FLIP featured artist

I always loved drawing cartoons since I was a kid (in Tokyo, Japan) but I was never that good.  There were always kids who could draw and paint better than me.  I didn't start painting seriously until I came to the U.S. and enrolled in a small community college where I could only take classes like painting or PE because I didn't speak any English. 

I was trained in very academic oil painting studying Sargent, Zorn, Sorolla and Russian painters like Repin and Fechin.  As I got more involved with illustrations, film concept art, and comic, I started to get influenced a lot by more of contemporary artists like Nicolas De Crecy, Peter DeSeve, Carlos Nine and Greg Couch.

When I graduated, I didn't have the work visa in the US so I could not be self-employed like most of the gallery artists or freelance illustrators.  I had few choices besides working as a staff artist at animation and video game companies.  I have to say that was the best thing that happened to me.  I love this business where you work with so many amazing artists on one big project.  I learned more at work than in school.  I can't imagine that I would have learned as much if I was alone in my own studio being myself.  I do well with other people who can push me and teach me to do better work.

I get inspiration out of "seeing" things in life.  The more you see, the more you see better.  Things you might not pay attention normally could give you a lot of ideas for paintings. For example, I just get fascinated by what a light can do in nature.  I'm always looking.   I get so excited by looking at things.

Another example would be that I always see people in the subway or cafe and make up stories of their lives based on their mannerisms and facial expressions.

Painting out in the streets of Manhattan was one of my typical weekend morning routines. I remember it was raining a bit when I did this piece (top, right) and I was painting with an umbrella. A NY Times cameraman took a picture and put it on the next day's Sunday Times. Also the owner of the apartment stopped by while I was painting and bought the piece on the spot (which I rarely do but she was genuinely enthusiastic!).

Before I do a painting, I always want to do  or at least try to do  some preliminary sketches for its composition which is always the most important thing for me.(though i often suffer from it!)

I block out the shapes monochromatically and once I'm happy with it, I go at it.  Usually I work out the focus of the piece first.  And then finish the rest once I"m happy with the focal point.  That way, it's never treated the same.

See much more of Dice's work at Simplestroke.com.

Artwork in this article is the property of Dice Tsutsume.

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Dice Tsutsumi
In His Own Words






A page from the upcoming graphic novel Out of Picture 2.