Riki Study (Tokyo Artists League, 2022)

Artist Notes

This figure study was drawn in 2022 at Tokyo Artists League, featuring model Riki (@rikrrossphotos) — a heavily tattooed American redhead whose pose and silhouette created a strong balance of softness and structure.
At the time, I didn’t publish this drawing because I felt it wasn’t resolved enough. Revisiting it now, I see something I couldn’t fully appreciate then: the atmosphere of the session, the restraint in the mark-making, and the attempt to let value and edge do more of the storytelling than detail.

The piece combines charcoal massing with sepia pencil accents to guide focus through the figure. Rather than chasing a polished finish, I leaned into tonal transitions, negative space, and the tension between the body’s light planes and the darker field behind it. The tattoos were suggested, not over-rendered, so the gesture could stay intact.

Going through old work like this has become part of my current practice — not just archiving, but learning from earlier decisions. This drawing is a reminder that even pieces we set aside can carry useful information about intent, process, and growth.

Model credit:
Model: Riki (@rikrrossphotos on Instagram)
Drawn at Tokyo Artists League

Medium

Charcoal and Sepia Pencil on Paper (stretched on box frame), 2022