Style Magazine - August 2023

| arts & culture |
DrawingInspiration
Spotlight on Illustrators
by JENNIFER MARAGONI
Think of your favorite children’s book, concert poster, or graphic
T-shirt. Most likely, you love it not only for what it says, but for the
images it bears. Those images are often the work of illustrators,
whose job is to enhance text with original artwork. These local
illustrators share a lifelong love of drawing but took unique paths to
turn their passion into a profession.
Sharon Fujimoto-
Johnson
sharonfj.com
Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson has been making art
her whole life. While recovering from cancer
during the pandemic, the Roseville resident realized
her dream of writing and illustrating children’s
books. An agent discovered her on Twitter and
her first picture book, The Mochi Makers, will hit
shelves next year.
How did your first book come about?
During my recovery, I suffered major complications
that rendered me unable to eat by mouth. During
that time, I thought a lot about where food, family
stories, and love intersect. This inspired me to write
The Mochi Makers, a heartfelt story about Japanese
rice cakes, immigrant family stories, and love.
What mediums do you work in?
Traditional mediums like gouache, acrylic, and
pencil, as well as
digital collage. I
created the art in
The Mochi Makers
by digitally layering
pencil drawings,
digital paintings,
hand-painted papers,
family photographs,
heirloom kimono
fabrics, and kitchen
cloths embroidered by
my grandmother.
What inspires you?
Family stories,
kindness, poetry,
beauty, wonder in
the natural world,
and the joie de vivre
of children. I’m also
inspired to tell stories
that will nudge readers’
hearts open a bit and
leave a positive impact
in the world. My second
book, Shell Song, is
inspired by the shells my
grandfather collected
in a Japanese-American
incarceration camp in
Hawaii during World
War II.
What do you
wish more people
understood about
illustration?
A picture book, though
seemingly simple and
small, is a work of art
created by an authorillustrator,
or author and
illustrator, plus an entire
team of people. When a
reader holds one of my
books in their hands,
they’re holding my whole
heart and the work
of many people who
believed in that book.
Nate Reifke
saltytimbers.com
When Nate Reifke
was in college,
a skateboard company
saw some T-shirts he
designed for the UC
San Diego surf team
and hired him to
design skateboards,
launching his career.
His clients include many
well-known brands,
including Red Bull, Reef,
and Patagonia. As a
commercial illustrator,
the Pollock Pines-based
artist says his job is “to
be chameleon and make
whatever people need.”
How do you view
your role as an
illustrator?
To listen and learn first.
The hope is to make
something that speaks
for a brand authentically
so people will genuinely
connect with it and
adopt it as their own.
What mediums
do you work in?
Mostly pen and pencil,
but I also really enjoy
Photo of Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson by Britt Honey Photography. Photo of Nate Reifke by Taylor Gillespie ©stylemediagroup.
24 stylemg.com | AUGUST 2023