Makers Monday: Meet Nozomi

In the final of our Makers Monday series for 2021 we welcome Nozomi and her beautiful illustrative products…

Please introduce yourself and your brand….

Hello, I’m Nozomi and I’m originally from Japan. My name means” hope” in Japanese and I share the name with a Japanese bullet train:P I have always loved drawing since I was young and even after I moved to the UK, I continued with art and studied Illustration BA at Kingston University. I get my inspiration from trips I’ve been on and from everyday life. I love mark making on paper and the physical act of mixing colour, so for all my illustrations I start with paints or pencils on paper. Even though my commissioned works are almost always submitted digitally, I would never stop creating illustrations by hand.

How would you describe your style and your products?

I like to include people or stories into my work. My illustrations are colourful and heart-warming, and all my original illustrations are hand-painted using acrylic, colour pencils and paper collages. They are then turned into high quality art prints, cards, tea towels and calendars. I aim to bring joy and smile to the audience with my illustrations so my products tend to be in the form of something you can use day to day or have it up on your wall.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I get to draw different themes and subjects with commissioned works and it’s always interesting to learn new things that I didn’t know about before. I also love painting and I can easily forget time when I’m illustrating. In the last few years, I started to enjoy trading at markets. As a freelancer working from home it is nice to meet people and see their reactions first hand. Collaborations are always fun too. I get to work with people with different fields of talent and the outcomes are always exciting!Do you have a best seller or favourite to make?

My calendars do quite well. For next year I illustrated 12 different foods from around the world as a theme for re-experiencing the food I’ve tried in the past travels, and also to support and give back to the hospitality industry that was hit hard by Covid. My calendars will also be displayed at some of the local cafes around where I’m based – Kingston-upon-Thames, Richmond and Fulham etc. So please support them by buying calendars from those cafes if you live near or visiting the area. The places will be announced on my Instagram and Twitter.

What are your plans or ambitions for the future?

As much as I really enjoy my work, I wish my life as an illustrator was a little bit more social. As someone working from home, I would love to bring art and new encounters together. My plan at the moment is to find a way to combine creating arts and meeting new people as some forms. It could be workshops or drawing sessions etc…

Sum up your brand in 3 words…

Heart-warming, colourful, hand-drawn