Grandpa's Magic Brush: Shibasaki Harumichi / Painter, Watercolor Instructor

"Direct Talk"

Our guest today is painter Shibasaki Harumichi.

An experienced art teacher,

he created a YouTube channel in 2017 at the age of 69.

He posts videos twice a week

typically about drawing and painting.

In this video, he brings out the pastel set

his son used at school more than 30 years ago.

"I place these colors for obscure reasons..."

He paints a young girl in a meadow.

In some videos, he shows how to make art

using simple materials everyone has at home,

even just a pencil.

In others, he offers critiques of viewers' work,

forging connections with his fans.

As COVID-19 kept people indoors for long stretches,

Shibasaki's videos boomed in popularity.

His channel currently has 1.55 million subscribers.

He spoke with us about providing comfort and healing through his art.

I wanted to be like, we're making art together

and having fun while we're at it.

On YouTube, you can reach tens of thousands,

even hundreds of thousands of people.

But for me, the joy comes from connecting with you,

with individuals.

Chiba Prefecture just east of Tokyo.

This is where we find Shibasaki's art studio.

The 75-year-old sets up all the camera equipment

for his video channel by himself.

Shibasaki has been making a splash

with his superb artistic technique.

"Today I will draw using these 100-yen shop items, calligraphy ink and crayons."

He boldly applies lots of color.

"Use blue for the bottom."

"Purple is also layered."

"Now, let's keep adding layers."

"I'm drawing something weird."

Sometimes he uses his fingers.

Sometimes, a box cutter.

"Something glowed white."

Let's see the finished product.

"That's all."

Art is fun, whatever you draw, whatever you use.

By showing my painting process,

I can provide my viewers with some enjoyment.

I believe I can make them happy.

And if that's all it takes, consider it done.

One of Shibasaki's popular regular features

is his "critique" series.

Viewers send him their art,

and he offers professional pointers.

It's fun and interactive.

He offers specific advice on each piece of artwork.

"Such wonderful colors."

"The best point about this painting is the colors used."

"I see that the teapot is facing literally sideways."

"It may be more attractive if it's placed at an angle."

"Then these cookies stand out as well."

"I hope my suggestions are helpful."

Shibasaki presents his interpretation of the viewer's work.

When I saw it, I just screamed to my husband that,

"Oh! My picture is on YouTube."

What he impresses me the most is

he really enjoys the process.

He always said, "Don't be afraid of

making mistakes. Just draw."

So I think it's really encouraging.

When I look at art that someone sent me,

an image of them comes into my mind

even though I haven't actually met them.

Even for me, starting on a painting

is like standing at the entrance to the Sahara Desert.

You have no idea which way to go.

That's the creative process.

And yet, viewers take on the challenge and send in their work.

That alone deserves applause.

Shibasaki Harumichi was born in 1947

on a farm in a small village in Chiba.

I loved making things. I would go to the carpenters

where they had lots of wood scraps and wood shavings

and asked them to give some to me.

I would make a lion's head or something. I loved that.

And the carpenters would see it and say, "Great work, kid."

and give me encouragement.

As the oldest son,

Shibasaki was expected to take over the family farm.

But he started to dream about going to Tokyo to attend art school.

One day, as I was standing out in the rice paddies,

I worked up the courage to say,

"Dad, I'd really like to go to Tokyo for a while."

And without missing a beat he said,

"Sure, I think that's a great idea. You should go."

My parents never tried to talk me out of anything.

They never told me there was something I had to change.

They offered nothing but encouragement.

I think they wanted their son to follow his own path.

So with his family's encouragement,

Shibasaki headed to art school to hone his painting skills.

After graduating,

he managed to land a job at a company that offered distance-learning art courses.

His role was to critique students' artwork

sending it back to them with tips and advice.

One day, in his 40s,

Shibasaki decided he would travel the world creating his own art.

He backpacked around the globe visiting about 40 countries in all.

What I found was that in every single country I went to,

people enjoyed watching someone make art.

It didn't matter where.

"Oh wow, you drew this? That's amazing."

They'd complement me to my face.

I could feel their interest in what I was doing,

and that made me happy.

"What do you think? Pretty good, huh?"

They didn't understand a word I was saying.

Then, someone would grab my hand and say,

"You should come over here. There's a better spot. I'll show you."

Through his world travels,

Shibasaki saw how art had the power to bring people together.

At the age of 54,

he traveled to New York in order to further his painting studies.

But then the day after he arrived...

Suddenly, I heard this commotion outside.

The wail of sirens,

people screaming in confusion,

noise everywhere.

So I rushed outside

and I looked over there and saw huge clouds of smoke.

I realized that something awful must have happened.

Shibasaki witnessed the September 11th terror attacks firsthand.

Among the many casualties were police officers in the line of duty.

Wanting to support the families of those lost officers,

Shibasaki put on a charity exhibition in New York

and auctioned off a number of his paintings.

It showed me that there were ways that art could serve the public good.

And as an artist, that really is the greatest joy you can ask for.

After returning to Japan, Shibasaki taught painting classes

and held several solo shows a year.

It was a peaceful, fulfilling existence.

But then, a conversation with his son changed the course of his life.

My son was helping me with an exhibition and he said,

"Wow dad, there are a lot of people here. Great turnout.

But you know, these days there's also YouTube.

If you started a channel, way more people could see your art.

What do you think?" So it was his idea.

You have to know that I'm a person who loves new things,

so I jumped in right away.

And with that, in 2017,

a new YouTube channel was born.

15 months after posting his first video,

he had over 100,000 subscribers,

a great success in the world of YouTube.

Then in 2020,

COVID-19 spread across the globe

and people began sheltering in place.

But Shibasaki was determined to keep sharing the joys of art.

He posted a video where he draws using nothing more than a single pencil.

With everything going on,

I felt like it was time for me as a YouTuber to step it up.

So I thought I would invite people to come make art with me.

And what better way to do that than to say,

hey, let's make art together

using something everyone has in their house, a pencil.

I thought it would be a great way to keep people's spirits up.

So I went for it.

The response was immediate.

People who'd stopped making art because of COVID

were able to enjoy drawing again.

It was great.

The reaction was really wonderful.

Shibasaki's audience kept growing,

and in February 2022,

he hit one million subscribers

that has since grown to 1.55 million.

His viewers come not just to witness his artistic flair

but to connect with the person himself.

Sometimes I get these really long comments, like,

"I just broke up with my girlfriend

and I'm watching your videos with tears streaming down my face."

I get all sorts of feedback, and when I read those kinds of comments,

I tell them, hey, I've been there too.

I've had my share of dark days,

but you'll get through this and work up the courage to get up and go again.

- Hello.
- Hello there.

Shibasaki will turn 76 this year.

I saw you on the internet.

Thanks for watching.

He wants to build on his connection with his fans

as he expands the scope of his activities.

In 2022, he held an international children's art contest.

He received hundreds of submissions from around the globe

including Japan, the United States,

China, Mexico and more.

Here he is trying out VR art.

"See how it's coming along?"

Since starting my channel,

it's the encouragement I get from everyone that pushes me to broaden my horizons.

I'm truly grateful. I feel like a kid again.

And together with my viewers, I want to keep having fun

and experimenting with these mediums.

(Do you have any words to live by?)

"Don't stress. Don't be greedy. Don't be picky."

In art, if you try to force things,

it becomes hard for inspiration to strike,

for the good ideas to come to you.

So I always say,

think of your first attempt as an opportunity to fail.

The actual process begins on the second try.

The second line is "Don't be greedy."

When you want to draw a great picture,

you're going to want to put lots of different things in.

But what really inspires you?

That's what you should draw.

Try out that approach.

And don't be picky.

It's human nature to want to get everything right, to make something perfect.

But you end up drifting aimlessly.

What's truly valuable, the thing that will make you happy,

it could be right there at your feet.

It could be right there in your hands

and you just don't see it.

When you think about it that way,

maybe it's not so hard to decide how to live your life.

That's what I believe.