View source for Caricature Japan Festa 2016 Recap

==Article Transcript==
Caricature Japan has started a
revolution. Years ago, owner Kage
Nakanishi made a bold step to
invigorate his team of artists and
keep them invested in the world of caricature.
His plan: Give them the opportunity to
experience a new way of thinking, a fresh
perspective on caricatures, design, career,
passion and the opportunity to meet their
creative heroes firsthand. He wanted to
offer the chance to make caricature art a
career decision, not just a summer job or a
way to pay the bills. He loves what caricature
has given him, and he respects the art
form so deeply that he feels honored and
dutiful to pay that forward. The end result is,
in my opinion, nothing short of amazing and
has changed the way I look at him as a man
and as a business owner and at the entire
industry as a whole.

Many of you know the artists of Caricature
Japan from the ISCA Conventions, but what
you may not know is that Kage handpicks
artists who are pushing themselves and
the art form in a new direction, and he pays
for them to come to the U.S. to compete,
including flight, hotel costs and food. He
does that so that these artists can experience
the chance to see something that
would normally be so out of reach. He does
this because he knows how amazing ISCA
is, and he feels that this act will make the
community in his country stronger. I’ve seen
how hard those artists work at the convention
and back home, and it is inspiring.

Another way that Caricature Japan is promoting
the art in Japan is Caricature Festa. Festa
is a weeklong caricature extravaganza that
includes seminars and tutorials where artists
and guests hear life stories, watch demos,
get career and life advice, and receive art
products and the opportunity to purchase the
guest speakers’ work, of which Caricature Japan
does not take a commission. Additionally,
he schedules several Festas around the country
so that employees don’t have to travel far
to have the experience. There are drawing
days and tours to many locations around the
country with the guest speakers in order to
give his employees the opportunity to show
their work and to take pride in their location.

Kage asks his employees whom they want
to meet and who inspires them and then he
brings that person to their front door. He
schedules seminars and meet-and-greets. He
plans dinners where the artists spend time
with the guest speaker without their boss so
they can let their hair down a bit and get crazy,
draw each other and get inspired.

In the last 10 years, he’s welcomed an
undeniable list of talent with key players
such as Court Jones, Joe Bluhm, Paul Gaunt,
Chris Rommel, Brian Oakes, Jan Op De
Beeck, Manny Hernandez, Steve Silver and
more. Beyond that, Festa also includes
non-art-related stories of success, too. I’ve
seen pro-wrestlers, NFL cheerleaders, local
business owners and acclaimed teachers
give seminars during the week.

This year, I was asked to return to Caricature
Festa 2016, where Nate Kapnicky gave a presentation
on the making of his Beasted book
and gave an inside look at his future projects,
including his pet portrait book Little Beasties.
Kosuke gave a character design seminar, and
my presentation focused on how the art of
caricature has influenced my life, my business
and every creative venture I tackle.

The high-energy week included great art,
amazing food, uplifting talks, kind people
and a culture that will change you forever.
There was also beer at 7 a.m. from vending
machines.

If you get a chance to be in Japan, check out
Caricature Japan and its many locations, and
if you get a chance to go to Festa, I hope you
speak Japanese because the translation only
goes one way. ;)

To learn more about Caricature Japan visit
their website: [http://www.caricature-japan.com caricature-japan.com]
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