As many events have been canceled or postponed due to Covid - 19, it might not come as a surprise to you that we won’t hold a booth at the LightBox Expo 2020 event anymore. However Lightbox Expo 2020 was not cancelled, it will be an online event this year. Check more info on their website.
SALUT! 5 - Online Coaster Exhibition @ Nucleus Portland Gallery
I’m excited to announce I’ll be part of Nucleus Portland Gallery Annual Coaster Show: SALUT! 5. Three of my submissions will be available for purchase online from June 12th to July 3rd. They are 4”x4” (10cm x 10cm), hand drawn with archival inks and painted using Japanese Indigo pigments.
Follow me on my instagram for more pictures and details.
Gallery: Nucleus Portland
Online Exhibition: SALUT! 5 Show
June 12th, 2020- July 3rd, 2020
LightBox Expo 2020
Flora and I @ LightBox Expo 2019
I am beyond thrilled to announce that I’ll be in the Artist Alley at the 2nd LightBox Expo 2020 which will be happening from September 11th to 13th, 2020 at Pasadena Convention Center, California. Please, come say hi and be inspired by all the amazing artists who will be in the expo this year. It’ll be a pleasure to meet you!
Topia Art Experience - 2020 - Brasil
É com muita honra que eu anuncio para vocês que eu estarei no Topia Art Experience 2020 para falar sobre minha carreira e o que eu tenho aprendido nesses últimos 15 anos como um ilustrador e concept artist. Topia Art Experience será em Curitiba - PR no Teatro Positivo e Expo Unimed dos dias 30 de Abril a 3 de Maio de 2020. Serão 4 dias de aprendizado e imersão que contarão com artistas digitais e tradicionais. Aparece pra dar um oi!
Mais informações sobre o evento
Mais informações sobre o local
Últimas Edições do Topia Art Experience 2018 e 2019
Evento: Topia Art Experience - 2020
De 30 de Abril a 3 de Maio de 2020
Topia Art Experience - 2020 - Brazil
I’m more than honored to announce that I’ll be at Topia Art Experience 2020 to give a talk about what I’ve been learning in these last 15 years as an illustrator and concept artist. Topia Art Experience will be held in Curitiba - PR, Brazil at Teatro Positivo and Expo Unimed from April 30th to May 3rd 2020. It’ll be 4 days of an immersive learning experience from digital and traditional artists exchanging their knowledge and ideas to creative people and fellow artists. Come and say hi!
More info about the event (in Brazilian Portuguese)
Tickets (in Brazilian Portuguese)
More info about the location (in Brazilian Portuguese)
Last Topia Art Experience Editions - 2018 and 2019 (in Brazilian Portuguese)
Event: Topia Art Experience - 2020
Teatro Positivo and Expo Unimed
April 30th - May 3rd 2020
SALUT! 4 - Coaster Exhibition @ Nucleus Portland Gallery
I’m thrilled to announce that my artwork will be displayed in the show “SALUT! 4” at Nucleus Portland Gallery. It will host more than 1000 coaster artwork and amongst them 3 of my submissions which will be available for purchase from November 8th to December 4th. They are 4”x4” (10cm x 10cm), hand drawn with archival inks, manually applied halftone screens and cost $60 each. If you intend to buy online, please note that the artwork will be shipped after the exhibit ends.
Gallery: Nucleus Portland
Exhibition: SALUT! 4 Show
November 8th, 2019 - December 4th, 2019
Opening: November 8th, 7pm - 10pm
Ikebana made by my wife Flora. That particular piece influenced the theme that would be quite evident in the work you'll find here.
New website
For those reaching this place for the first time, my name is Will Murai and I've been working as an illustrator and concept artist for more than a decade. It's been a while since I had a website at all. I've been uploading my latest work on Artstation and Instagram for a couple of years now since they are great platforms and very easy to update. To be honest, with the busy routine that I have, they are very handy.
In 2018, something very cool happened: I decided to participate in the "Inktober". If you are not familiar with it, the amazing Jake Parker created this challenge that happens in October of each year in which he challenges other artists to do a drawing using ink (Ink-Tober, got it?) every day for all the 31 days of the month. I was able to complete the challenge that year. During the process I discovered a part of myself that I haven't paid too much attention for a long time: when I was a kid, I used to sit and draw for hours. My father used to bring boxes of paper that his office would not use, and I'd fill those with all kinds of drawings. Just with pen, no paints, nothing fancy. Just lines.
Here's a bunch of robot doodles from 1992. Pretty much the same things I like today.
During that moment, when I challenged myself to draw every day for 31 days, I rediscovered the simplicity of drawing just for fun. Since I needed to create something every day, I wanted it to be something very personal, very intimate and ultimately, very simple in story and execution. Most of the pieces found in this website are depictions of characters that mixes my personal taste in art, heavily impacted by the work of masters such as Katsuhiro Otomo and Akira Toriyama, my childhood experiences and the influence of the Japanese culture my father used to raise both me and my brother. Making something with only paper and pen forced me to relax and enjoy the ride. Not all lines were going to be perfect, mistakes were to be made and I was ok with that. Whatever came out of that specific day, I would accept as the best I could do at that moment. I remembered that it was because of that feeling of immersion and freedom that I unconsciously decided that I wanted to be an artist.
That's why I created this website. I think that all my professional work already has nice places to be showcased, and I felt that such an intimate collection of drawings deserved its own place.
And also, in case you didn't notice, I am using my middle name on the header of this website.
秀樹 "Hideki” is my Japanese name chosen by my grandmother, which only my closest family and friends call me. I thought that there wasn't anything more appropriate.
Hope you all enjoy this personal artwork as much as I am enjoying making them.
Will Hideki Murai.