Natsukashī Magazine Series - 懐かしい

ILLUSTRATION design photoshop japan magazine vintage Retro Lumen art poster

Natsukashī Magazine - lu.men studio

Hey everyone !

I wanted to create typical Japanese magazine covers from the 70s and 80s,
And I made twelve ! (yeah, that's a lot!)

I really wanted to make a series of illustrations that would allow you to discover all the culture

and icons of Japan, and I have been fascinated by old Japanese magazines

such as Terebi Magajin, Bird Land Press or Shonen Jump.

It was the perfect opportunity for me to do this kind of creation

and imagine these 12 covers as if I were releasing one issue per month.

Tell me which one you like best ! 🍥

Available on lumenstudio.fr

Have fun !

But then, how did I go about developing this project ?

I looked at a lot of references like the one above, to get the best inspiration from

their graphic codes and the compositions that might already exist.

And I used it to create my covers by integrating this graphic singularity that I love so much.
Sometimes even taking as a basis an already existing composition that I found just incredible !

And when my compositions were finished being placed,

I just had to illustrate what I wanted to share about my vision of Japan.

I really made sure that we found lots of themes so that everyone could use at least one illustration !

Geisha no Geijutsu means "The art of Geishas", and it is with this idea in mind that I wanted to pay tribute to the delicacy and beauty of geishas, while contributing to their fascination.

How not to do vintage Japanese magazine covers without dedicating one to Super Sentai !

Sentai no Uchū, literally the "Space Squadron", is an illustration featuring a member of these

Super Sentai in adventures throughout the universe !

Kabuki makeup has always attracted and intrigued me, but all representations

of these theater characters only show adults.
With Kabuki Shōnen, I decided to give a boy the chance to perform this character on stage !

What if the Oni lived in our world ?

It is with this question that I constructed this illustration and for my part I see them clearly in Bosozoku, which would give... a Bosozoni ?

Since this issue would correspond to the issue for the month of May,

I have to talk about Children's Day in Japan: Kodomo no Hi.

For this party which takes place on May 5, little boys usually play with a koi carp

and also sometimes a paper kabuto helmet.

It would be a big mistake to make a vintage magazine without talking about mekas !

Typical of this period thanks to Gundam, I wanted to draw one in my turn and make it the most valiant

and courageous, which gives Yūkan na Meka, wouldn't that be a good anime?

Japanese folklore has always attracted me for years, and particularly these buildings like the toriis,

which are said to be doors to a sacred spiritual world.
But if it's a sacred door, there must be a guardian ? And why not a kitsune ?

We could call it Shugo no Kitsune !

Awa Odori is a traditional dance festival to the sweet sound of shamisen,

one of the emblematic instruments of Japanese musical culture.

Have you ever had the chance to listen to the Shamisen Sōsha melody ?

Who doesn't know the king of monsters Gojira ? A robust beast, strong and full of mysteries...

But did you know that he could be a nice monster, one could say a Yasashii Kaijū !
Watch him making cute kaijū-shaped onigiris ! Too kawaii !

Who says October necessarily says Halloween and fear !

The perfect opportunity for a Yōkai Matsuri and seeing the young yōkai go out hunting for treats !
Here are the two little onis Osore and Kowai ! Yōkai or Treat ?

Japan is world famous for its cherry blossom season in spring.

But did you know that at the end of the year there was a similar event with the momijis !

And it’s just as beautiful ! So I officially declare the month of November the Momiji no Tsuki !

Tengus are known to be mysterious and wise creatures living in mountains and forests.
The perfect opportunity to illustrate this Kenja Tengu with Fujisan to end this year under the snow