theBowerbirds team aims to promote and raise awareness of art and artists from Asia. To give our audience a greater insight into the lives of our partner artists, theBowerbirds team does a special feature on one of its partners each month. 

Yoko Furusho is an artist who has taken the best of her experiences from around the world to create fairytale landscapes that appeal to children everywhere. Her works depict fantastical worlds  full of strange creatures in pastel colors and soothing shades, and are havens to which children can only dream to escape to.

I've been busy drawing at my studio in New York :)

Could you share with us the process of how you create a new piece of work?

When I create a new piece, I usually start by "writing" the word I associate with the subject or theme of the creation. I then do pencil sketches, ink in the lines, and colour with acrylics. 

Any thoughts on being an Asian designer in New York that you'd like to share?

New York is an amazingly creative city. Many people from all over the world come here with a heart full of dreams so it's extremely competitive, but I think it is very exciting to be immersed in this atmosphere.

Could you name a creative who really inspires you and tell us why?

I greatly respect Akio Tomari, who is a photographer, and Wiliam Kentridge, who is an artist, though both creatives' works are very different from mine. Akio Tomari's photographs exude an air of quietness, and I like the subtleness of his works. They make me feel calm and relaxed. William Kentridge's creations, on the other hand, are magical and creative and I love his animation works!

How is it like exhibiting around the world? 

I really enjoy exhibiting in foreign countries. It is always fun to talk and interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Though it sounds a bit cheese, I really do feel that art has no boundaries.

We see that you've helped design some really cute iPhone cases. Are there any challenges you face when designing for merchandise? 

For me, it's never been hard to do illustrations for products . I always make things that I, myself, want to have. I was given quite a lot of freedom when designing my most recent iPhone cases so I enjoyed the process immensely. 

What have you been up to lately? Anything we should keep a lookout for?

I recently did a wall-painting commissioned by HOPR in New York. It was an intense and challenging experience but really fun! You can see more at the video here. I also had a recent collaboration with Art Directors Club for an iPhone app created by The Brave Penguin Laboratory. More on the app can be read here.

Any pointers for other young artists/designers? 

 You should check out the portfolios of these artists (who are also my friends from school):

Jaz Harold, a sculpture artist
Cannady Chapman, an illustrator

Anything else you'd like to share? 

My first children's book will be published this September, so do keep an eye out for it! 

To find out more about Yoko Furusho, click here.

theBowerbirds team aims to promote and raise awareness of art and artists from Asia. To give our audience a greater insight into the lives of our partner artists, theBowerbirds team does a special feature on one of its partners each month. 

Man-Tsun's works reflect the stylistic influence that anime and manga have on his creative processes, and his works often adopt bright colors and fluid lines. His creations frequently reflect an underlying element of "negativity" that encourages the viewer to question the true objective of the creation, in a manner that the artist calls "the Dark Abstract-ness". 

Well, my ideas usually come to me randomly, but I enjoy swimming as a process by which I can expand on my thoughts. I don’t know why, but while I float in the water, ideas flow into my brain fluidly. This could also mean that I’m a more creative person during summer, as opposed to during winter. 

Could you name a creative who really inspires you and tell us why?

I think I am very much influenced and inspired by the Japanese Manga and Anime style. Redline, a Japanese anime about futuristic car racing, must have been the craziest anime I’ve seen lately. The contrast in colors and the dynamics are breathtaking. The most amazing thing is, all the crazy motions and angles are created by hand drawing, without a 3D software as a crutch.

Could you share with us the process of how you create a new piece of work?

I usually start off with rough sketches, overlapping lines, and layers over layers. A clean white canvas will eventually fill with scribbles and random lines. Through the randomness and chaos created by the lines I’ve drawn, I am able to visualize shapes and compositions that I want to adopt. From there, I shift from Photoshop to Illustrator to finalize my drawings. 

Any thoughts on Hong Kong's creative scene that you'd like to share?

In Hong Kong, “cartoony” and “kiddy style” influences are commonplace, and many people tend to work with this style. Many pieces of work I’ve seen look so similar, I can’t tell who the creator is. If this continues, with most people creating similar looking works, the range and level of creativity could be very limited in the future!  

What are the hugest challenges you face as an artist and designer?

I think the biggest challenges to me are … to Keep Improving my works and to Keep having an Unstoppable Desire to Create.  

What have you been up to lately? Anything we should keep a lookout for?

I am currently collaborating with a friend who is adept at writing, as we are planning to publish our own illustration book. I can’t share much with you at this stage yet, but stay tuned…

Any pointers for other young artists and/or designers? 

Don’t give up, even when no one appreciates your work. Just keep trying! 

To find out more about Man-Tsun, click here.

theBowerbirds team aims to promote and raise awareness of art and artists from Asia. To give our audience a greater insight into the lives of our partner artists, theBowerbirds team does a special feature on one of its partners each month. 

Endira's works highlight everyday issues, such as the domestication of animals, but have a surrealistic quality in their likeness to old black and white photographs. The introduction of unexpected elements in her illustrations, as well as the discomfiting sereneness of her subjects, incite her audience to re-evaluate the things around us that we often take for granted.   

So far, I've been inspired by things that happen around me. I've been drawing many animals because I think that they're the closet "alien" to me and it excites me to think that we can interact with other living beings that are not human. Animal domestication is a fascinating issue to me. I grew up among many animals, which were mainly domesticated animals, and always wondered how the domestication of animals has affected how nature has evolved and the impact this has had on our daily lives. 

Could you name a creative who really inspires you and tell us why?

On some levels, paintings by the old masters are often inspirational to me. I've always been more of a conventional artist, and I believe that this appreciation of the classics has shaped my creative methods in this current period. Everyone has got to move on once in a while though ...

More indirectly, pop culture has influenced me as well. It's not about being trendy or the like, but about understanding what is going on in the world around us. I also look for inspiration in movies, documentaries, music, and popular science. Movies are great because they involve various kinds of art.

I also enjoy looking at random photographs - not saloon photography, but the candid photographs that people take. It's always fun to look twice (or more!) at candid pictures.

Could you share with us the process of how you create a new piece of work?

I think I've always been interested in realistic imageries. Previously, I begun drawing by trying to duplicate photographs, and still use that technique today. I basically think in a photographical way, and enjoy taking pictures and finding images. Subsequently, I try to compose my work - sometimes digitally, then retrace the compositions into drawings on canvas or on paper. I also dabble in some photography and video-making, and may still do that in the future..

Any thoughts on Indonesia's creative scene that you'd like to share?

The Indonesian creative scene is full of talent for sure. One issue that has struck me, though, is that of identity. What is the identity of Indonesian art? Indonesian design? Indonesian movies? Indonesian music? We've always been exposed to outside cultures, and the resulting exchange of points of views and references or the assimilation of various influences can result in many good things. Additionally, being compared to other art scenes is inevitable, and we're always subject to the opinions or judgments of others. We Indonesians do have to work harder, whether it is to improve the quality of our works themselves, to establish ourself as a profession, to gain more exposure. Yet, I am very thankful that I've gotten to meet numerous talented people here! 

What are the hugest challenges you face as an artist and designer?

When there aren't too many things to do, designing and making artwork are relatively easy things to do. The biggest challenge is really just to manage my time (and many times, my mood!), and to keep things constant - the mood, the atmosphere, the energy, the intensity - to create my artwork.;">. 

What have you been up to lately? Anything we should keep a lookout for?

I was actually quite occupied by a number of design projects in 2012, the visual identity for a movie, animation, a few illustrations... I'm guilty for postponing my solo exhibition, so I'm hoping that in 2013 I can focus my mind and energies into this. I'll let you know more about this!

Any pointers for other young artists and/or designers? 

Being an artist or designer is about "bringing" the intensity of our work to our audience, and I'd like to share this with my fellow artists and designers. What I've learnt is that we cannot cut corners on the quality of our work. We may think we've discovered a shortcut, but in the end, we will always know that there's something missing from our creation. 

To find out more about Endira, click here.