Rebecca Nitta

Hello! My name is Rebecca. I'm a Brazilian artist with Japanese descent and am currently living in Tokyo.  I love movies, especially animations. I feel like I'm part of my favorite animations, and I use them as inspiration to create a new world through my watercolor paintings. I also draw comics about my life in Tokyo. I have plans to publish my first graphic novel soon!

I started crafting when I was 6 years old, making origami.  Origami is the art of paper folding. I learned how to make it from my mother, to encourage my patience. My parents always supported me to make arts, because of that, my creativity was stimulated from an early age. I graduated with a degree in visual arts and realized how important cultural background is in learning in general. If weren't my parents encouraging me, I wouldn't have created in my childhood. I see many kids being pruned from their ability to create even nowadays. I'd like to be a reference for the next generations, like my parents were for me. We all have the right to create and gain cultural knowledge!

In my country (Brazil) we have a huge range of regional crafts. I grew up going with my family to Olinda, a town in the northeast of Brazil. In Olinda, there is a carnival with a parade of giant puppets made of styrofoam, latex and fabric. Several craftsmen work on the puppets every year. Some of them for over 40 years! The puppets stand about 10 feet tall and weigh as much as 60 pounds. I always have a lot of fun when I join this carnival party.

Nowadays, my favorite mediums to use in my own art are watercolor and Ink. I like to use ink inspired by the Sumie-painting, a traditional Japanese calligraphy. I like the organization, patience and dedication of Japanese people. Everything works well when you have these qualities.