Fumio Obata is a Japanese artist that specialises in Illustration and Pictorial Storytelling. He grew up with comics and manga, before coming to England in 1991 to take his practice further. Fumio attended the Glasgow School of Art from 1997-99. Initially being rejected from the Royal College of Art after graduating, he later reapplied and studied a Masters' course there, from 2001-03. While his initial artistic approach was watercolour paints, Fumio aimed for a stronger visual identity that would get his work noticed.
Because he works with character-based sequences, there are three main mediums Obata works in: Illustration, Animation, and Books.
Illustration
Fumio moved from traditional media to digital, when focusing on his work in concept and background art. Within his illustration practice, he tries to combine Japanese and European aesthetics, to produce a unique style of work.
Animation
From his experience in animation, Fumio has learned that it requires precise scheduling and organisation, with complex teamwork and tasks shared with other animators. For his first large-scale animation commission, he helped create the stage projection for one of artist Duran Duran's live concerts. From there, he applied for several programs to train animators. Not long after, Fumio recieved funding to make an "Artist in Residence" animation for Channel 4. The television network later commissioned him to create a mostly digital animation of his own.
Books
His practice led him to France, and the Bonde Dessinee (Angouleme) - an artist residenct for comic artists. Whilst there, he stayed in the "Les Maison des auteures," from 2008-09. Fumio's first book publication was a year later, made through a personal contact of his. In 2014, he published "Just So Happens" through a competition, as a runner-up. The book was published in six different countries and five languages. Through these things, Obata learned that it is important to take part and involve other people in projects, as well as to be a part of the creative industry. He is currently working on a reportage project, named "Quake news from Elsewhere," in which he hopes to spread awareness of a Japanese crisis to European audience.
Fumio's advice for any inspiring creative would be to know the market and keep on top of current trends. He says that it is just as important to find your artistic voice and build your audience.
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