Wolrd of Manga

Maybe it´s the Summer season, but I see great exhibitions popping up around me. Or maybe it's because the actual Summer weather is falling behind a bit this year giving us lots of rain and way less than the average temperature. Museums are weather proof and I love visiting them every now and then. Especially taking a sketchbook with me, get inspired and learn from the great masters up on the walls. Yesterday, it were mainly Japanese artists that blew my mind at The World Of Manga exhibition at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Rotterdam.

The museum is housed in the former gather place of the Royal Yacht club from prince Hendrik in the 19th century. 

It's a wonderful building inside and out. With an awesome view on the Erasmus bridge (and in my case a Holland America Liner cruise ship). 

Like I wrote before, I used to draw a lot. I've had a what I call my manga-period somewhere between 2003 and 2009. I looked up an oldie from 2008. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Manga and Anime (that's cool by the way, you're not the only one), to cut it short, its Japanese graphic story telling (manga) and animation (anime).
At some point I went back to more realistic, mainly portrait drawing. But the manga and anime have always kept a little place in my heart. Love watching the classic Spirited Away for example.

The exhibit World of Manga opened just this week. Although, I'm familiar with the style, I've learned so much from the exhibition on the roots of this art style. Characters and stories leading back to Buddhist and Japanese tradition for example. But what struck me most and never noticed before, is how much emotion is put in every drawing. I didn't bring in my camera or my mobile phone, just my sketchbook. I feel like making pictures of artworks in a museum is not doing justice to the amount of work that the artists put in their pieces. But I took my notes. Three artists made quite an impression and I've included links to their official websites, so that you can check them out.

Shiho Enta with the illustrations she's done for the Pillow Book (an at least 1000 year old book by author and court lady Sei Shonagon). Fuzichoco with her colourful, detailed work that are stories on their own and have beautiful fitting titles. There was one work of her titled 'Nostalgia looking for her mother' in which a girl is shown, in a second hand shop, because her mother has turned into a second hand object. She's hoping to find her mother this way. Shinkichi Tajiri put his person experience into designing his machines.

After I long and slow stroll through the exhibit, I continued to the permanent exhibition of the museum. 

Brought in a classic museum way in many glass cabinets I entered the world of Oceanian, Tibetan, Japanese and Chinese (religious) culture. Loved the wood carved masks in all different shapes and sizes.

sketch of a mask (item no. 123 at the Indonisia part of The Collection at Wereldmuseum. I plan on inkting and colouring (see the notes on colour).

As you can imagine with the museum visiting and a drawing bug at my hands, the crochet side is a little quiet. But I when a friend of mine asked me to make a little gift, I did. I worked up the free amigurumi pattern Konijntje Pluis by Stip&Haak. Although I made two little adjustments, a pompom tail and stitched eyes (baby safe) and added a little bow.

I leave you with a little love and the trailer of Wolf Children, a new anime directed by Mamoru Hosada