Mateusz Urbanowicz – Tokyo Storefronts (MdN Corporation, 2018) – My Comment
Tokyo Storefronts is a collection of illustrations by Mateusz Urbanowicz. He probably doesn’t need any introduction. At least in my country, because he’s from Poland. But I’ll just write briefly that he went to Japan to study the art of drawing. Tokyo Storefronts is a collection of illustrations by Mateusz Urbanowicz.
The fruits of his work in the form of backgrounds can be seen in the movie Kimi no Na wa. Having such a thing in your portfolio is really a feat for a gaijin). Emil interviewed him on his YouTube channel After Japan, you can watch it here (Polish only).
Brief overview
Getting back to the topic of the post. Tokyo Storefronts presents store fronts in Tokyo. It’s divided into several chapters, each dedicated to a separate district of the Japanese capital. Of course, not every district (of which there are quite a few) has been included. We can count on the most popular ones.
It is worth noting what the author wrote in the very beginning. Some of the illustrations are so unique that they depict stores that no longer exist. Quite a few people who have spent a significant part of their lives in this city will surely remember them with nostalgia. The drawings are done in a great, colorful style, but with great attention to detail. Some stores even have isometric projections of the interior.
Another interesting fact is that the artbook is written in two languages, Japanese and English. Both languages are used simultaneously for each description.
Personally, I’m impressed with how well the author managed to present the whole thing keeping the style consistent, despite the fact that the stores were very different from each other. The last chapter is dedicated to Mateusz’s workplace and showing the tools he uses when drawing. I definitely recommend, not only because the author is Polish. In addition to great visuals, you can learn a lot of interesting things.
Mateusz Urbanowicz – Tokyo Storefronts (MdN Corporation, 2018) – Show off
Before I show you the dozen or so photos of the artbook’s contents, a quick glance at the outside page rolled up in a high-quality wrapper with an additional obi on it.
And this is how the artbook looks like without the wrapper:
Photos
