Interviews with Toshinori Mori

I'm focusing on making people feel the "happiness" I felt when I saw the scenery through the shapes of clouds, the colors of plants, and the conversation between cats.

First of all, I will draw 6 more illustrations by the end of the year to make "Tabinneko Calendar 2021".
The rest is to complete the autumn and winter labels of the "Sake to Travel the Four Seasons" that is currently on sale.

Then I'd like to make a "48 postcard set" in a beautiful paper box.

The first was a calendar for exhibiting at a "calendar exhibition" by fellow illustrators.
There were photos I had taken during my bicycle walk, so I decided to draw a seasonal landscape based on that.
However, I thought that it would be uninteresting only in the scenery,
so I decided to put in the cat that I started to keep at that time.
In that way, the basic concept of "Tabinneko" was decided quickly.

It overlaps with the above question, but this is not for work, but for exhibition at a group exhibition.
I made it with the image of a person who loves fictional cats. Or maybe it was a calendar for myself.

I'm doing both methods.
Handmade marketplace Etsy, hand-made original calendar from 2011,
It is sold at pinkoi, minne, Creema, iichi, Booth, etc.

In Japan, a calendar production company that leased production rights produced a calendar for 2018-2020 and sold it to stationery stores nationwide. 2021 has not been decided yet.

The theme of the first group exhibition was simply "calendar".
I think I was designing a "postcard" for the postcard exhibition.

At that time, I was trying to change from a designer to an illustrator.
It was my first time to draw a calendar illustration.
So I drew only my own experience without being influenced by others. is this okay?
I thought this might not be an illustration in graphic design.

At first, I think I was vaguely targeting people who like cats.
While it was being sold at online shops, some people liked this calendar. I like cats as well, so I want to buy pictures next year as well.
Now the target is the one who waits for me to say so.
In 2021, there are only 6 still made. I have a heavy responsibility. ^_^

Usually, calendars paint picturesque landscapes such as famous tourist spots.
My "Tabineko" calendar doesn't draw that kind of thing.
It's an ordinary landscape everywhere in the neighborhood.
That's because I feel more beautiful in the scenery of the neighboring Satoyama than in the sightseeing.
The area where I live experienced a big earthquake. The mountains collapsed, and I couldn't see the scenery I liked until then.
I knew how the scenery I was always watching was healing me.
The scenery that you always see is probably the most important scenery for everyone.

This "Tabineko" is a Japanese word that combines Tabi(travel) and neko(cats). I chose "Travel cat" because it is a cat that is simply traveling. The hiragana character is used because the image it receives is more round and gentle than that of the kanji.

Macmini and Monitor of NANAO, mouse of Logitech.
(The software is Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop.)
EPSON printer, RIKOH camera GXR

I think "color". .
I hate the colors printed in CMYK.
I was wondering why printing is so dirty, even though the colors in the real world are so beautiful
Therefore, I don't put out the "Tabinneko" calendar in offset printing, but print it on my own printer. EPSON's PM4000PX prints my RGB illustrations in vivid colors.
The problem is that the printing fee is high! That is.^_^

We do not collaborate with other people.
I design it myself, print it myself and cut it myself.

I don't know if it's a technology, but the software of the "illustrator" I'm using has various effect functions, and I use them in various ways.
Of course, the brush function is used to increase the number of cherry blossoms, but the edges are jagged, the light is blurred, and the transparency is reduced to create a perspective.

I just searched the internet for what kind of calendar there was.
Then look for the name of the plant. I searched for words that were perfect when giving a title.

I had a hard time balancing for 12 months.
For example, we basically bring in colors that make us feel the seasons, but we try to make the colors as different as possible in the previous month.
I also think that the arrangement and poses of the cats will change as much as possible from the previous month.

I was invited by email.^_^
I like your picture Would you like to apply?

I learned that it is more important to draw for the people who are waiting for me than to draw the one I want to draw.
At the same time, the picture I wanted to draw became clearer than before.

I currently sell postcards, calendars, and art prints of "Taneko" illustrations at various handmade marketplaces. Please visit us by all means.

For Europe and America-Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TabinekoJAPAN
For Asia-pinkoi store: https://jp.pinkoi.com/store/snow-design
For Japan-minne store: https://minne.com/@snow-design

I've always liked drawing and crafting since I was a kid.
I also understood that I had such a talent by winning prizes in contests. But I didn't think it would be a job in the future.
One day when I was living a day-and-night reversal at university, I bought a book with a design that caught my eye, and I was impressed when he got a work of “Ayao Yamana” that had illustrations such as Shiseido drawn there. I entered a vocational school where I was the president.
After that I got a job as a designer and became independent and worked on the project in front of me. I designed various things. However, from the age of 50, I started to question the idea of designing to help with consumption. So I started to draw original illustrations. I am currently drawing an illustration because there are people who are happy with this drawing.

I can't say either. I think there was a flow of both.
I haven't worked in a blessed environment as a designer. I worked on various projects desperately thinking that I could only do this job to eat.
Now I understand that I was born to paint.
I was destined to do this job.

I am currently drawing works that will please everyone, but in the future I would like to make more art-oriented works.
I think it will be a more abstract work with a more personal theme.

A good design cannot be done just by sitting in front of a desk. Opening the five senses in nature and feeling what it means to be beautiful and what it means to be happy.
The role of the designer is to think about how to make people happy.

Good designers work for companies. Distinguishes designer works for the consumers.

I think that a design that feels the designer's intention (I design according to this policy) is an excellent design.

I think this is because I feel "happy and rich" by being able to own these products.
I think that "happiness and abundance" is different depending on the person...

If I have enough time, I would like to make an "artistic cat" by cutting out cardboard and assembling it.
By being in space, it is a kind of object that can leave everyday life and make you feel "free" for a while.
It's for myself, for cat lovers, and for art lovers.

I would like to expand the picture of Tabineko to the actual size, and make a three-dimensional work by arranging each layer with a gap.
So to speak, a full-scale "Tabineko" landscape. One can then actually enter the world of "Tabineko".

The person making the product doesn't know whether the finished design will be finished as expected. Of course, I design with all the power I have, but there is no guarantee that it will get high marks.
So, I spend most of my day in stoic.
I don't want to waste my luck outside of design.

The manga by Osamu Tezuka, which I read when I was a child, was a big influence.
When I was a high school student, I once posted an illustration in a motorcycle magazine. I was also greatly influenced by the bike illustration of "Kimitoshi Honma," who was the winner at that time.
I was also influenced by the manga artists “Yoshimoto Baron” and “Kazuo Kamimura” who had become college students.
After becoming a toy designer, I adored designers who draw cute characters such as "Dick Bruna", "Charles Monroe Schulz" and "Tove Marika Jansson".
Also, I was very much influenced by the movie work of "Hayao Miyazaki".
However, my current favorite is "Matisse". ^_^

I mentioned "Matisse" in the question above, but I can't say why I like Matisse's work.
He says he likes the five senses inside me.
I think he's in a "state" where a talented artist can make a tremendous effort and finally get to it.
Isn't it because it comes from the work?

As I said, I am attracted to the work of "Matisse". That's because his work makes me feel the essence of art.

I worked hard on various jobs (illustration, graphic design, product design, package design, character design, etc.) each time. That's how I gradually expanded my skill range. I think that deepening various knowledge and experience in this way leads to the quality of the work.

I enrolled in the mechanical department of the engineering department of the university, but dropped out and re-entered a vocational school of design.
Therefore, I think that when I graduated from university as it was, I became an engineer for a machine manufacturer somewhere.

I think it's a work to create things and things that make you feel "rich feeling". It contains "love", "dream", and "hope".

I believed it was right to make a work that I was happy with.
At one point, many people liked and purchased works that I didn't like. I realized that until then I was a lonely designer.
I think that the person who bought it at this time made me who I am now.

When the PC came out into the world, I was convinced that I would use it for designing in the future.
After that, I learned by myself how the PC works and how to use various software.
Similarly, SNS skills now give individual designers a great deal of sales power and sales power. Designers in the future will not be able to design. How to send it is also important.

When I was in my 50s, I worked as a freelance designer. However, I realized that the requested work left me nothing. There was a lot of ad hoc design work that was quickly consumed.
So I thought that I would make something I designed and sell it at an online shop to make a living.
To do so, I saved the requested work and made my own work. I was very poor before I could live by selling my work. ^_^
I now think that period was necessary.

I am currently publishing my work online for people all over the world.
For designers and illustrators, we are presenting at Behance.
If you are a fan of "Tabineko" illustrations, we will announce them on the "Tabineko" official website and Facebook "Tabi
neko" page, Twitter, Instagram, tumblr, and Pinterest.

We also make announcements on personal Facebook pages and blogs for acquaintances in the area.

Anyway, I thought that it would be possible for various people to see by making presentations in various places, and I have increased the number of presentation sites.

The work of making detailed digital illustrations using a personal computer has become difficult due to age.
From now on, I would like to make analog tableaus and prints using paintbrushes.
I'm thinking of going from a designer to an artist in the future.

To publish a book of illustrations for "Tabineko".

Maybe you are expected to make a new picture calendar every year. First, it's impossible. ^_^

Now, under the influence of COVID-19, dark shadows are pointing to the hearts of people around the world. I think the role of my design is to brighten the hearts of those people.

In the spring of 2020, sake using the illustration of "Tabinneko" as a label is now on sale.
In the future, a total of 4 liquors will be on sale, one for each of the four seasons in spring, summer, autumn and winter. I'm excited to see the four lined up.

After all, it is a "Tabinneko" illustration that continues from 2011 to the present.
We have a lot of people who are fans and we also purchase works and goods.

From now on, I think that the number of individual designers creating works themselves and delivering them directly to buyers around the world through SNS will increase. Also, I think that the design will be more focused on the part of the person's mind, and the difference between art and design will disappear.

I think I'm heading in my heart.
Design that makes you feel "richness of your heart"
Designs that feel "love".
Design of "emotion".

In the case of Tabineko Illustration, it takes time to produce and ship the work, but it takes about a month to finish one illustration. It feels like it will be completed little by little every day. I can't force it.
You can't do anything good even if you force it. I think I have the time needed to get it done.

First, select the original landscape photo.
If not, shoot it and go out.

Take your time carefully.

The feeling of living now determines the direction of design.
In other words, I think trends determine design.

Currently, whether you make something or print it, the basics are exchanging data. Design expressions are now treated as data.
The role of technology lies in the digitization of expressions.

Mac mini and EIZO monitor, EPSON printer PX5V &SC-PX3V
Adobe Illustrator&Photoship

Color is emotion, material is seasonal, environment is air

What was your motivation to draw this picture?

How is this made?
Why did the designer choose this shape, color and material?
Do not design like this for yourself.

I haven't met such a wonderful partner yet. ^_^
I think co-design will be especially necessary in the coming era.

Maybe my brother.
It was my brother who brought me a new culture from my childhood.
I often imitate what my older brother started, and in the end, I tend to be deeply absorbed in it.

A comic for adults called "Cohabitation period" of "Kazuo Kmimura" that I read when I was a college student

When I received a job request, I offered a service with more proposals than the other person requested. In other words, there are many wasteful parts.
However, I think that this useless part has accumulated for many years, which has led to improving my skills.

When I was a university student, there were many students of the same age in the apartment I rented, and I often gathered in someone's room and played mahjong until morning.
After that, I dropped out and went to a vocational school in Tokyo, and I never met the members at the time.
If possible, I would like to play mahjong again with the same members and in the same apartment.

I applied for this award with the intention of becoming famous and getting people all over the world to know me.
For now, it doesn't seem to be famous in Japan yet.^_^

My favorite color is a little orange-yellow.
The place is quiet Yamazato. Foods include tofu, eggplant, sweet potatoes, Japanese sweets, and coffee. The season is May of the fresh green. Do you like summer too? Items are bicycles, cars, motorcycles, computers, cameras, chairs. Brands are Apple, EPSON, Nikon, HITACHI, SUZUKI, IKEA.

When I was working in toy design production, a request from a major motorcycle manufacturer came to me for a job called "Toy Designer Thinking Bike".
At that time, I proposed a weakman type moped that runs while playing music, but I liked it and decided to make a full-scale mockup of only the outer shape.
Before ordering the measures, we first made a simple mockup ourselves. I scraped Styrofoam, covered it with paper, painted it with gesso and colored it with acrylic paint.
In the final prototype, a large dummy tape rotates and music plays. It was more of a big bike toy than a moped.^_^

The music you listen to while you work, the cats that ask for rice, and the bicycle that frees you from work.

Of course.^_^

Maybe I'm dead in Millennium.

You can buy my work at this store.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TabinekoJAPAN

My studio is on the second floor (4mx6m) of my home.
There is a long table by the window with two Macs and two monitors. Next to one Mac is a Victor amp and an NHT speaker.
Behind the Vitra chair are four EPSON printers PM4000-PX, two PX-SVs beside and one SC-PXSV.
It's a studio like a printing workshop.

The other table has a large cutter mat.
This is a workbench for making calendars.

Expressing the "abstract emotions deep in my heart" as forms.

My favorite is "Matisse".

I like various designs.
When I was a kid, I really liked Osamu Tezuka and Shinji Nagashima's comics.
I also liked the tower of the sun of "Taro Okamoto seen at the Osaka Expo".

When I was a high school student, I liked "Motorcycle Illustration" by Mr. Kimitoshi Honma who posted illustrations.

At university, he is obsessed with "Bron Yoshimoto" and "Kazuo Kamimura".

ince becoming a vocational school student, my favorite designs in graphic design, fashion design and architecture have increased.

When I started working, I was influenced by cute character designs such as "Miffy", "Snoopy" and "Moomin".
Also, I was greatly influenced by the movie works of "Studio Ghibli".

Recently, I like Japanese painters such as "Ito jyakuchu", "Kano Eitoku" and "Ogata Korin", painters of the Edo period.

It is a small clock "Hacodokei" made of cardboard.
Design your own and order punching from a contractor.
Doing everything from assembling the box to attaching the needle,
Do the silk print on the front dial yourself,
The instruction manual was printed and sold as an original design product.

I like paper.
Platform is Mac & EPSON printer
Technology is Amazon Music

When deciding the color.
I feel that my five senses are fully rotated.

Is there a feeling of air you want to express?
Is there love for the cats?

An uncertain anxiety about whether it will be finished well.
The fun that everyone will be surprised to see this.

It's a pleasure to be released from the solitary and lonely work that has been done so far.

Only the obsession of the designer.^_^

Whether it has the power to change the air on the spot.

Do not design for the benefit of clients.
Keep in mind the earth-first design.

The world will be closed due to COVID-19, and I think the next era different from the past will come.
I don't know if it can be called evolution.
I think that there will be a trend to cherish more human feelings rather than robots, and I think that the design orientation will go there as well.
We need a design that expresses hope.

The last solo exhibition was the “Tabineko Nagaoka Exhibition 2020” held in October 2019 at the soy sauce warehouse in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.
Due to COVID-19, the next date is unknown.

I often get inspired when riding a bicycle in nature.
Also, I often come up with ideas while bathing.

The design style is an illustration series depicting cats traveling in the four seasons.

I tried to express the "feeling of happiness" I felt in a place I liked, and this was the style.

It features a gentle color and the cute gestures of the cats.

I use vivid colors that are not real colors to represent the wind, clouds, and light that flow in the space. We value the realities we feel, not the realities we see.

I live in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
Nagaoka City is one of the most heavy snowfall areas in Japan and is the largest rice producing area in Japan (Koshihikari).
It is also the region with the most sake breweries in Japan.

In other words, nature is rich, the four seasons are clear, the rice field landscape is wide, and there are quaint sake breweries here and there.

I often see landscapes of paddy fields, satoyama plants, old sake breweries, etc. in my illustrations of Tabinneko. The landscape of this area has been very influential.

The advantage of living here is that if you ride a little bike, there is a satoyama blessed with rich nature. It's a motif for my illustration and it's a peace of mind.

The disadvantage is that you can see a low level of ability because it is a rural area. I think there are only great creators in Tokyo.
That's not true. The real creators are in the snowy countryside, which is rich in nature.^_^

We collaborate with companies that make calendars, postcards and sake.
We sell the "Tabineko" illustration commercialization rights to each company for a limited time.

First, without mutual trust, the project will not work.
Designers are not subcontractors of companies.
You should think of it as an equal relationship.
In the middle of designing, don't cut it because you do the rest. That's not a good product.
The eyes that designers see are completely different from yours.

1. First, select the photo of the scenery that is the background key from "iphoto".
2. Open it in "photoshop" and add the necessary things (such as interesting clouds and seasonal flowers) from another photo to solidify the image.
3. Decide what kind of pose you want your cat to look for in a close-up cat picture from your stock photos. If not available, we may search online or on TV programs.

4. When you have a rough completed image, print it out, make a rough sketch on the tress, and tress it while simplifying and draw a line drawing with a pencil.

5. Scan the completed line drawing and import it into "Illustrator" to make a line drawing. Color from the rough part.

6. Once the color is decided, apply the "rough" effect to the painted parts one by one to make the edges jagged.

7. Color the cat by tressing it. Complete the entire layout.

8. Print it on the printer and recheck the colors and composition.
If it is not what you expected, adjust it by adjusting the printer color.

9. If you don't get the desired color after adjusting or you don't like the layout, go back to the original data and correct it.

10. Repeat this several times to complete.

1 Vitra T Chiea
2 Sevenchi Air
3 The car Suzuki SX-4
4 innovator sofa stuns
5 Louis Garner Bicycle Trx-2

I woke up around 10am, washed my face, made coffee and went to the studio (on the second floor).
Confirm the ordered product that was delivered during the night and reply.
Produce (print) custom products.
Write the address or print the address sticker for overseas and package.

lunch
Also in the afternoon, production and packing of custom products (calendars, postcards, art prints)
Around 3 o'clock, drive to a nearby post office and ship.
After coming back and drinking coffee, I took a walk on a bicycle.
Ride the satoyama near about 30 minutes (about 12 km).
Return to the studio.
Check the SNS page. Write a reply or post a new article.

dinner
Check new orders to create custom products, create new product images to update your online shop, and start your next "Tabineko Illustration".
Create block copy data for alcohol labels.
Consider the layout of a solo exhibition. Consider the answer to this interview.
Play with cats. Watch the Prime Video.
Order unsatisfactory materials from Amazon.

Around 2:00, take a bath and go to bed.

At 4 o'clock, the cat wakes me up. Put cat rice and clean the toilet.
Bread and cafe au lait breakfast
that's all

Life is shorter than you think.
If I were still young, I was 60 years old.
Do what you want to do now.

Life is as long as you think.
There are decades.
How many days will there be?
The day will continue to accumulate.

In one day that seriously faced the design and one day that spent 40 years in the game,
After 40 years there will be a big gap.
If you seriously face each other for 40 years, there will be something that you can see.
That is certain.

Designers can own the copyright of their original work.
Designers are not profitable for their working hours.^_^

I don't think there is such a fixed golden rate in design.
I think it is important to decide the design in consideration of the balance with the surrounding circumstances at that time.

Sense of color
Ability to think and find answers, not knowledge

LOUIS GARNEA Bicycle TRX-2
RICOH camera GXR
APPLE Mac mini
EIZO monitor
Adobe Illustrator photoshop
EPSON printer SC-PX3V

I don't manage very well. ^_^
Prioritize and do what I can.

It depends on the situation of other work at that time.
Depending on the content of the picture, a complicated illustration will take about a month.

How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
How much is the design fee?

When I was younger, I was designing toys at Design Production.
Here, we design everything from planning to presentation sketching, product design of products, instruction manual design, package design, promotional material design, etc. from the beginning to the end.
My work experience here has had a major impact on my subsequent design.

"Tabineko Illustration" is my own client.

I like crafts.
So it's most fun to make a piece that you can cut and paste.

First, make an illustration calendar for 2021. The next step is to find out about selling A2 picture frame works by opening a store in Amazon.

Sometimes my wife designs and makes original goods.

The illustration of "Tabineko" was used for the sake label.
It is a sake named "Sake that travels the four seasons."
Spring and summer liquors are currently on sale.
Alcohol for autumn and winter will be released later this year.

Please contact us from the "Contact Us" page of the "Tabinneko" site, or contact us directly by email.

For overseas, we sell our products on Etsy, a handmade market site. Please take a look at them once.
https://www.etsy.com/jp/shop/TabinekoJAPAN

Perhaps it's a Japanese sensibility, but I've always loved the beautiful colors, the slightly faded finish, and the subtle misalignment of overlapping colors that are unique to woodblock prints.So, when I first decided to draw the illustrations for the "Tabineko Calendar," I wanted to create a texture that resembled woodblock prints.At the time, I was working as a designer, and I was most familiar with Adobe Illustrator, a digital application.As a design tool, using it normally results in a smooth, almost too-perfect, image that lacks interest. When you look at the picture, it doesn't inspire any further imagination. That wasn't what I wanted.I wanted to create an image that felt more human, with warmth.So, I decided to use the "Roughen" function in the "Effects" menu of Illustrator to add subtle bumps and textures to the lines.It created a slightly woodblock print-like blurring effect, which turned out quite nice.However, it's incredibly time-consuming because I have to change the parameters depending on the size of the color area. ^_^Also, to create a "faded" effect similar to printing on Japanese paper,I processed a scanned image of fabric and pasted it in first.This gives it a faded look in places.I'm often asked, "Is this a woodblock print?", but it's a little sad when people are disappointed when I say, "It's digital." ^_^

The award didn't drastically change my life in any way. However, for some clients, the award might have been a significant factor in their decision to commission work.The biggest change was within myself. Knowing that people overseas appreciated the quality of my paintings gave me a great deal of confidence.Also, winning the award broadened my perspective to a global one, which I think was a major shift in my mindset. I began to notice the good qualities and beauty of Japan more than before. I think this is because I became more conscious of "how people overseas see Japan."

That's true. I don't really understand what kind of impact my meticulous attention to color reproduction has on the viewer.My dedication to color reproduction is purely for my own satisfaction.In the case of digital art, there's no original artwork; the printed version serves that purpose. It's amazing to think that a specific color is chosen from an infinite number of colors.When I'm deciding on colors, it's always like I'm having a conversation with another version of myself.It might say, "It's a little too dark," or "The red is too strong," so I change it and say, "How about this?" It's finished when it stops saying anything.Sorry, this isn't really an answer. ^_^

asically, I use the dates of the photos I've taken as a guide.However, when selling calendars nationwide, the flowering seasons and rice harvesting seasons differ between my area and Tokyo, so I make some adjustments and swaps.While I primarily draw plants based on photos I've taken, I sometimes research them online for more detailed information.

Before creating this calendar, I designed, manufactured, and sold a small cardboard clock called "Hakodokei" (box clock).That's when I learned the tricks to making patterns for cutting out cardboard. I also got to know a cardboard factory that could cut out my designs.There are commercially available calendars that can be used both as wall calendars and desk calendars, right? I thought it would be great if the Tabineko calendar could be used both ways, and that's how it ended up in this form. My previous experience making clocks came in handy there.

Well, I don't really know where it comes from.This is what it turned out to be. ^_^Maybe it comes from my childhood love of animals, or maybe from my experience as a toy designer. The realistic depiction of buildings might come from my grandfather's DNA, since he was a carpenter. ^_^

This wasn't so much about sustainability, but rather, when I thought about what it would be like to buy it and throw it away, I realized that if it was all paper, it would be easier to just throw it away as is, which is less hassle.So, I searched online for paper stoppers that I could use for this calendar. And luckily, I found these paper (fiber) stoppers. When I found them, I thought, "Ah, this calendar is going to work!" You need that kind of luck for things to work out, don't you?

I think there are two directions.One is landscape paintings with an "artistic" quality. I consider this to be the core of "Tabineko." The other is the cats as "characters."When developing in different formats, I think it's necessary to consider which direction to emphasize and adjust the balance according to the item.

hope that "Tabineko" will spread slowly and naturally throughout the world.Foreigners visiting Japan might find a postcard in a shop and send it to a friend back home. That person might then share it on their social media, and others who see it will learn about "Tabineko."Just like the "Tabineko" characters travel on foot, I hope it will spread little by little in that way.