{"id":423,"date":"2013-05-02T13:31:15","date_gmt":"2013-05-02T04:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studiokura.info\/en\/?p=423"},"modified":"2013-05-02T13:38:46","modified_gmt":"2013-05-02T04:38:46","slug":"paul-nicholson-interviewed-by-itoshima-arts-farm-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studiokura.info\/en\/2013\/05\/paul-nicholson-interviewed-by-itoshima-arts-farm-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Nicholson Interviewed by Itoshima Arts Farm Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tTwo friends from Itoshima Arts Farm interviewed English 2D animator Paul Nicholson, who is currently in residence at Studio Kura. You can read the original Japanese version at the Ito Arts Farm website<\/a>. This is Ale’s translation, so even though the interview on this post is in English it may not be exactly his words.<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul Nicholson \/ UK<\/h4>\n

\t2D animator working in the UK. He started animating in 2007, and he has taken part in many projects in places like Shanghai and London. Some of his works include The Amazing World of Gumball<\/strong> and Scooby Doo<\/strong>. Studio Kura in Itoshima is his first residence program.<\/p>\n

\tHe studied contemporary art at university and worked in many jobs in restaurants, a sweet shop and even as a jazz singer, before settling at his current position. He is very interested in gastronomy, including Italian, Arabic and Japanese cuisine.
\n<\/p>\n

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\n\tYou usually work on animation projects like The Amazing World of Gumball<\/strong>, which is being aired in Japan, or Scooby Doo<\/strong>. And this is the first time you participate in an Artist in Residence program. So why did you choose Japan as your first place to visit as a resident artist?\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tFirst, I love Japan’s anime, manga and contemporary art. My favorite animation artists are Satoshi Kon and Masaaki Yuasa. And my favorite artists are Yoshitomo Nara and Makoto Aida. I like Nara’s work because it’s so charming, and then Aida’s work is very technical and polished. I also love Takashi Murakami’s work, being so cute and accessible but sophisticated at the same time.
\n\t\"Interview<\/a>\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tHow did you get knowledgeable about Japanese animation?\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tIt was through games. I played a lot of games as a kid, like TwinBee<\/strong>. Then I got the chance to play a Ranma 1\/2<\/strong> game, and there was this old man who turned into a panda and I thought it was fanastic. So I looked it up and it turned out to be based on anime. I only played games when I was a kid. I didn’t start watching Japanese anime until I was an adult.\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tWhat led you to choose Itoshima for your residence, instead of a city?\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tI live in London which is a large city, but i’m from the countryside so I always feel more at home there. After this residence I will be back to London to do more animation work, so I felt like spending some time by the countryside. When I asked my Japanese friends if there was any residence program in the countryside, they looked it up for me and found Studio Kura.
\n\t\"Paul<\/a>\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tHow did you feel after actually coming to Itoshima?\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tWith both the mountains and the sea so near, it’s the best! Also, animation and contemporary art aren’t the only thinks I love about Japan. I love Japanese food too, and Itoshima’s vegetables are super fresh. I love them!\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tSo you like Japanese food!?\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tYes! I love sashimi, natto & yesterday I made okara. But I guess my favorite is sesame paste. Goma-dofu is delicious! And later today I’m going to try motsunabe in Tenjin.\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tIt feels somehow rare that you made okara!\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tMaybe. My father is an engineer and since he got relocated many times, I have been to many countries as a kid. Egypt, Sri Lanka, France… So I was raised with influences from many cultures.\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tChanging the subject, what will your exhibition be like?\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tI work with animation all the time, but this time I feel like showing works where I dig deeper into what I’m most interested in. The exhibition will focus on characters.\n\t\t<\/dd>\n
\n\tThere is a rabbit among the characters of The Amazing World of Gumball<\/strong>. When we draw rabbits in Japan, we usually draw their ears long and thin. But your rabbit’s ears feel more flat…\n\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\tMy own characters are loosely based on animals such as foxes or tanukis, but i approach the design in a slightly more abstract way. When i’m designing a character i look for a logical & precise balance of shapes & colours, rather than simply communicating a fox, tanuki or octopus.
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