Takashi Nakamura’s exquisite line drawings celebrate the quiet moments in life

Japanese illustrator Takashi Nakamura’s fine line drawings of day-to-day happenings range from close crops of fruit and veg and glasses of water, to bigger scenes of parks and libraries. Takashi “grew up reading manga”, and this has influenced his pared-back works that are often composed of precise linework and a faded application of colour.

His focus on the everyday is refreshing, as Takashi changes perspectives from one image to the next and celebrates the unnoticed. “I always like to draw the small things in life as I’m most likely to forget those moments,” he explains. It’s these closer studies that really draw the viewer in, whether it’s a prime spot among the food at a picnic or next to a hand holding a sparkler that’s just about to twinkle.

Takashi’s illustrations are drawn by hand, and he enjoys this analogue approach. “First I make a draft then erase parts of it so there’s just a faint trace of the image. Then I start painting with aqueous pens from there,” he explains. The use of this ink gives his works a soothing, summery vibe and and offer a welcome break from the mundane grey of reality.