Mecha-Jun Mini Vinyl Toy...
Mini Dudes, junichi tsuneoka
Japanese artist Junichi Tsuneoka creates an awesome Mecha Roboto. The design and detailing is immense — all in his signature...
Meet the Artist: Junichi Tsuneoka
15.02.2012 by Jennifer Martin
Japanese graphic and character designer, Junichi Tsuneoka arrived in the U.S. at the end
of the 20th Century. He established an aesthetic
that he refers to as the “California
Roll Stylie,” which is the result of a visual fusion of
Japanese pop and American urban culture. Always hungry to find out more, we sat down for a fresh slice of sashimi with Junichi and talked about his wheres, hows, and whats.
Konichiwa Junichi-san. PLease tell us what is “California
Roll Stylie".
It grew from a point early on
in my career when I did a poster illustration in a style very different from
what I do now and I showed it to my friends in Japan. They liked it because it
looked “American” and when I showed it to people here (in the U.S.) they
thought it looked “Japanese”. So I thought it was interesting how I naturally merged
those 2 influences together without knowing it. I guess it just happened
naturally by living in 2 different cultures.
Over the years, I realized I
respond more to Japanese pop art and US urban art than anything else, so my
illustration has become more and more a fusion of both fashions which led to me
naming my drawing style, “California roll stylie” - not only because I love to
eat California rolls but because I can see a similarity between the food and
myself as an artist in the way that I am from Japan and “customized” in the
U.S.
You
founded Studio Stubborn Sideburn, how did that come about?
Firstly, I joined Modern Dog Design Co. before I started my own - they
are a small studio so I thought I could learn a lot there. They taught me
pretty much everything about being a designer and gave me the confidence to
start my own company. I founded Studio Stubborn Sideburn to broaden my artistic exploration
not only in design but also in illustration and art.
What
made you become an artist?
I couldn’t imagine anything other than being an artist my whole life so
it was inevitable.
What or
who inspires you?
I try to look at a wide variety of stuff. For example, when I go to a bookstore to look at magazines, I pick up publications like “Vogue,” - stuff that I don’t usually look at. It is the same with music; I like to listen to Hip Hop and R&B in my downtime but I actually prefer working to classical as it doesn't make me focus on the lyrics. I am also a word oriented person in the way that I like to write down random phrases like, “monkey business” or “when the shit hits the fan” as they pop into my head. These kinds of phrases sometimes give me inspiration.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am actually working on the 2nd Dudebox character!
If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be & why?
I think it would be really fun to work with somebody who has a completely different background, maybe a furniture designer. I’d love to see how my 2D work interacts with 3D work – similar to what we are doing with Dudebox but I guess furniture would be on a much larger scale. It would be interesting to put my graphics on the surface of whatever he/she has made.
I try to look at a wide variety of stuff. For example, when I go to a bookstore to look at magazines, I pick up publications like “Vogue,” - stuff that I don’t usually look at. It is the same with music; I like to listen to Hip Hop and R&B in my downtime but I actually prefer working to classical as it doesn't make me focus on the lyrics. I am also a word oriented person in the way that I like to write down random phrases like, “monkey business” or “when the shit hits the fan” as they pop into my head. These kinds of phrases sometimes give me inspiration.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am actually working on the 2nd Dudebox character!
If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be & why?
I think it would be really fun to work with somebody who has a completely different background, maybe a furniture designer. I’d love to see how my 2D work interacts with 3D work – similar to what we are doing with Dudebox but I guess furniture would be on a much larger scale. It would be interesting to put my graphics on the surface of whatever he/she has made.
Who is your favourite artist?
Kuniyoshi (19th century Japanese woodblock artist).
Describe yourself in 5 words?
A man of few words!
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
It would be great if I had the power to make my drawings physically come alive.
What do you like and what do you hate?
I like my dog, he’s my best friend! I absolutely hate people who pretend to be smart when they aren’t.
What’s your favourite food?
Sushi of course.
What’s a day in your life like?
I spend
most of the morning doing self promotion and marketing via e-mail, returning calls
and I usually have a look at what’s going on online. After a quick break for
lunch my afternoon is mostly dedicated to client related work, then in the
evening I focus on more personal work like developing ideas and sketches for
any upcoming projects of my own.
Also,
about twice a week, I teach graphic design at a local college.
What's the best thing about being an artist and what
is your ultimate goal?
The freedom and the ability to make something that
can be left behind is definitely the best part about doing what I do. In terms
of my aims, there is something out there that I want to achieve visually
although I am not sure how it looks yet – I’ve started to see the direction but
I don't quite see the outcome. I am waiting
for that moment in which I can create something really amazing that makes me
120% happy. I have experienced 100% but I feel like there is a point beyond
that, which is my ultimate goal.
Any
words of advice for aspiring artists?
You should appreciate that you are able to do what you love in spite of
any struggles you may encounter because not many people are lucky enough to
have that opportunity in their lives.
