Nara Kafe
Czech illustrator, based in Brno, Czechia
has worked on client illustration and magazine comic strips
traditional media: comic markers, ink, water colours, gouache
digital media: procreate, adobe illustrator
Hello,
I am Nara and I am a storyteller, mythology nerd, and creature keeper - that is a keeper of my two cats and all the imaginary ones. My cats bring me joy and worries, but are primarily a really weird inspiration for me. I love fairytales and anything magical. I drink a lot of coffee, but I have to have black tea first thing in the morning! I also like autumn colours and change in all forms so I do a lot of different things. Life has to be dynamic, you know!
I started drawing ever since I can remember. I do not have any art education background, although I was taking some general art courses and was supposed to graduate from art as one of my majors in high school (which I changed last minute). I also took several courses in ceramics, which I enjoyed quite a lot. One especially great one was traditional Japanese pottery I took in Kyoto, Japan, in 2019/2020. I have been playing with pottery and ceramics since primary school.
I have always dreamed of publishing my own children's books, graphic novels, or just some fun illustrated stories with exciting turns and unexpected characters. Recently I have also been amazed by all the different applications cute designs can have - be it custom postcards, stickers and washi tapes. I have binged art channels making these and collected a lot of stationery during my time in Japan. Another hobby has been following different art challenges, which are fun and an easy way to connect with the art community. Putting all this together, I want to combine the useful and playful ideas I have and create things that bring me joy and are practical.
I grew up drawing animals and people around me, creating my own versions of comics and stories about creatures from my fantasy. I think this tendency is still apparent in my art today. I later started a huge collection of different mythology books and monster guides, which are always really well-illustrated. I love to learn something new! I also grew up watching Ghibli movies and Pokemon a lot, so I was unknowingly influenced by Japanese art style. Another huge inspiration has been Alphonse Mucha, whose work my mum adores so much that there are still quite a few prints and motifs to be found at my parents' house. I believe all these influences merged with my imagination and led me to where I am now, still seeking out something new and appealing.
Life is sometimes hard and frustrating, so connecting with people through art makes it just a tiny bit easier.
Some kitties can help though!
On the right is my first ever animated gif, it was so fun to make.
Hope you have fun browsing by.
Thank you all for being here. I hope you enjoy what I make!
See you around,
Nara Kafe :)