Mondo Okumura (AKA Mondo-kun) an elementary school fifth grader in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, is under the spotlight for his unique drawings of the world’s star musicians. “It is relentless. He never overlooks the model’s wrinkles or even age spots.” comments a magazine editor, on Mondo’s style. At only 10 years of age, Mondo has a regular column for a local magazine under his belt, and receives orders for his artwork from abroad via the Internet. He recently did a live demo at Fukuoka PARCO in Tenjin on May 5 (Children’s Day).
Mondo started to draw at age three, and has chosen musicians like David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and John Lennon for his models, thanks to the influence of his musician father (39). He watches carefully the picture or a model in front of him, and draws the details with his trusty marker. Mondo never shows his process to his family because their surprised expressions when he reveals his finished piece is one of his incentives! He has posted one portrait of a celebrity on the his blog every day since last April. His website gradually received recognition, and eventually local youth monthly magazine “NO!!” offered him a regular ‘portrait clinic column.’ The column lasted for nine months from last June. Hirokazu Matsumoto (44), representative of “NO!!” says, “He never tries to flatter; instead, he draws faithfully what he sees. That’s inspiring.”
One of Mondo’s works featuring Hayao Miyazaki, Japan’s favorite animator, made the cover of a nursing home magazine. He also published a book of his portraits in March, and made live appearances in Tokyo and Osaka. More than 40,000 people visit his blog daily, and orders come from South Korea and Brazil. His name ‘mondo’ means ‘the world’ in Italian. He says, “I wish I could travel around the world and draw portraits in the future.” Visit Mondo Okumura’s blog here: http://mondo-art.blog.jp (all images from here). Original story source: Nishinippon Shimbun, 5/3
