A Voice from the North: Kailene Falls, Brushes & Chopsticks
Jake is a multi-disciplinary creative that represents the UK and especially the North inside the Sabukaru Network.
On a regular basis, Jake writes a personal column as he investigates influences that hit home and ultimately topics that he is passionate about. This time his view wanders from the north to the east. From the UK to Japan. In his interview with Kailene Falls he discusses his love for Japanese food and how life is for Kailene as a TV personality.
Over to Jake.
A Voice from the North: Kailene Falls, Brushes & Chopsticks
Japan draws people from all over the world for loads of different reasons, anime/manga, food, fashion, photography, the list really is endless. It's a massive reason why I love hearing about peoples trips to Japan because I don't think I've ever heard of anyone who has had a similar experience in Japan as anyone else. It's a place where you can create a unique path whether that's as a holiday or somewhere to live. So when I saw Kailene Falls food illustrations and then found out she was also working within Japanese variety tv show I knew I had to speak to her.
Kailene's work has this amazing quality to just instantly transport me back to Tokyo, first, it reminded me of the food issues of Popeye Magazine I buy just to look at the pictures of all the incredible food there is on those pages. From ramen to sushi to tonkatsu to a whole other range of dishes I'm yet to try. However, it also took me back to my first trip to Tokyo, jet-lagged to fuck and bewildered I was starving and needed a beer real bad. So I worked my way to Lawson's on the bottom floor of Narita Airport, and there I was just stunned by the rows and rows of beautifully made tamago sandos, onigiri and a wall of Asahi, it snapped me right out of my daze and I filled up on everything.
I came out of there with a box of fried chicken, a tamago sando, 2 tall boys of Asahi and a pack of Marlboro menthols. Christ, I was buzzing. I snapped pictures real quick and got stuck into them and just knew there and then I was home. From perfectly crisp fried chicken, to pillowy slices of crustless bread holding the very best egg mayonnaise and ice cold cans of Asahi I knew there and then I was home.
Art is special because it can take you to those memories and let you relive them, so read this interview with Kailene. Get hungry looking at her food illustrations and then book those flights to Japan. You deserve it.
Hi Kailene, thank you for this. Could you please introduce yourself to Sabukaru? Who are you, and what are you currently doing?
Hello! My name is Kailene Falls, and I am an American illustrator [Minnesotan specifically] working in Tokyo, Japan. While I do a variety of illustration and graphic design work, I specialize in watercolor food illustration. I also appear on Japanese variety TV and travel shows as a side gig.
From Minnesota to Tokyo, that’s some journey! What was it about Japan that attracted you? Was it always the food that drew you to the country? It was for me when I first visited Japan.
In high school, I took a French class and discovered my interest in foreign language. I wanted to study something a little more challenging, and since I planned to pursue career in a creative field, I though Japanese might be useful. I watched a lot of Japanese TV dramas and travel shows, and I quickly became enamoured of the culture as well. This led to a double major in Japanese and Graphic Design which I used to land my first job as a graphic designer in Tokyo.
While I have always been interested in trying foods from different cultures, midwestern suburban life didn’t expose me to much variety. It was only after I moved to Japan that I realized how much I truly loved food- especially Japanese food!
All the great and talented illustrators I’ve spoken to have always had strong memories of growing up around art materials and creating, was this the case for you too?
Yes and no! I had so many hobbies growing up that it was an inside joke amongst my family. Art was definitely one of them, but I didn’t focus in on it until I was 13 or 14 years old. My serious pursuit of art began with digital art when I bought an entry level Wacom pen tablet. Illustration didn’t seem like feasible career option, however, so I found what I thought was a happy medium and decided to study graphic design. It wasn’t until years into my design career when I discovered my love of traditional media!
Obviously food plays a huge part in your artwork and illustrations, was that always the case? Or is it something that’s developed over time while being in a country surrounded with such picturesque food?
Again, surprisingly no! Until I began a career as a graphic designer, my personal illustration consisted mostly of people. When I found a job as a packaging designer in Tokyo, my coworkers would ask me to illustrate a huge variety of things. They would want a flower painting in style X or a fruit in style Y. Although a lot of fun, this led me to overdevelop the skill of mimicking other illustrators’ aesthetics and lose my own identity as an illustrator. As somebody who secretly wished to work as an illustrator, I was quite dissatisfied with this turn of events.
I ended up approaching the problem rather logically. I wanted to “brand” myself as an illustrator known for a particular type of work. So I looked at the work I had done so far and realized that food illustrations had been the most interesting and fun. At that point, I had lived in Japan for four years, and had discovered my passion for Japanese food as well. It seemed like a match made in heaven!
What’s your current set up like for creating your artwork?
When I made the move to freelance, I moved from my small studio apartment to a much larger apartment with a dedicated workspace. Although I still occasionally work away from home, this dedicated space has made it much easier to streamline my process. The process usually goes...
Reference image
Detailed Sketch
Highlight Masking
Color Application
Scanning and Post-Processing
1. Reference Image - Because my illustration style is semi-realistic, I always work while either looking at the food itself or a reference photo of the food. I prefer to take my own reference image to control the framing, lighting, and shadow angles. Plus, I prefer a “real” look rather than the too often perfectly styled images you find online. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to paint and make trips to find the best reference food. Other times, I’m just inspired by what I’ve ordered at a restaurant. With current limitations on eating out, I’m starting to learn more Japanese cooking so I can make my own food for reference.
2. Detailed Sketch- Because it’s impossible to erase watercolor, I spend a lot of time on the under sketch. It may seem tedious, but it’s perhaps the most important single step of the process!
3. Highlight Masking- Many watercolor artists use a white gel pen or gouache to add highlights to their work. This works great for digital pieces, but when seen in person, this difference in materials can look jarring and out of place. Instead of adding white to finished pieces, I using masking fluid to protect the bright white highlights. It’s an extra step, but it leads to better results.
4. Color Application- This is the stage that requires the most time. Depending on the complexity of the subject, it can take 3 to 10+ hours. Because watercolor is transparent, you can only build value darker, so you have to be very aware of the order in which you paint.
Because this is such a long process, I have recently begun streaming this stage live on Instagram while painting with other Instagram artists.
1. Scanning and Post-processing - I always bring my work into photoshop and edit it to be as close to the original as possible. This is a difficult stage for me, because I always want to fix mistakes and adjust colors, but I have made it a personal rule to leave all the human error is found in the original piece. It’s these little inconsistencies which lead to a more recognizable “style.”
Is it something that’s been developed over time?
My watercolor workflow has remained pretty much the same during my entire career. However, it was a bit of a process to reach this point. The biggest change happened when I moved from digital to traditional media in the beginning of 2018. I had developed too many bad habits in digital art, primarily working and reworking artwork to fit a certain style or editing the piece until it looked too perfect and lost its uniqueness and charm.
I chose to work with watercolor as it can be neither erased nor painted over. This forced me to create a new working process that focused on moving forward and using mistakes to make a more unique product.
What is it about Japanese cuisine that draws you to creating these artworks? Have you ever dabbled in other cuisines?
Japanese food is delicious. But it’s not ONLY delicious. The Japanese culture really embraces the idea that you eat with your eyes, so even convenience stores and fast food chains produce foods that make great visuals.
I don’t exclusively paint Japanese food, but so far, I have exclusively painted food found in Japan. To be honest, Western food prepared by Japanese people is more visually appealing that the “originals,” so I mostly stick to this subject matter! Of course, I’m interested in doing work for international clients too, so this some variation may happen over time.
Since we’re on the subject of food, we’ve got to ask it. Where’s your favourite place to eat in Tokyo? Any hidden gems you’ve got up your sleeves?
I have yet to paint it, but my absolute favorite ramen can be found at a place called “Ramen Marutama” in Ryogoku. The chicken bone broth with the foamy aosa seaweed is beyond amazing. For sweets, I recommend Wa Kitchen Kanna near Sangenjaya. They have a long list of unique flavors of shave ice, and the seasonal flavors are always both beautiful and delicious!
Being a part of the tv culture in Japan must keep life exciting! Tokyo residents all seem to have a very ‘never stop hustling’ attitude to working and life, with many different jobs and interests. Is this something you’ve found has grown stronger in you while being in Japan?
One of my personal flaws is that although I am very organized and goal-oriented when it comes to my interests, I have difficulty remaining focused on one thing for long, and I especially have a hard time staying focused on tasks that I find tedious or boring. Rather than fighting these natural tendencies, I have managed to create a working style that coexists with them.
When I was scouted by a Japanese talent agency a few years back, I found the perfect counterbalance to my desk-oriented illustration work. As an extrovert working in an introverted field, TV is the perfect way to release my pent up energy so I can more fully focus on my illustration work. Plus, Japanese variety TV and travel programming allows me to travel and be exposed to a lot of different food culture across the country.
However, location really has played a big factor in my lifestyle. Being surrounded by the Tokyo hustle motivates me to keep pushing myself further. There may come a point where that becomes too exhausting, but so far, I find the challenge very exhilarating !
What’s next from you and your artwork? Is 2020 and beyond shaping up to become big years?
As a food illustrator, I have been able to work with a broad range of clients, from magazines and books, to advertising, packaging, web, and menu work. I am hoping to increase and expand in these areas as my career develops.
This fall, I will release the second issue of my illustration zine “TABEKUKABE.” The first issue focused on Japanese “foods on sticks,” and the second issue will feature Japanese “transparent foods” such as warabimochi, ikura, and jellies. I’m hoping to use this as a gateway into publishing my own food illustration book in the coming years.
Additionally, although I have postponed my plan to have a solo exhibit until COVID19 is better managed, I will be participating in a group food art exhibit at the MOUNT gallery in Setagaya, Tokyo from November 4th to November 15th. I will be selling some original pieces there as well.
Thank you a lot for your time, we really appreciate it.
Thank you so much as well! I’m always glad to talk about my passions: food and art!
