My new book and the creative process

They say in Japan that art is the illusion of spontaneity. When I read to children, this question is recurrent: “How long did it take you to make that book?” Sometimes I reply “all my life.” This is a book about the process of creating a picture book and also about the process of creating a drawing for the emperor. A book that was long in its conception finally lands on paper to be digested by readers now and in the future.