Photos courtesy of Kemas Acil

A pinkish hue on subjects’ noses may be one of the most novel characteristics ever adopted by an artist.

But Kemas “Acil” Dwisatria has made this his own particular thumbprint on all of his work (with some exceptions) because of the simple reason that he suffers from the nose-affecting illness, sinusitis.

“I sneeze every day when I wake up — it only makes sense,” the 29-year-old illustrator says.

However, Kemas says he certainly would like to be noted as more than the red-nosed painter.

His work is influenced by a wide range of artists, mostly — but not limited to — Japanese ones. They are, he lists in detail, comic artists Katsuhiro Otomo and Fujiko F. Fujio, Israeli-born artist Tomer Hanuka and South Korean illustrator Kim Jung-gi.

“For colors, I look up to those names as references, while for perspective and character drawings, I look to [famed Taiwanese-American artist] James Jean, aside from Katsuhiro Otomo and Kim Jung-gi. I look into how they focus on anatomy, take from that and make it my own characteristic,” he says.

He says he also pays specific attention to the much-respected Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, which lets a sense of liveliness, color and humanity seep into Kemas’ works.

“I love all my works because they were inspired by those names — they are all my favorites,” he says.

Having studied at Bina Nusantara University’s School of Design and Visual Communications, Kemas’ works take a lot from Japanese comics (manga), as well as American ones, with a playfulness that particularly appears like a more mature yet still-wistful version of Disney and Ghibli cartoons.

His penchant for strong female subjects has resulted in James Jean-styled depictions of whimsical characters that are reminiscent of Franco-Belgian comic book characters, in particular. A sense of careful balance between the fantastical and a fairy-tale-ish darkness permeates throughout his work.

Kemas’ skills lie in traversing both digital and physical means, with a good amount of digital paintings standing out in his sea of work.

His depictions of the Japanese hero character Ultraman roaming around buildings engages with its dynamics, while his typographical flourishes explode like a spectacular mishmash of cartoon character collages and colors.

His work has found a place in a variety of different mediums, both commercial (a few cell phone providers) and design-based ones, including Christmas cards and pieces for a Star Wars day.

Kemas says that illustrating gives him a sense of comfort and a release for the dreams he has. “I pour everything from my dreams and my thoughts into my illustrations,” he says.

It’s not always easy and though Kemas says he doesn’t mind drawing in any kind of space, he says that his mood drives the creation of his pieces, with some taking a half hour to complete and some an hour to do.

“It goes back to how you set and handle your own mind. I do enjoy working with a variety of mediums to challenge myself, though,” he explains.

With most of his drawings taking inspiration from Japanese culture, Kemas admits that there will always be that element there.

“I like Japanese culture and traditions,” he says, “and the fact that most of the cartoon series we see in Indonesia are from Japan must have had an influence. Still, I am also proud of our country’s traditions. There are also a lot of really great things here — I’m trying to learn more about them.”

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