Creating comfort through illustrations — Illustrator Kenichi Ikebe —

Kenichi Ikebe works as an illustrator, creating illustrations for textbooks and advertisements. This time, we asked him about what inspired him to start his current job, his future dreams, and his activities in the local community.

My childhood hobbies were the initial trigger.

Ikebe-san specializes in creating illustrations of expressive figures. Recently, she has been receiving more requests related to medicine and health, expanding her field of activity. When asked what led her to become an illustrator, Ikebe-san revealed that there were two turning points in her career.

Educational media illustrations

The first turning point came when she was job hunting during her university years. Hearing that she was an illustrator, I assumed she had graduated from an art school, but Ikebe actually graduated from the Faculty of Letters. "I've loved drawing since I was little. There was a time when I wanted to become a manga artist, but I enrolled in the Faculty of Letters and continued drawing as a hobby," says Ikebe. She had received a job offer and was planning to get a job, but it was at that moment that she started to reconsider her life.

When she had the opportunity to talk to a university professor about her worries and spoke honestly, the professor encouraged her, saying, "You can always start over in life, so if you want to acquire a marketable skill, I think you should go for it." He even added, "Why not try doing it globally, in the world?"

Crayon drawing

With her parents' understanding, Ms. Ikebe went to the United States. After returning to Japan, she furthered her knowledge of graphic design at a vocational school.

Encountering the profession of illustrator

The second turning point came during her time at a design school in Japan. She was good at drawing interesting things, and when she drew comics and illustrations of her teachers and friends, her classmates would gather around her desk during breaks, wanting to see her drawings. Seeing this, one of her teachers introduced her to a new opportunity.

My teacher looked at my sketchbook and said, "Why aren't you using this for your assignments? These are pictures only you can draw," and he also told me about the genre of illustration and recommended specialized magazines.

Following that advice, Ikebe immediately bought and read a specialist magazine, and was shocked. Until then, he had thought that being technically skilled was the most important thing, but he discovered that there are many genres of art, and all of them are about "making people feel comfortable." This common thread of "making people feel comfortable" is also the point that Ikebe, who works as an illustrator, values most.

Graduation photo frame

After that, she got a job at a manufacturer and worked as a designer while attending an illustration school on weekends. After studying hard, she started working as a freelancer in about three years. Ikebe says that everything she experienced before becoming an illustrator is useful in her current work, and that she feels supported by the people around her.

My future goal is to give back to the local community.

When asked what he wants to do in the future, Ikebe-san said, "I want to give back for all the support I've received so far. In particular, I want to give back to my hometown." It seems that he has been gradually starting activities in his hometown of Yokohama for the past few years.

Newsletter

Over the past five years or so, she has developed connections with the local community, writing a series for a community magazine and designing the packaging for sweets made at a vocational training facility. You can see Ikebe's gentle and adorable animal illustrations in the company's newsletters and on product packaging.

Product packaging

In addition to her regular classes, she also teaches illustration classes for children and works as an instructor at an art university. Her illustration classes for elementary and junior high school students are very popular and are always fully booked. Ms. Ikebe said, "I don't do this to teach them how to draw well, but rather to help them spread their wings of imagination while they are young. I believe that imagination is essential for everything in the world, so I would be happy if I could help them with that." Openings are rare, but if you are interested, check her website around the start of the new academic year.

Illustration Class

"I'm blessed with wonderful people," says Ikebe-san, and I felt that people and work naturally gravitate towards him because of his warm personality. He also actively collaborates with the local community, and there are opportunities to purchase items featuring Ikebe-san's artwork at local shops.

Badges at local stores

Ikebe-san, who has a wonderful smile and readily shares all sorts of stories, creates illustrations that are all things that make people feel comfortable.

Illustrator Kenichi Ikebe.
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