My name is Marika Tamura, I am a Japanese illustrator / visual development artist, currently based in Portland, Oregon. I love creating emotionally-driven paintings that carry warmth and nostalgia. I believe that my strength is my curiosity in stories from different cultures around the world; I truly enjoy learning different cultures and collecting accurate reference materials. I am also interested in drawing androgynous children so that any child can feel a connection to characters in my illustrations. I have been primarily working in the animation industry for the past 4 years but my interest in children’s book illustration has been growing as I want to tell more personal stories with the charm of 2D paintings that feels hand-drawn and textured. My past clients include LAIKA, Disney Parks & Experiences, Fortnite, LEGO, and more; through these experiences, I am comfortable working within deadlines and receiving and responding to feedback. Thank you for your consideration!…

Marika Tamura

My name is Marika Tamura, I am a Japanese illustrator / visual development artist, currently based in Portland, Oregon. I love creating emotionally-driven paintings that carry warmth and nostalgia. I believe that my strength is my curiosity in stories from different cultures around the world; I truly enjoy learning different cultures and collecting accurate reference materials. I am also interested in drawing androgynous children so that any child can feel a connection to characters in my illustrations. I have been primarily working in the animation industry for the past 4 years but my interest in children’s book illustration has been growing as I want to tell more personal stories with the charm of 2D paintings that feels hand-drawn and textured. My past clients include LAIKA, Disney Parks & Experiences, Fortnite, LEGO, and more; through these experiences, I am comfortable working within deadlines and receiving and responding to feedback. Thank you for your consideration!…

Available to hire

My name is Marika Tamura, I am a Japanese illustrator / visual development artist, currently based in Portland, Oregon.

I love creating emotionally-driven paintings that carry warmth and nostalgia. I believe that my strength is my curiosity in stories from different cultures around the world; I truly enjoy learning different cultures and collecting accurate reference materials. I am also interested in drawing androgynous children so that any child can feel a connection to characters in my illustrations.

I have been primarily working in the animation industry for the past 4 years but my interest in children’s book illustration has been growing as I want to tell more personal stories with the charm of 2D paintings that feels hand-drawn and textured. My past clients include LAIKA, Disney Parks & Experiences, Fortnite, LEGO, and more; through these experiences, I am comfortable working within deadlines and receiving and responding to feedback.

Thank you for your consideration!

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Skills

Experience Level

Language

Japanese
Fluent
English
Fluent

Work Experience

Freelance Concept Artist/3D Environment Artist at Keytales
March 1, 2025 - Present
Creating environment designs and graphic designs for an indie animated feature film, "Wildheart". Building production-ready 3D environment models, such as a town and stores, in Blender.
Freelance Concept Artist at Liquid Animation
March 1, 2024 - Present
Developing game design ideation and environment designs on Disney x Fortnite Experience. Produced environment designs, color keys, background paintings, and layouts for LEGO Ninjago animated mini-series. Created early development concept artworks and character pose / expression sheets for unannounced animated series by Bandai Namco.
Freelance Concept Artist at The Box Assassin
September 1, 2024 - October 31, 2024
Developed unique environment designs for an indie animated series, “The Box Assassin” created by Jeremy Schaefer.
Concept Artist Mentee at Tonko House
January 1, 2024 - March 31, 2024
Under the guidance of Tonko House artist mentors, created concept art and color keys for my original story, and practiced observational sketch daily.
Visual Development Artist at LAIKA
June 1, 2021 - June 30, 2023
Worked directly with Production Designer and Art Directors to design environments, sets, and props for the feature film, “Wildwood”; contributed shading for characters, sets, and props; painted color and lighting keys.
Freelance Concept Artist at Liquid Animation
August 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022
Produced concept art and color keys for an unannounced digital world of Disney Parks and Experiences.
Freelance Concept Artist at Bardel Entertainment
December 1, 2021 - January 31, 2022
Designed and painted sets and props for Disney Jr. / Disney + series “Super Kitties”.

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Computer Animation at Ringling College of Art & Design
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2021

Qualifications

Student Academy Awards 2021 - Finalist (Final Deathtination)
January 1, 2021 - December 8, 2025
Best of Ringling - Silver Juror’s Award (Final Deathtination)
January 1, 2021 - December 8, 2025

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet

Skills

Experience Level