Bicycle Boy

After visiting Seiseki-Sakuragaoka, the Japanese suburbs that the 1995 Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart was modeled after, Polish-born and Tokyo-based artist Mateusz Urbanowicz was inspired to paint his Bicycle Boy series, which consists of ten watercolor paintings that bring the film’s narrow roads and suburban landscapes to life. Urbanowicz uses 6B pencils to sketch out each moment before coloring them with Schimincke and Winsor & Newton watercolors. This series takes us on a journey of a dedicated bicycle boy who rides up challenging inclines and through the elements in order to reach his destination. Many of Urbanowicz’s other illustrations are also inspired by his new adoptive home of Japan as well as the animated backgrounds that feature in many Japanese anime films.

波兰出生的艺术家Mateusz Urbanowicz目前生活在东京。在参观完日本郊区圣迹樱丘（Seiseki-Sakuragaoka）——1995年吉卜力电影《心之谷》（Whisper of the Heart）的场景原型后，Urbanowicz创作了《自行车男孩》（Bicycle Boy）水彩画系列，通过十幅水彩画，栩栩如生地呈现出电影中出现的狭窄小巷和日本郊区景观。Urbanowicz在创作时，先使用6B铅笔画出草图，然后用Schimincke和Winsor＆Newton水彩上色。这个水彩画系列带领观众，跟随一名骑自行车的男孩，骑过艰难的斜坡，经历各种天气，朝着目的地进发。Urbanowicz的许多其它插图的灵感还来自于他如今生活的日本，以及许多日本动画中的场景。