Drawing on paper

Signed certificate of authenticity.

"Reflections" is the fifth artwork for my second series "A Night in Japan". It was created using Copic markers and coloured pencils. The artwork focuses on the reflected lights of a Tokyo building and shops. Two men are walking down the street, giving scale to the building. It is a very modern, architectural, urban piece, which illustrates the vibrancy of Tokyo city. The style I used was inspired by Japanese animation and Impressionism.

This series continues from my first series, 'A Year in Japan', yet focuses on a single night in Tokyo. There is no longer a 'lone man', instead, a variety of people are shown, each going about their lives on this one night which binds them together. My influence for this series is also drawn from the film Blade Runner, a film loved for its dystopian, 'Neo Tokyo' nighttime scenes. As with my first series, I am attempting to convey the Japanese phrase 物の哀れ 'mono no aware' - the gentle sadness of things. This refers to the ephemeral, transitory nature of the world, which in turn evokes a greater appreciation for things which are quick to disappear, such as cherry blossoms. The scenes I portray are fleeting moments in time, where the figures, objects and light will only be in that exact state for a moment, never to be repeated. Furthering this concept, this series depicts scenes from a single night in Tokyo, highlighting the ephemeral quality of time.

The dimensions are for the drawing, not including the white border or frame. The styled scene is not 100% to scale, but it's pretty close.