Beauty and the Kaiju Artist Spotlight: Tulip – Sachiko Yabe

Posted on December 2, 2010 by toykarma

I’m a Boy… I don’t really like Pink and I make ugly Monsters / Kaiju ! I don’t think I ever really “got” the cute thing in Japan, also known as Kawaii.

However, my Brain has been re-altered by a Japanese women artist named Tulip (real name Sachiko Yabe) !

Let me go back to the beginning … a few months ago, March to be exact, I had a group art show in Japan called Kaiju Comrades 2.

Expanding on the first Kaiju Comrades art show from the previous year, we decided to ask various women artists to try their hands at Kaiju themed art work .. it didn’t matter that they did not make art in the Kaiju world .. just that they be willing to try something out of their comfort zone.

The work they all turned in was simply breathtaking and to see them all try something different was very inspiring to me.

Although the first time Tulip worked on a Max Toy project was my Kaiju Blue show in November of 2009 .. where she did this mind blowing mash up custom of Kaiju TriPus !

But at the Comrades 2 show was the my first glimpse at Tulip’s painted work. Her work was of Soppy Tan/Beso-Tan a Kaiju who is crying on top of a building. Tulip’s explanation is in the interview below…
My first impression was.. well, I wasn’t quite sure what to think !?!?! It was the one painting in the whole show that stood out the most, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why and what was going on in the painting ! It’s cute … but why is it crying !! Ha ha …on top of that the name of simply “Tulip” threw me off as well. What’s a Tulip ?! (answered below!)
After being introduced to her we hit it off right away and via awkward translations ( Tulip does not speak or understand English much ) I started to get a better sense of what she and her characters are about. Unlike her crying Kaiju, Tulip the person, in person has a lot of happy energy and enthusiasm ! So this further peeked my interest into how she interpreted this kaiju this way.

Having not grown up being a kaiju fan at all, she simply comes at all this from a very fresh perspective … so, this and other Kaiju pieces she has done all reflect a naivety and freedom to create what she wants in this realm of Boy characters.

Ah, I’ve never really thought about it but that’s something artistically I’ve not done.. to go into a direction that you have no real back ground in and just create something with no images already in your mind ( like Godzilla ) or influences to cloud your creation.

Also, she usually incorporates messages or themes to her creations, another aspect to this type of art I was not aware of. Us kaiju folks mostly are about showing explosions and destroying things .. and not softer themes of Friendship, Happiness or dare I say, Love ?!

I’ve kept up with her since March and she’s been in the Kaiju Attack show in Spain,
Kaiju Red Carpet Show at Toy Art Gallery in Los Angeles all on top of her already packed schedule in Tokyo of various events such as Design Festa.

My last trip to Japan for the “In Living Kolor” paint show, I was able to see her try out an airbrush for the first time while painting on toys .. something that she just dove right into without any hesitations. The result was stunning, work I would pass off as my own, in fact !


I was also able to learn a little more about being a women artist in Tokyo. For sure it’s not an easy lifestyle and she devotes many, many hours to her craft. To hear her daily routine would make 99% of the artists I know here drop dead from lack of sleep… it’s not unusual to get emails from her at 3am Japan time… but despite her sweet exterior, she has a fierce and determined drive .. which I am predicting will take her to the Top.

I’m certainly not an expert at Kawaii/Cute things .. and being a guy and American, what i think is cute may not jive with others… However, after seeing more of Tulip’s work, either painted or her computer work, I’ve really developed a new appreciation for her skill and this kind of work.

Tulip’s artistic and design abilities are very much sought after .. and after seeing more of her work these past few months, feel like she has “blossomed” ( pardon the pun ) into a very confident artist.

Here recent Seven Rainbow characters for Design Festa show are some top rate examples of her character design prowess.


Cute Microbes

LuLu Butterfly

Love Lee Rabbit

Cupid

Kumawari

Fruit Mix

I can also say, my brain gets it now ! I’m not going to wear Pink ( her favorite color ) any time soon, but I have developed an appreciation for cute .. and can actually look at cute things and say one is cuter than the other !

Ha ha ! .. but don’t worry I still like ugly monsters 😉

For this current project and show in Japan, Beauty and the Kaiju, I asked Tulip to do her version of Kaiju Eyezon, and wouldn’t you know it, she made Eyezon damn Cute !

Look for this giclee to be released end of December, plus a special pin to follow very soon !

Below is an interview conducted via email, special thanks go to Yo Miyamoto for his help in translations !

===========================

Q1: How did you come up with your artists name, Tulip ?
問１： 何故、ご自身のアーティスト名を「チューリップ」にされたのですか？

Answer: I loved tulip so much when I was in middle school, because it looks so cute.
答：中学生のころ、チューリップの花がかわいくて好きだったからです。

Q2: What kind of style of artwork do you do ?
問２： ご自身のアートスタイルについて簡単にご説明下さい。

Answer: I mainly design cute and mischievous characters. I draw characters digitally or using acrylic paints. I would like to draw heartwarming characters that ease people’s mind.
答： キュートでちょっとおちゃめな、キャラクター。デジタルアートやアクリルペイントなどを中心に作品を描いています。みてくれた方の心がふんわりしてほしいです。

Q3: Did you go to art school
問３: アートスクールには通われましたか？

Answer: I was attending technical art college.
答： 専門学校に通っていました。

Q4: You have series of acrylic paintings called ” Monsterous Beasts
” can you tell us more about each them .. any stories for them ?
問４ アクリルペイントのシリーズに「モンステラス・ビースツ」があると思いますが、
それぞれのキャラについてご説明下さい。また、このシリーズには物語がありますか？

Answer:

[Latchkey Kaiju – SAM-TAN -] [鍵っ子怪獣 サムタン]
He is a kaiju of justice who cleans up evils who break into the people’s hearts.
扉の鍵を開ける悪者を退治する正義の味方の怪獣。

[Soppy Kaiju – BESO-TAN -] [泣きべそ怪獣 ベソタン]
He bears the whole sorrow of the world and cry in place of human beings and living
nature.
世界中の悲しみを背負って代わりに泣いてくれる怪獣。

[Love Kaiju – LOVE-TAN -] [恋愛怪獣 ラブタン]
He takes the pain that love brings from people.
恋に苦しい思いを全て受け止めてくれる怪獣。

[Sweet tooth Kaiju – PERO-TAN -] [甘党怪獣 ペロタン]
He loves sweets. He consumes sweets in the world with zeal.
甘いの大好き。世界中のスイーツを食べつくす怪獣。

Q5: I like your ” Watagashi PU-KO ” character , how did you come
up with that design / idea ?” ( Note: Watagashi is like Cotton Candy ! )
問５ 私個人としては「わたがしプーコ」が好きですが、このデザインはどのようにしてうまれたのですか？

Answer: I have designed and drew this Kaiju exclusively for the event called ‘CHARA-MATSURI’ that I have produced. This event has established among 6 different artists as for our collaboration activity. I have designed not only PU-KO but also other two characters called YO-YO YOKO and BUSA-KAWA KAKIGORI (shaved ice). PU-KO is a girl of cotton candy. She always lays sweet-scented poot. 😉
答： 私がプロデュースした「キャラ祭り」という、イベントの為にキャラクターを描き下ろしました。キャラ祭りは６人のキャラクター作家によるコラボアート活動です。
「わたがしプゥ子」の他に、「ヨーヨー・ヨーコ」、「ブサかわかき氷」の３種類を描き下ろしました。プゥ子は甘いおならをプゥプゥしている、わたがしの女の子です。

Q5: Any last words you would like to say ?
問６ なにかおっしゃりたいことはありますか？

Answer: I have never designed or drew Kaiju before so it was very flesh (fresh) theme and challenge for me.
I put my moment-to-moment feelings into each character.
答： 怪獣をテーマに作品を描くことがいままでなかったので、
すごく新鮮なテーマでした。その時その時の、自分の気持ちを込めた作品です。

====================

I want to thank Tulip for her time in answering these questions for me and for being my Chocolate buddy in Japan !

We did this interview a few months ago .. in the meantime, Tulip has released her first iPhone app !!!

You can download it free via iTunes. Also, I would recommend downloading the extra frames and decorations for only .99¢ … it’s nice way to support Tulip and the project.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tulips-character-decoration/id404107497?mt=8


Download is in English.


Even makes my Kaiju look Cute ! I found it easy to use and a lot of fun ..once your done you can save it and send to your Twitter or Facebook account, too.

Her app has done extremely well and I predict there will be more!

Also check out the Max Toy web site for her postcards and the soon to be released giclee print of her Kaiju Eyezon art.

Next year 2011, look for Tulips art in various shows in the US and several more Max Toy x Tulip related projects … including a toy figure ! 😉

Tulip info –

Web Site: http://www.lovelych.com/
Blog ( Japanese ): http://ameblo.jp/tulip-sachikoyabe/
Tumblr ( English translation by Machine ! ): http://tulip1231.tumblr.com/
Facebook – Sachiko Yabe
Twitter – lovelych

====================

In the next few months, I will post more interviews with the Women in the Beauty and the Kaiju project, so keep checking back !!!!

About toykarma

Over the years Mark Nagata has collected thousands of toys and a fair amount of titles. The man behind San Francisco-based Max Toy Company is widely known as: Toy Collector. Illustrator. Magazine Founder/Publisher. Toy Designer. Artist. Author. Husband. Father. But the one description that might fit best is an unofficial one – Kaiju Toy and Art Ambassador. In the Japanese-inspired art and toy area, as well as throughout the larger toy collecting community, Mark is welcomed and recognized for his personal passion and commitment to supporting artists all around the world and the unique works they create. Beginning as a collector in his youth, Mark has had for years a keen eye for great art and a personal interest in collecting that he has spread through a variety of outlets. Trained at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, Mark honed his skills working for himself and for some of the most notable businesses in the country. As a freelance commercial illustrator, he completed works for such prominent companies as Lucasfilms, DC Comics, Hasbro Toys, IBM, Sony, and numerous advertising and design firms, both national and international. Mark’s colorful style graces over 40 cover paintings for R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps book series – Give Yourself Goosebumps. After hundreds of assignments, Mark made the decision to move in another direction, and that choice has led to whole new career as a successful businessman. For four years, the owner of one of the largest Ultraman toy collections in the world co-published Super 7 Magazine showcasing the finest in Japanese toy collecting. “I’d been collecting Japanese toys all along and suddenly realized it would be cool to have a magazine of some type devoted to them,” Nagata says. Mark’s devotion to presenting collectors with a selection of original figures inspired by classic Japanese toys from the 1960s and ‘70s as well as new versions of licensed Japanese characters is at the heart of Max Toy Company. Named for his son, Max Toys specializes in custom and limited editions of “kaiju” (Japanese monsters) toys and artwork. Many of the original toys produced are hand painted by Mark, a tradition that goes back to Japanese toy makers of the past. “Since our target is the soft vinyl Japanese toy collector, which is a very small niche, our runs of toys can be extremely small,” Mark says. “Runs range from 500 pieces of one toy to just one for a hand-painted, one-of-a-kind custom figure.” Through Max Toys, Mark has taken great pains to widen the reach of his two passions – toys and art. He played a significant part in the development of the first group kaiju show in the United States. Held at the Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago, Illinois in 2007, the “Toy Karma” Show featured detailed work from artists from Japan, the U.S. and South America. Participants marveled at the custom-painted toys and art on display. “Toy Karma” led to Mark being asked to be one of the artists spotlighted in the “Beyond Ultraman: Seven Artists Explore the Vinyl Frontier” exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The October 2007 show, held jointly with the Los Angeles Toy, Doll and Amusement Museum, marked the first time – in a museum setting – that the influence of Japanese toys on California artists was explored. The exhibit featured more than 30 of Mark’s original paintings, toys and a selection of his vintage toy collection. Mark continued to be at the forefront as interest in Japanese-inspired art and toys expanded in 2008. Prestigious art houses Philips De Pury and Christie’s in New York and London sold Mark’s hand-painted custom kaiju toys in its auctions, spreading this unique art and toy movement into new and uncharted areas of the art world. In 2009, Mark once again took his love of toys and art overseas this time to a receptive and welcoming audience in Tokyo, Japan. Here, Mark curated the “Kaiju Comrades” Art Show, once again bringing together artists from various aspects of the kaiju toy realm in this first-of-its-kind toy art show. The following year found Mark in Barcelona, Spain co-curating with Emilio Garcia “Kaiju Attack,” the European country’s first kaiju art show. As the growth of kaiju art and toys increases worldwide, Mark continues in his unofficial role of Kaiju Toy and Art Ambassador. He has written and had his artwork and toy designs included in several books and magazines, both domestic and international. In 2010, Mark served as guest lecturer on kaiju and the toy-making process at the Morikami Museum in Florida. The San Francisco resident and his art can also be spotted in the first volume of the “ToyPunks” DVD and the “Toys R Us” DVD, while the video for the number one song by Owl City “Fireflies” featured Mark’s popular Kaiju Eyezon character. During this same time period, Mark has spearheaded the “Toy Karma 2” and “Kaiju Comrades 2” shows and has plans for future shows both in the U.S. and overseas. “Max Toys allows me to produce original artwork, new toys and work directly with a lot of talented artists,” Mark says. “Max Toy is a synthesis of toys and art, both life-long passions.”
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