Happy Saturday! The day is just about to begin here on this side of the globe but I know this day is already awesome because for once, I am early to post birthday drawing. Good job, Takyarts! I finished this drawing two days ago and it was a great decision to draw it ahead because finishing ahead brought me peace of mind.
My drawings lately were mostly anime fanarts so creating a fanart of a real person is a good break from anime drawings. Hopefully, I can go draw original drawings soon. I have lots of fanarts listed for the month of April so perhaps in May.
I know many of you here don't know who this guy in my drawing is and why does he have huge round eyes. But let's greet him a Happy Birthday first before you scroll further to see my drawing.
April 17 for me is Taka's birthday!
Takahiro Moriuchi, popularly known as "Taka", is the vocalist of my favorite Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK which debuted in 2005. Before being on band, he was in a boy group called NEWS and left the group due to issues. While working on a restaurant, he was scouted by Toru Yamashita who was then looking for members on a band he is forming (ONE OK ROCK). Being the frontman of this awesome band brought back the confidence he once lost and brought out his true potential in singing. Today, Taka is among the most popular artists in Japan and the vocalist of one of the most popular Japanese band.
Taka's voice is something one can't ignore when heard. His voice is versatile and also has wide vocal range. He can scream like a devil and whisper like an angel. Sing high notes which is surprising considering he is a man. And he can do all that while running and jumping on the stage for a full concert show. No doubt he and the band are loved and looked up to by many artists too. Well, if you're parents are both singers then mostly likely their offspring inherits the talent too! Taka owes his high voice from his mother while the raspy voice from his father.
Going back to my drawing, instead of drawing a cool and handsome-looking Taka, I chose to draw this derp photo of Taka he posted on his Instagram story two weeks ago for his upcoming Instagram live on April Fool's Day. Well, I watched the live but can't understand most of what he was saying because he was speaking in Japanese, although it's probably about the pandemic and the band's upcoming new song "Renegades" for the film Rurouni Kenshin: The Final.
Taka is now 33 years old but doesn't look like one. Looking at his social media posts on his Instagram stories and TikTok, one would probably assume he is a teenager or in his early twenties. Using filters and posting derp faces isn't a common thing adults do in their 30s, right?
Isn't it adorable though? I added a tiny red birthday hat too to make it obvious that it's a birthday fanart. 😂
Drawing derpy Taka was quite enjoyable even though I felt really sleepy while drawing his face so I took a nap for a while. Is two hours still a nap? Lol. Drawing the nose was the most difficult part for me on this art. It's an angle that I have to draw for the first time and the new hack I've learned for drawing noses was put into test. It doesn't look exactly like on the reference but I think it's alright. Sorry, I forgot to turn off the visibility of the reference photo on the 5th frame.
Meanwhile, I had ease drawing his hoodie. I think my almost non-stop drawing lately is beginning to pay off.😂 I like how I drew the zipper and the that tiny metal ring for the hoodie string on the right. Also added a silhouette at the background for a slight change on my drawings. Hehe
Taka's journey from being at the bottom to becoming one of the best Japanese vocalists is inspiring. Most of ONE OK ROCK's music are about not giving up on achieving your dreams and not being afraid of showing to the world who you truly are and not being afraid of being a non-conformist. A lot of their songs may be loud, not everyone may like it, but try listening to the lyrics and you'll know why they are sought by many. :)
Happy Birthday, Taka!
(His Instagram if you want to visit --> @10969taka)
Medium: Digital (Wacom Intuos Comic)
Program: Clip Studio Paint
Time: Approximately 5 Hours
Gif made on Photoshop CS6
