draw the line art on B4 or B5 paper, then scan it and use ibisPaint to color it digitally. At first, I used to do the line art in ibisPaint as well, but I found that I couldn't really get used to the digital lines, so I switched to doing them manually.

I remember it as "the green one on that shelf at the store," so I don't really know the brand name. If the store rearranges things, I’ll be completely lost. (laughs) I prefer fine-textured paper since it works great with both pencils and fine-liner pens.

Digital art is great, but personally, I prefer the feel of something drawn by a real person. The unique character of hand-drawn lines is something I really love to incorporate into my work.

It’s really about efficiency. The digital features in Ibis Paint are great, especially how they let me keep the texture of the paper while coloring. Plus, Ibis is just so intuitive to use. Too many tools can complicate things... Coloring digitally lets me try out unexpected colors and effects pretty easily, which can lead to some nice surprises in the final piece.

That's right. I start without a clear end in sight and, as I paint, the picture begins to shape itself. I usually go with the flow of my emotions, asking myself, "What form or lines best match how I’m feeling?" The process is all about trial and error, and that’s how the setting and story for my illustrations unfold too.

It usually takes under 20 hours per piece. The coloring part is pretty quick, but drafting the initial sketches takes the longest. If I'm not happy with the line art, it can take up to a week.

I actually love creeping people out. It's kind of satisfying when someone looks at my art and recoils a bit—I really go for that reaction. Even though I find things like lotus seed pods creepy myself, there's something thrilling about creating that kind of art. I aim to blend the grotesque with a hint of beauty in my work.

I understand that what I'd most like to draw doesn't appeal to everyone, so I started by creating more conventional, beautiful pieces to draw attention to my work as an illustrator. As more people notice my art, I'd like to introduce more of the eerie elements I love.

I tend to hold back to avoid making my work too extreme, so not really. But if I had to choose, I'd say this one is my favorite. I love the line work, the color, and most importantly, I feel like I fully captured the scenario I wanted to depict.

If every element in a piece stands out, the result can look messy, so I focus on the parts I really want to highlight and draw them in detail, while toning down the rest to keep it balanced.

I loved the process of delving deep into the details of a single subject. Recently, I've been drawing more mutant-like figures. In the past, I wasn't very comfortable with drawing humans, and I didn't particularly like the human form as a motifーbut I've come to realize that it's perfectly fine to distort the human body in my artwork.

Well, I've been through a lot of trial and error. I'm easily influenced by other artists and that tends to show in my workーwhich is a big issue.

I do sometimes incorporate elements I like from other artists. For example, I love Ultraman, so sometimes I incorporate similar red lines into my work. But I make an effort to avoid unintentional mimicry. If I catch myself doing it, it's a reminder that I need to further develop my skills and push my creative boundaries.

I don't really go through creative blocks. If I feel off, I just keep drawing until something good comes out of it and the feeling passes. I prefer to work through my struggles rather than run away from them. I always want to engage with my art, and I feel that the time I spend worrying about it is very valuable. I don't view struggling as something negative.

Honestly, I could use some advice myself... (laughs) But no matter how busy I get, I make sure to get enough sleep. I stay motivated by looking at other people's art. It sparks my competitive spirit and makes me feel like I need to work harder.

I've always been fascinated by space and the unknown. Ever since I was a kid, I would look up at the stars and wonder, "What if there's someone else out there, completely different from us, with their own civilization?" That same curiosity gave birth to SEEKERS.

SEEKERS envisions a future where contact with aliens and interstellar travel are commonplace. I paid a lot of attention to the details around the charactersーthe setting, and so onーand I focused on the tools, weapons, and vehicles they use.

A 50-50 split would be perfect. Leaning too heavily on my personal interests might not always be best. (laughs) But I'm still having a lot of fun with commissioned work, since I always make sure to include elements I love.

I'm really nervous but also super excitedーit's quite a complex feeling. My idea is to create a space that's cozy but also gives off a sense of unease. I'm also currently working on the merchandise, so please look forward to it!

I drew the kind of aliens I'd like to exist. This particular scene shows an alien driven from its home, now heading towards Earth and observing it from afar. These aliens are essentially unempathetic invaders. Although I created this character quickly using elements I draw often, I found it challenging to get the body balance right. I didn’t want them to look too human; I wanted them to have a unique eeriness. I hope visitors will notice how they're in the midst of a metamorphosis, highlighting their imperfections.

I had to have separate layers for the merchandise, so I decided to split the main visual into five layersーthat was my first time. This experience made me realize that working with layers has its own advantages.