If only one word could be used to describe Daisuke Tajima’s cityscapes, it would be meticulous. The Japanese artist’s enormous canvases are a sight to behold, filled with vertigo-inducing lines that come together to create elaborate skyscrapers. Drawn entirely in ink, these cities are a product of Tajima’s imagination, conjured up by childhood influences and adult travels.
Taking anywhere from a month to several years to complete, depending on the size, Tajima’s drawings begin with a preparatory sketch, which he then outlines in pencil on paper mounted to a wood panel. Using long rulers, he creates lines that help build up these fictive skyscrapers. Tajima doesn’t work from source images, but uses his own memories to create these elaborate scenes. Influences include the anime and science-fiction films he devoured as a child, as well as travels through Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.
“I saw jumbled buildings and haphazardly lined Chinese signs, and countless cranes at huge construction sites,” he tells My Modern Met. “The landscapes of the Chinese region were somewhat similar to the worlds I’d seen on TV and in movies.”
These experiences converge with Tajima’s need to remind us that modern convenience comes at a price. While we may have everything at our fingertips in these larger-than-life cities, as humans, we are almost reduced to being invisible, lost among the fray. By building a 3D world on a 2D panel, Tajima brings us into this world, which is marked by loneliness and a need to compete with the happiness—real or fictitious—that people place online.
After over 10 years of drawing cities, Tajima continues to push himself. Currently, he’s working on a 16.5-foot by 13-foot drawing and continuing to perfect his craft.
Scroll down for more of his incredible work and follow Daisuke Tajima on Instagram to watch his creative process unfold.
Japanese artist Daisuke Tajima is known for his massive cityscape drawings, rendered entirely in ink.
Tajima doesn’t work from source images, but uses his own memories to create these elaborate scenes.
Watching him work on these drawings, which can take anywhere from months to years to complete, is a pleasure.
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