A common influence... maybe: Takashi Murakami

Ever so often I come across an art style that I really have no idea how describe it let alone know for certain what category I should put it in. This happens to be one of those times that I summon my bravery and venture into a relatively unknown style unless you're familiar with what I can only describe as Japanese Urban art. So who have I decided on for this interesting branch off from contemporary design? This time the artist in question is Takashi Murakami and his rather unique style of art.

"Mr. DOB and Me" by Takashi Murakami

Founder and president of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., Takashi Murakami works in both in fine art media along with commercial media. The best way to describe his art is a marriage between fine art and Otako culture, mixing sculptures, paintings and Anime style figures together. Having attended Tokyo University of the Arts originally to become an animator, he actually majored in the traditional art of Japan. Eye-catching and colorful, his art follows his theory of Superflat which he describes as the blur of culture and society in post-war Japan.

I honestly wasn't sure when I went ahead and picked Mr. Murakami for this segment since though he's world known in certain circles, that didn't exactly mean that everyone would know who he is even if they had seen his work before. Personally I had seen a piece or two of his on the internet during my wanderings but never knew his name until I finally went looking for it so trying to find artists who had similar style of work was going to be interesting. Locating 5 artists, I went ahead and asked:

"With the colorful mix of images in your work, I was curious if artist Takashi Murakami was one of your sources of inspiration."

Bobsmade.deviantart.com (Germany)

"Bobsmade Doodles" by Bobsmade

Popular among the deviantART community for the whimsical characters and combinations of elements, Bobsmade's gallery often shows what they had done for customers (from custom painted shoes and headphones to tshirts and posters). Graphically striking, there are some Anime elements to each piece. It is always entertaining to see what new piece they have up. You can actually visit www.bobsmade.com if you're interested in seeing all of the products they have available and place orders.

"I don't know him. I get the inspiration from my customers" ~Bobsmade

"Midnight Noodles" by bogielicious

bogielicious.deviantart.com (Indonesia)

An anonymous graphic artist from Indonesia, Bogie's pieces brings urban art to a mainstream audience. Active imagery and bright colors are rather striking and causes the viewer to be pulled in and want to look at all of the details he's put in. For those who want to find out more about some of the things he's done or just read his thoughts, he does have a blog you can check out which is bogielicious.blogspot.com.

"Wow, I've never heard him before, lol

But thanks for inspiring artist " ~bogielicious 

Due to their schedules and things that I may not know about, only 2 of my choice of 5 artists have been able to respond. Like always, once the others respond then I will be adding their comments as well to my question. In the meantime, have a look at their work and see if you can see if they were influenced by Takashi Murakami or not.

"Under My Bed" by recycledwax

recycledwax.deviantart.com (Canada)

A graphic artist located in Canada, Wax's style is a little bit cartoony mixed with his unique sense of humor and personality. Each colorful piece is interesting to look at and brings a smile to the viewer's face. He uses his twist on things to re-imagine well known characters such as Waldo from Where's Waldo along with creating new creatures from his own imagination. You can also follow him on his tumblr account at recycledwax.tumblr.com .

"Suburban Invasion" by tokyo-go-go

tokyo-go-go.deviantart.com (South Africa)

Focusing on graphic design, Greg's heavily vectored work seems to show a mix of mainstream gamer/movie culture and his own creature creations. Doing illustrations for both clients and himself, each piece is detailed and captures the viewer's attention.

"M from Mushroom Fake Star" by muloyoung

muloyoung85.deviantart.com (Indonesia)

A graphic artist and illustrator out of Indonesia, Mulo Young has an interesting flare to the work he has on display. Having several staple characters, they seem to be his avatar and original creatures in a world that only Mulo has access to. You can check out more of his work on his blog muloyoung.blogspot.com.