About
Leeay is a Toronto based illustrator originally from Japan. Her first cover art was published on a school-year book, when she was just six. It was a drawing of a hen that she was petting in school. As a child, she would often tell her parents that she was disgusted by certain fonts they used in Toyama, her home-town in Japan. She thought they had no sense of design, even when she didn’t know there was such a field. Perhaps this was a sign that she had a stronger calling from her creative side. However, she ended up entering a rather Math oriented high school and struggled for years, barely passing her Math exams. Toyama City frustrated Leeay, as it was a place which encouraged its students to value mathematics, physics and engineering. Having a career in the Arts was something foreign to the schools of Toyama City.
“I want to be a creative person full of imagination”, Leeay would answer, when her teacher asked her what she wanted to be.
In a way, her dream has come true. Today, when she’s not doing freelance illustration, Leeay is travelling to get more inspiration or biking around the city. Leeay is also a staff illustrator for Rookie (Teen’s website editted by Tavi Gevinson).
