Art isn’t something that you can easily put a value on. It elicits different reactions from different audiences in different places. But above all, art moves, and good art sweeps you off your feet.
Thanks to social media, art has become increasingly mainstream. We don’t mean this in a negative light – it just means that we no longer have to troop down to museums to feast our eyes on great work. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook have become equally likely places to come across a modern-day Monet.
For Japanese freelancer and illustrator, Yoshinobu Saito, Twitter was the medium of choice.
Now, if you’re an active Twitter user you might have seem some startlingly realistic pictures of food floating around your feed some 6 months ago. For those of you still in the dark, fret not – we’ve taken the liberty of screen-grabbing a bunch of Saito’s works because good things deserve to be shared. Read on!
As real as it can get
Source: Twitter @yonyon76
Can you already taste the yummy, gooey goodness?
Source: Twitter @yonyon76
Doesn’t that just look exactly like the Ikura (red caviar) that you love so much in your sushi?
Source: Twitter @yonyon76
We know… is this real life? Or is it just fantasy? The next picture’s a jaw-dropper.
Source: Twitter @yonyon76
Surely, you can’t simulate smoke, can you?
Apparently, you can.
Here’s how he did it.
Source: GIPHY
Exactly from scratch.
Source: Hours Later GIF
Voila! You have yourself a masterpiece.
Source: GIPHY
In just four hours , he was able to come up with this work of art.
Incidentally, have you heard of a subreddit by the name of r/restofthef***ingowl? It bears some resemblance to the existing situation.
Let’s find out more about the man behind the art.
Who is Yoshinobu Saito?
He is no Master Chef – just an illustrator who is extremely devoted to his work. After all, what he wants to hear from others is not ‘the picture is good’ but instead – ‘the picture is delicious’.
Well, congratulations to Yoshinobu! As of the publication of this article, he has certainly made an impression on at least a 100,000 Twitter users – because that’s the number of followers he has garnered.
But he isn’t just a master at illustrating hyperreal food- in the past – he worked as a character designer (according to Grapee) and was equally talented in that regard as well.
Source: Twitter @yonyon76
Here’s a sample of his character illustration. In the same tweet which featured this picture – he mentioned that he would continue to draw everything from food to mecha. It would seem that he’s quite a versatile artist.
However, Yoshinobu wasn’t born a genius. After all, talent alone can only get you so far – he was a hardworking individual who poured his heart and soul into his work.
Source: Twitter @yonyon76
In case of wondering, the picture on the left is a sample of his work from more than 2 decades ago. The picture on the right is something a little more contemporary. See? Hard work pays off. But if becoming a virtuoso isn’t enough motivation for you to apply your diligently to your craft, here are a couple million more incentives.
The Myth of the Starving Artist
Back in May 2019, Jeff Koons made the record auction price (for work sold by a living artist) of $91.1 million for his 1986 sculpture, known as Rabbit.
Source: Rabbit by Jeff Koons
Unbelievable.
While it is a hefty sum and a new record, bids in the tens or even hundreds of millions aren’t unusual in the art world. In November 2018, the record for the most expensive piece of art sold by a living artist was held by David Hockney and his Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), before Koons beat his record by about 9 million just a few months later.
And if you’re a fan of Leonardo da Vinci’s work, or are just a massive ball of knowledge – you would have probably heard of his work, “Salvator Mundi”, a long-lost art piece which fetched $450 million – earning it the honour of being the most expensive artwork ever sold.
Source: Salvator Mundi (Leonardo)
Now, there’s been a bit of confusion about its actual owner but its price is a confirmed, whopping $450 million.
Look at the global market as a whole, and the numbers might surprise you. Art made up a total of $67.4 billion in revenue in 2018 (including art fair, gallery, and auction sales), a 6 percent increase from 2017, based on Art Basel and USB’s yearly report on the art market.
While the numbers look rosy from the outside, not every artist reaps a bountiful harvest – after all, as with most industries, the richest and most successfully lay claim to a disproportionately large slice of the pie. And more importantly, only very well-heeled can afford these hefty price tags.
But of course, money isn’t everything. Take Yoshinobu Saito, for instance; he simply shares his work online (for free!) for others to marvel at and enjoy. And he’s not the only one.
Remember the Singaporean artist – SezerSean? His only intention was to show others a taste of space life by merging real-life images and photoshop. And these are just two drops of waters in an ocean of artists.
The rise in museum visitors
Both museums and heritage institutions in Singapore are seem to be seeing an uptick in human traffic – visitor numbers have increased from 5.1 million in 2017 to 5.4 million just last year. And when it comes to free arts and cultural events, Singaporeans set a record-high attendance of 11.3 million in 2018.
Some events which drew crowds include iLight, which began in 2010 and will be returning in 2020 for its 10th anniversary. Likewise, Art After Dark recently celebrated its 7th anniversary this year. It features works from famous artists all over the world across all the blocks in the Gilman Barracks.
What if I told you…that it’s possible to make moving Art?
Ok this is an animation studio’s blog you really should have seen this coming.
I suppose we could consider animation a very modern art form. And like good art, good animation is very sought-after in the film, marketing(advertisement and marketing), gaming and medical industries, among others.
It’s actually been really useful in helping millions of people visualise things that previously had to remain unseen for any number of reasons. For example, medical animation allows medical students and doctors to picture the details of the human anatomy clearly, even identifying parts which the naked eyes cannot see – after all, we don’t have an unlimited supply of cadavers.
As such, surgeons can freely explore these digital replicas of the human body with their pixelized scalpels before carrying out actual operations on human beings. But as happy as surgeon interns must be to receive this additional training, I suppose few people are happier than the patients themselves.
On a less morbid note, marketing strategies are also further enhanced by incorporating various animation types like 2D animation, 3D animation, stop motion, visual effects and motion graphics, so potential customers can see exactly how a product improves their lives.
Typically, all these different tools work quite well when incorporated into explainer videos to further expand on a business’ value proposition.
Now that you have seen how Saito and Sean have showcased their own work as individuals – has that given you a little inspiration to add some zest of your own into your business marketing strategy?
If it’s a yes – then it’s time to get moving! We encourage you to showcase your works or products by approaching a studio with animation services – in that way – you are sure to leave a mark on your audience.