Illustration by Darin Bendall.

I first met Mr. Darin Bendall at a Halloween party our mutual friend Martine organized late in 2005, at least that is when I think it was. We chatted about all things creative and illustrative over beers and alongside another guest dressed as a cowboy with a horse head for a crotch.

Darin lives in Japan with his lovely wife Kat and their two guinea pigs. He is very prolific and has an individual and honest style, honest in that it draws from who he is as a person especially his sense of humour and his life experiences. Basically what I am trying to say is there is nothing obviously derivative in his work, mind boggling when you think about how much illustration he is being exposed to on a daily basis in Japan. He is ‘living the (my) dream’ as a full time artist/illustrator/all round up for any project dude in Japan and I hope the ‘awesomeness’ never stops!