CoinOp

Rigamaru is the collaborative brainchild of Chris Sasaki and Meghan Jean. The creative duo is responsible for an ever-growing selection of delightful paper and textile goods. Both Chris and Meghan have backgrounds in illustration and animation, and have worked with such studios as LAIKA and Disney. We caught up with Rigamaru to learn about their inception, their thoughts on collaboration, and what’s next for them as they move down to San Francisco. Read on for more!

Tell us about the word “rigamarole.” One definition I found is “a complex and sometimes ritualistic procedure.” Do you consider the act of creating a ritual?

M: We did a lot of brainstorming over what to call ourselves, trying to come up with something whimsical but relevant. Then I think I heard the word “rigamarole” on some trash-TV program and it was like a lightning bolt. My favorite aspect of its meaning actually has to do with the synonym “runaround.” The fun of creating as children is that it meanders every which way, without much premeditation. Even though the word “runaround” tends to be negative, I thought in our case it celebrated our desire to create freely and in the moment.

Vroom!

I’m interested in the child-like creative outlook you speak of as being the impetus for Rigamaru’s existence. Tell us about this perspective and how it translates into your creative practice.

C: I just rediscovered some old sketchbooks from when I was a kid. It’s amazing to see the drawings because the pages are just filled with imagination and funny characters. The way kids draw is incredible, because there is no part of their brain censoring them from drawing what is really on their mind. Anything is fair game, from pirates fighting dinosaurs, witches cooking alligator stew, or grizzly bear ninjas karate chopping lumberjacks! My goal for Rigamaru and my art is to bring back that sort of creative freedom, and have fun doing it.

M: As a kid I could totally lose myself in the act of drawing. But it grew into a laborious process as I got older. I was very academic about studying art in college, and that awareness is double-edged. Of course I’m a much better draftsman now, but my creative intuition is also more encumbered. I think there is a precarious balance—or a cyclical pattern—of grasping at the principles of a craft, and then letting them go. We wanted Rigamaru to be an arena where anything goes, the way we create as children. If I want to make comics, I can. If I want to make textiles, I can. And if, aesthetically, they don’t mesh, so what?! The solutions will be drawn between those fragments over time.

Beta Clouds Redux Furoshiki, a traditional Japanese-style folding cloth. Available in the Rigamaru shop.

You both have solo art practices. Can you tell us about your creative backgrounds? How did you arrive at joining forces to start Rigamaru?

C: I’ve always been drawing ever since I was little. But when it came down to college, I chose cartoons and studied animation at Woodbury University in Los Angeles. Ever since then I have been fortunate enough to pay my bills doing character design. I met Meghan at LAIKA and fell in love with her freckles. Starting Rigamaru was a natural progression because we both love creating and had similar philosophies about it. We figured, why not do it together?

M: My background is primarily in comics. I wanted to be a filmmaker in high school so that I could tell visual stories, but I knew I loved drawing and painting too much not to make them a focus in college. So I ended up in the Sequential Art program at SCAD, which seemed like a meeting point for all those disciplines. I began working in animation after graduating, ultimately landing at LAIKA where I met Chris. Rigamaru developed out of a desire for the fulfillment that comes with creative control; we want to design our own finished products. In animation, you’re quick to feel like a small cog in a big machine. The art we make for animation may never see the light of day, and if it does, it’s altered or filtered through another medium or style. Rigamaru is our outlet, in both a creative and pragmatic sense.

Woodland Creature shirt, available in the Rigamaru shop.

You two describe Rigamaru as a “collaborative brainchild.” Can you describe the collaboration process on a particular piece you’ve made together?

M: I think collaborating came naturally because it’s how we met. At LAIKA, we were always exchanging feedback and working together. The process is rather nebulous with Rigamaru; not premeditated. Often we pass drawings back and forth, each adding a little here or there, pushing and pulling the design, playing off our unique strengths. Or sometimes the exchange is completely verbal. Other times it’s more of an assembly line, where one of us draws and the other paints. Our shirts for example, are Chris’ drawings with my clean-up and color.

You were at the APE (Alternative Press Expo) show in San Francisco this past summer. How did that go? What did you learn from that type of event?

M: Book your hotel far in advance! Really, though, it went well. We’ve both been to Comic-Con in the past and it’s just grown into such an insane show, so APE was a relief. The booth setup is what I stressed over the most, so getting the 411 from people who had been before was helpful. I also think it puts shoppers at ease if you preoccupy yourself with something while sitting at the booth. Bring a friend or a project. People tend to like observing your process a little, anyway.

C: APE was a great experience. We met up with a lot of friends, got our name out there, and hopefully found a few fans. It was great to see other artists and put faces to names and artwork. Interestingly, we seemed to have a lot of couples come by the booth–probably boyfriends who’d dragged girlfriends to the convention. I guess we happened to have a table that satisfied both interests.

Rigamaru’s table at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco this past summer.

We’ve printed some great items for you Your exploding butterfly man was a big hit at the shop. What’s the story on this guy? Why does he explode into butterflies?

C: Because Meghan gets butterflies thinking about me on the way to work!

M: Haha! That print unfolded as a sort of visual puzzle. An image came to mind of this man in a suit walking down the street and I just let it simmer there for awhile. I tend to do that a lot. Later I was thinking about swarms; of birds, bees, then butterflies. I wondered how these two images, the man and the butterflies, could meet. What would be the circumstances, real or unreal? And so, I began drawing. I think there is certainly a story there, but I would hate to nail it down in words.

Swarm Print, printed by Pinball! Available in the shop.

We really loved the RAWR! Scout Book and your commanding use of color. Do you two have a favorite Rigamaru piece?

C: Thanks! Although, I admit that I am never really happy with anything I do. Meghan always saves my crumpled drawings from the trash. In fact the Woodland Creature design was a sketch I did for fun and when Meghan suggested we use it for Rigamaru, I was resistant. But it has turned out to be our best seller! I don’t really have a favorite piece that I have done. But if I had to choose it would be Meghan’s Swarm print with the exploding butterfly man.

Rawr! Muchkin Jotter, printed by Pinball! Available in the Rigamaru shop.

You two have worked in the animation business with great studios like Laika, Disney, and soon Pixar. How do your day jobs inform the personal work you make?

C: Animation is a great industry. I get to draw all day surrounded by cartoons and talented artists. But at the end of the day, you are working on someone else’s project. So it’s really important for me to come home and draw for myself, and have no real direction of where to go except to just have fun going there. If there is anything I carry away from the animation industry and into my own projects, it’s an eye for relevant character design. In fact, my designs are almost always character based.

Rigamaru’s home studio.

You’re headed down to San Francisco in February. How do you feel about leaving Portland, and what are you excited to find in California?

M: We’ve grown rather fond of Portland, so the feelings are mixed. No doubt we’ll miss it here–I confess, I’ll especially miss the food! But we’re also excited for all the potential of San Francisco.

C: I am sad to leave Portland, because I fell in love with this town from the first day. It has the best beer, food, and a really great community for artists. Although, I am looking forward to eating In-N-Out again.

Rigamaru at home in the studio.

Where do you collect inspiration? Any favorite blogs, books, or artists you’re looking at lately?

C: I love animation art. I am a huge fan of 50′s and 60′s animation art and illustration: UPA, Mary Blair, Tom Oreb, Charlie Harper, Ronald Searle and the list goes on. There are a lot of artists, blogs, sites out there today, so it’s hard to narrow them down. But I do love Shorpy.com. They have some amazing reference.

M: I tend to find the healthiest inspiration in things that are just beyond the sphere of what I create. I ration my intake of artist and art culture blogs, because they tend to overwhelm me. I’d have to say favorite website is also the Shorpy Photo Archive. Photojournalism is inspiring because of the spontaneity with which it suggests narrative. I also love non-fiction literature and podcasts like RadioLab, because Real Life always does it better than anything we could hope to make up.

Business cards printed by Pinball.

Besides your move, what do you have planned for Rigamaru in 2010?

M: I think we’ve laid a solid foundation for the business at this point, so next year the focus is really on the work. I plan to start making mini-comics again, and also do a lot more textile design. I’ve begun to play with ways to combine the two, so we’ll see what turns up on that front!

C: We definitely plan to go to more conventions and continue to get our name out there. I am also working on Circus Freakshow alphabet book. We are hoping to have it published and ready to go by the time APE rolls around in 2010.

Thank you Rigamaru!