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The combination of rich colors and kemomimi boys! Creative interview with illustrator Ponn Mame!



■Profile


Artist Name:Ponn Mame

Twitter:@ponn_mame

Country: Japan

Occupation:Illustrator









■Art Gallery


───First of all, we start with introduce yourself!


I’m Ponn mame, active as an freelance illustrator. I like to draw boys, and I draw mainly in color.


───When did you start drawing? Have you ever attended an art school?


I'm like paint since childhood, my dear grandmother was the first person to compliment my drawing. The act of painting in my life is a kind of entertainment, for seriously study painting is probably in the second year of high school. Up until high school, I was taking general classes just to be with the people around me, after high school I went to art university. I making decision to develop art is because university exam and a good friend who shares the same goals with me.



───Please tell us about the person who influenced you.


There is one person who has the greatest influence on me, she is my classmate and is the best painter in university. She has good sense and I fell in love with her illustrations at first sight, such beautiful color use, nothing is wasted, the perfect coloring and composition are very attractive to me. I have used her as my ideal to draw illustrations while looking for my own style and direction until now. In fact, I am able to use drawing software such as Impasto and Procreate because of my longing for her.


Also, I have loved anime, games, and movies since I was a child, so even if I didn't realize it, maybe the things I like around me have subtly influenced my illustrations.


───What is the most impressive work you have drawn so far? Is there any story in its creation?


I'm hesitant about which one to choose...the work that most impressed me is the illustration of a boy named "Bell" drawn based on the Shiba Inu. I was confused about my painting style and what I wanted at that time. I was never satisfied whatever what I painted, and fell into a bottleneck that made me very frustrated.


Also at that time, I reconsidered my starting point and drew this work. By thickening the coating, using bright colors, and making the face look bigger, I decided the direction of 'I want to draw a picture with a sense of presence'. After that, the fans' response to my illustrations gradually improved. This illustration was the catalyst for a big change in me and helped me get out of a slump. That's why it's still my favorite illustration work to this day.


───Is there something that you often use as a motif when you create?


There are many things I used be motifs. Especially kemonomimi, I want to draw various humanoid characters possess kemonomimi in the future. In addition, I often draw boys, and the sailor uniform is also a common motif for me. When I draw a picture, the theme or object is the core of the illustration, but the motif changes every time, I think the most important thing is the tsundere or precocious boys.


───We felt that the light colors in your works are beautiful. Please tell us what you are particular about when creating?


It’s my pleasure to be praised for color use. Coloring is the most important process of painting illustrations for me. Ashamed to say, I spent a lot of time carefully deciding on the color range. Colors can be combined in many ways, and just one color may change the mood of whole illustration, so it is difficult to decide on the final color. However, I find it fun to draw while indecision about color.


There are many parts of the human body that I pay attention to, especially the eyes. For people who often draw characters, I think eyes are an important place where a person's soul is. So I drew a variety of original boy illustrations, each with a different color and drawing method, drawn through a unique interweaving technique.



───There were characters with names“Noah” and “Lord” in your work, what kind of character are they?


Rhode and Noah are both my original characters. I've always liked the animal-eared group, such as human with animal ears and tail, most of their forms are very close to humans. I have drawn furry ears many times in my creative. It should be related to I like animals, and I also like anime and movies featuring animals.



Noah is a character that combines many of my favorite elements in my creation, it was born in the early days. When I tweeted Noah, it has a good response and I’m happy with that. It can be said that he is my favorite character among all the characters I have created now.



As for Rhode, he is a fairly new character, a boy with rabbit ears like Noah. Usually I don't think too much about the deeps and relationship of the characters. I often don't make any settings. I like to draw freely whatever I want, so it doesn’t limited to these two characters, most of my characters are related to my mood and hobbies. Naming is a testament to my liking for them, so there are also plenty of characters without names.


───Regarding the "I also like anime and movies featuring animals", Would your like share recommended works!


I recommend the animation called ”Majime ni Fumajime:Kaiketsu Zorori” and the Disney movie "Zootopia"! It's true that the Disney and Pixar movies are mostly aimed at kids, but I loved it so much that I still revisit it now.


───Would you like share about the commercial projects and business activity you have participated in?


I have participated in online illustration as lectures of "class101", thumbnail illustrations and products for “Utaite”platforms, illustrations for Vtuber, SD illustrations for cosplayers. Although I’m inexperienced, I will work hard while improving my illustration skills.


───What would you like to challenge in the future?


I want challenge to draw more dynamic and vibe illustrations. Also, I'm not good at drawing backgrounds and accessories, so I also want to draw various motifs.


In 2022, I sold my own products for the first time, it was more fun than I thought. The most importantly is my fans had a lot of fun, so we plan to release the second series of acrylic stand this year! I also want to try the events like Comic Market in the near future. The illustrators around me often participate in events, but I never attended, so I will definitely challenge it in the future.


───Thank you for to be interviewed, is there any words you like to say to your audience or other creators?


Thank you for always liking my illustration! I’ll continue to grow and pursue originality style in order to draw pictures that impress the audience, and I‘m glad to have your support!

 
 

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