Ado Mizumori

The creator, was born in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, and loved drawing as a child. Her mother was a painter of modern art, and Mizumori would often draw when her mother's artist friends came to visit. For Mizumori, her mother, who died severl years age, is still the artist she looks up to the most. "I can never outshine mu mother," she says.

Known commonly as "Ado-chan", Ado Mizumori has been a popular comedian for years, but many recall her more as a creator of nostalgic illustrations of girls, boys, dogs, cats and other motifs, which were much loved in the 1970s. Others refer to her as the "Uta no One-san" (Sing-a-song Sister), who drew pictures on a transparent plastic board as she sang songs in "Tanoshii Kyoshitsu" (Happy Class), an educational TV program aired by Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) that she hosted for 15 years during the 1970s and '80s.

The secret to her art is to think of herself as being as many artists as possible rolled into one, says Mizumori, who repeatedly travels alone to places such as Brazil and New Orleans in search of inpiration. Her hard work is hidden beneath her charming smile and character, which are what ultimately show through in her drawings and singing. "In a time full of depressing incidents and intimidating manga, I want people to look at my drawings and be happy," she says.

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