If you arenāt familiar with Japanese artist, Yoshitaka Amano, heās best known in video game circles as the character designer for a lot of the older Final Fantasy games, particularly on the NES and Super NES.
Amanoās portfolio extends well beyond Square Enixās role-playing series, however. Heās also worked on designs for various manga and anime series, and is presently directing his very first movie, a CG feature titled Zan.
The Japan Times recently published an interview with Amano (via MangaBlog), which revealed — amongst other things — his work habits. Amano is a relentless worker, telling the Japan Times that āthe best way to relax is to work more.ā When heās tired of drawing detailed characters, he moves to another table and begins doodling with colours.
Amano also reveals that he his first job as an artist was at the age of 15, at Tatsunoko Productions. He would often skip working hours and come and go as he pleased, but the president of the company would cover for him due to his talent, and also because he understood that creativity couldnāt be enforced at a nine-to-five job.
Iād recommend heading over to the Japan Timesā site and reading the entire feature if youāre interested in Amanoās work — itās an interesting piece.
Published: Feb 12, 2011 12:00 pm