“I draw, all the time, wherever the place.” This honest declaration of principles honors the man who is constantly drawing others. He sometimes invents part of the scene, creating a funny moment or accentuating what is already there.
MC: What is your relationship to Tokyo?
HH: About eighteen years ago, I got a job in Tokyo and moved from Kanazawa to where I live now.
MC: When and why did you start drawing the city?
HH: I was an art student at university, and now my job is to draw illustrations because to draw my surroundings every time is the course of nature.
MC: How do you combine drawing with your work?
HH: To draw sketches is my daily warm‐up exercise for my job.
MC: What is it you tried to achieve with your drawings of Tokyo?
HH: Basically, it is only practice for me.
MC: Tell us about the place that you have selected.
HH: No reason, anytime, anywhere.
MC: What’s your favorite Tokyo place?
HH: Sekaido in Shinjuku. You can see many kinds of stationary. It is the best in Japan.
MC: Who is a reference for your work or is there someone whose work you particularly admire?
HH: Very many. I especially love comic artists. For example (to limit the list to those outside Japan) Moebius, Mike Mignola, Nicolas de Crecy, Enki Vilal, Alex Ross, Frederic Boilet, Emmanuel Guibert, Paco Roca, Bastien Vives, and Marjane Satrapi.
MC: Did drawing change your life and if it did can you explain us in what way?
HH: Drawing is my job, and my life. I can’t explain it.
© Hama-House.
Hama-House is an illustrator based in Tokyo. His job is to draw illustrations for magazines, books, websites, and TV. Speed sketching is his pastime and a way of practicing.
www.hama-house.com | www.instagram.com/hamahouse | @hamahouse
Tags: 2014, HAMA-HOUSE, ILLUSTRATION, ISSUE 24, TOKYO, WINTER 14