Get to Know Sachiko Oguri, the Artist Behind This Year’s Lucky Bag

Here at Beautylish, we celebrate the new year with a special tradition: Lucky Bags. Inspired by the Japanese custom of fukubukuro, Lucky Bags are mystery bags full of beauty surprises—think makeup, skincare, and haircare from your favorite brands at Beautylish. This year’s Lucky Bag illustrations were done by Sachiko Oguri, an illustrator based in Tokyo whose artwork we fell in love with. Read on to get to know Sachiko and the inspiration behind this year’s Lucky Bags.

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

I am a Japanese illustrator from Tokyo who graduated with a B.A. in Illustration at Middlesex University in London.

How did you become interested in illustration? What inspires your style?

I don’t remember, but I really liked drawing illustrations since I was a child. My artwork is inspired by everyday life and my favorite things: food, culture, graphic novels, and cartoon films. I grew up on Japanese comics and cartoons in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so that informed my artwork today.

Sumo wrestlers are a common theme in your work. Why is that?

My parents always watched sumo wrestling on TV when I was a child, but I was not interested in sumo wrestling at that time. After studying illustration in London, I became interested because a Japanese sumo wrestler (Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro) won a top-division sumo tournament for the first time in a decade. Now I really like sumo, and I usually illustrate sumo wrestlers because I am glad if someone becomes interested in sumo from my work.

What do you love most about being an artist?

I really like that I can communicate with people through my artwork without language as an illustrator. When I make an illustration, I always think about how to communicate with people. Therefore, I am so glad that I can communicate with people in dozens of countries through my artwork.

What do you hope for in 2019? Any goals?

Actually, this was the first time that I illustrated a sumo wrestler for a project. I also really enjoyed getting to design a wrapping paper pattern. Thank you so much for giving me this wonderful opportunity! Therefore, I want to work on more projects related to Japanese culture… I am glad if people become interested in Japanese history, customs, etc. via my artwork.

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You can get your Lucky Bag here. You can find more of Sachiko Oguri’s work on her website, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram (@sachikooguri), and Twitter (@sachiko_oguri).