Artist Interview: Sato
Between Robots and Dreams: The Art of Masanori Sato
Written by SOONNESS / July 07, 2025 / Profile photo: Laughing Hat by Masanori Sato
We’re delighted to introduce Masanori Sato, an artist whose intricate, imaginative worlds invite curiosity and wonder.
From his early days sketching simple tin toy robots to a career spanning game design and hand-painted gallery pieces, Masanori has pursued a lifelong love of drawing with remarkable dedication. His art reveals a masterful attention to detail, layered colors, and characters full of personality, blending nostalgic influences with a sense of playful exploration. Whether inspired by vintage picture books or classic illustrators, his creative vision feels both deeply personal and universally engaging.
In this interview, Masanori shares how his style has evolved, what continues to fuel his inspiration, and what it means to see his work come to life as a jigsaw puzzle.
Early Inspirations
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you first got into art?
My name is Masanori Sato. I loved drawing since I was a child, so I aimed for an art university because I wanted a job related to art. After graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, I worked at a game company, where I was in charge of package design, illustration, and logo design. After leaving the company, I worked freelance doing art direction for games and illustrations for card games. Since 2020, I have mainly been creating original hand-drawn works.
What were some of your earliest influences growing up? Were there any artists, games, or objects that shaped your style?
As a child, I liked drawing robots with simple forms, like tin toys.
In my teenage years, I was deeply moved by the works of Yoshiyuki Takani, and I still use his shadow and light techniques as a reference.
Photo above: Art by Yoshiyuki Takani
You’ve worked on everything from game graphics to gallery pieces. How has your style changed over time? Where do you find your inspirations?
There are countless artists who have influenced me, so it’s impossible to name them all, but I get inspiration from the web, from old books, from figurines, and many other things.
I particularly remember being shocked by the works of Albin Brunovsky, which I discovered about ten years ago. I think if I had known his work earlier in my life, it might have changed it completely.
My style may continue to evolve, and I don’t know what the future holds, but after quitting my company job, my horizons and range of expression have greatly expanded.
When I was working at the company, I was probably too busy with daily tasks to take the time to reflect on my own art.
Photo above: Art by Albin Brunovsky
Photo above: old books, figurines, and all things that inspire Sato's art
Process & Style
Your work has so much detail and character. Can you walk us through your usual process when creating a piece- from idea to final drawing?
For pen drawings and other detailed works, I digitally combine sketches I’ve accumulated and carefully decide on the colors. I then print out the finalized design, trace it onto paper or panels, and faithfully draw it. Sometimes I also redraw old pieces by adding my current style. In those cases, I repeat erasing and drawing again, without setting a particular goal, and just draw freely.
Because there’s no fixed plan, I don’t know what the finished work will look like, but since I can draw freely without getting stiff, I often discover new techniques or ideas. I draw these kinds of works occasionally, as a way to relax.
What tools or materials do you love working with the most?
For pen drawings, I mainly use highlighters and gel ballpoint pens. For acrylic paintings, I use acrylic paints (Liquitex). I also use acrylic gouache, but I mainly prefer transparent acrylic paints. The ratio is about 80% acrylic paint to 20% acrylic gouache.
You often include fun and strange objects or creatures in your drawings. Do you collect anything that influences your ideas?
Recently, I’ve been collecting old overseas picture books. I have several thousand books crammed into a small room, and it feels like the floor could collapse at any moment. I also used to collect a lot of figurines, soft vinyl toys, and vintage toys, but they have accumulated to the point where I couldn’t fit them in my room anymore, so I stopped collecting them.
SOONNESS Collaboration
What was your first reaction when SOONNESS reached out to collaborate on the Halloween Series? Have you ever imagined your work as a jigsaw puzzle before?
I sometimes get comments on Instagram like “I’d love this artwork as a puzzle,” but no one had ever said they wanted to make “Laughing Hat” into a puzzle, so I was a bit surprised. Since my wife likes puzzles, I thought it would be fun to collaborate.
What do you hope people feel or notice when they spend time with your puzzle art “Laughing Hat”?
I’d be happy if they could feel the texture unique to hand-drawn work, like the brushstrokes, overlapping colors, and unevenness.
Photo above: Laughing Hat Puzzle in collaboration with SOONNESS
Looking ahead & Creative Advice
What advice would you give to young artists who are still discovering their own style or creative voice?
Nowadays, it’s convenient to access information, but at the same time, so many similar styles are flooding the scene that it’s hard to find the true value of things. On the other hand, social media has made it easier to show your work to people all over the world. I think it’s good to use people’s reactions as a reference but not be too caught up in them, and to pick and choose opinions while searching for a style that is fun and satisfying for yourself.
Are there any personal projects or themes you're excited to explore next?
Through working on this puzzle, I’ve also developed an interest in making goods. In the future, I’d like to try making original figurines.
