You may have seen a Pineapple Totoro, Deadpool Maneki Neko or Voltron Panda popping up around the island, on benches, signs, walls, laptops or binders. These creations are the work of 7Sketches, an artist and designer currently making his unique mark in the sticker and art world.

Blending the spheres of cartoons, anime, comic books and manga, along with hip hop and local culture, 7Sketches has created a world of mashup characters that are infiltrating the Honolulu city scene.

Originally, 7Sketches was created as a comic strip for UH Manoa’s student newspaper. Fast forward to 2015, 7Sketches sold merchandise with his original designs for the first time at Art + Flea. Starting off with stickers, 7Sketches now carries his designs over to canvas prints, t-shirts, hoodies and more! This year he was also a selected artist in POW! WOW!, the internationally recognized creative event, held annually in Kaka’ako.

We recently got the chance to interview him. Read on to learn more about the mastermind behind the designs.

What is the meaning behind 7Sketches?

7 is an important number to me as I was born under the 7th star and I'm currently in my 7th reincarnation as a human being. 8 years ago I used to be a gerbil. This will be my last life as a human being so I'm trying to go big with 7Sketches. That's the lie I tell people because the truth is boring - 7 is my favorite number and I like to sketch.

What role does art and creating play in your life?

Art has played several roles in my life: 1- it's been the voice for my sense of humor and my experiences through my comic strips. 2 - it's my sugar mama, a source of extra side income. 3 - since doing events, it's been the mutual friend between myself and people who appreciate my art, fellow artists, and people who I admire and am inspired by. My art has introduced me to so many nice and cool people!

Do you ever get a creative block? If so, how do you overcome it?

Definitely! When I get stuck, sometimes I just walk away from it and do something else fun or relaxing that has nothing to do with art. I feel like I have to give time for my creativity to recharge. Plus, just experiencing life outside of art will often lead me to new creative ideas. Sometimes I will look at other people's art for inspiration too. I have a lot of favorite artists whose work inspire the look or concepts of my art.

What is your favorite part about being an artist?

I love all the experiences it has led me to outside of just sitting at home drawing. I really enjoy being around other artists and people who appreciate art at the various events I vend at. I love traveling, and when it's for my art, it takes it to another level. I've gotten to go to Maui and California so far. Hopefully, that's the start of more off island events to come. Above all, I find so much joy in seeing my ideas materialize and having them appreciated by others!

What is on your bucket list?

Art-wise, I would like to put together a book of my comic strips and create my own designer toy one day. I would also like to travel more to art conventions whether it's to sell or to just be a fan. Besides that, I'd love to ride in a hot air balloon, check out the Moai heads on Easter Island, and it would be awesome if I could clean my apartment!

If you could only use one color and one type of media for the rest of your life (to do art), what would you choose and why?

Black because it's the sexiest color. I love the process of painting with a brush, it's probably the most fun medium, but the computer has allowed me to do so much more with my art. My goal has always been to have a brand that’s character design driven that can be printed on or created into anything like that of Sanrio and Tokidoki. I might have to go with the computer.

If you were to become one of the characters you design, which one would you choose and why?

At the moment, maybe the octopus. I feel like at any one time I'm juggling a bunch of tasks, would love an extra 7 limbs to get more work done faster!

To see more of 7Sketches’s work and upcoming events, visit his Instagram or Facebook, or Twitter.

He also has a selection of his stickers available for purchase at https://www.redbubble.com/people/7sketches/collections/805792-stickers.