Mogu Takahashi’s illustrations (or rather, doodles) are eye-catching in their simplicity. Printed on textiles, ceramics, wallpapers, and even mobile phone covers, her quirky characters have a naive quality to them that reminds us of a child’s drawing.
“One day a gallery owner dropped by and asked me, ‘Are you interested in exhibiting your work?’” she recalled in an interview with the Donna Wilson blog. “He invited me to a group exhibition in New York! That happened when I was twenty years old. I still sometimes wonder, ‘what if I had become an architect?’, but I really enjoy what I’m doing now. I think I will keep drawing as long as possible, even when I get older.”
Takahashi admits that she’s inspired by anything and everything around her, but shows a special interest in flora and fauna. “I like to draw animals and nature, especially their unique shapes and colors which inspire me a lot,” she says. “Every morning, on the way to my atelier, is my patrolling time to collect pieces of ideas hidden in daily life.”
Her illustrations are sometimes the result of daydreaming. “I like daydreaming in my head,” she says, “‘If I gave a hat to a rabbit, what kind of hat would that be?’ ‘If this turtle could talk, what would he want to tell me?’ It’s a bit weird, but I think these things are part of what creates my style. Oh, and I dream every night too. I sometimes take inspiration from their stories and the color contrasts.”
Take a look at her dream-like creations.
