Had an interview with Kate Pearcy from The Book Show on ABC Radio National while I was in Sydney for the show ‘Love, Thieves and Fear make ghosts’. Kate did an amazing job putting it all together…. you can hear it here for a limited time.
The above image is a detail from the original which is almost two metres long.
Chibi Obake (ちびおばけ）
Chibi (ちび, can also be written 禿び [1]) is a Japanese word meaning “short person” or “small child.” The word has gained currency amongst fans of manga and anime. Its meaningis of someone or some animal that is small. It can be translated as “little,” but is not used the same way as chiisana (tiny, small, little in Japanese). A prototypical example of the former usage in the original Japanese which brought the term to the attention of Western fans is Chibiusa, a pet name for the diminutive daughter of Sailor Moon formed from Chibi Usagi (“Little Usagi”).[2]
In English-speaking anime fandom (otaku), the term chibi has mostly been conflated with the term super deformed or it can be used to describe child versions of characters.
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October 22, 2009 at 11:45 am
jemmakahn
Hi
I found some of your illustrations via tokyomango and they led me to your website. Your illustrations are great – I really like the everyday Japanese stuff – tatami, umeboshi. And the way hair plays such a graphic role in many of the images – it’s repetition, extension etc. How do I buy said limited edition prints?
From the website I toddled through to the blog. Really interesting! Thanks! But I thought it was a bit dodge that you pulled some of your text straight off Wikipedia. I’m sure, as a designer who is deeply influenced by Japanese aesthetics, you must know more about this stuff. Tell us! We want to know…
October 22, 2009 at 12:35 pm
innocentgirl
Dear Jemma,
Thank you for your comments, as you can see I haven’t blogged for some time and am currently going through a change in my work, more in content than style but stay tuned I plan on updating soon.
In regards to copy and pasting from wikipedia I am no copy writer, I observe and explain seeing and using pictures. If I couldn’t illustrate it I would probably verbalize it better;-)
That said have a listen to my radio interview if you like, I give a more personal account of why I create.
Feel free to send me an email innocentgirl@otoshimono.org and I’ll send you a PDF of my limited edition prints.