We’ve all tried typing words on a calculator, but have you ever thought of using Microsoft Excel for drawing? If not, then you need to up your creativity game, because an 80-year man from Japan thought of this idea 20 years ago and became an artist that you cannot help but respect.
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An Unexpected Talent From Japan
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Tatsuo Horiuchi, hailing from Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, wanted to challenge himself by doing something new, after his retirement in 2000. He decided on art. But the catch was that good art supplies can be expensive, and even advanced tools for digital art don’t come cheap. That’s where he must’ve applied his efficient and thrifty Asian brain, and voila! He gets the idea of using the pre-installed Microsoft Excel on his PC as his medium. An app conventionally thought to be reserved for mathematical and graphical analyses was suddenly given a new purpose by his creativity.
How does he use Excel?
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But why not Microsoft Paint, you may ask? Isn’t that a more logical choice of app for painting? Well it seems so, but Horiuchi says that MS Excel offered “a greater range of functions and was easier to use.” Remember those tools and equations that made us cry while making graphs for statistics? This artist uses the same simple vector drawing aids to create legitimate masterpieces. For example, you can make trees with the line tool and do subtle shading with the bucket tool. I mean, I don’t know if you can, but he definitely can.
Of course, he didn’t start making them right away, because as cool as his art is, it is also a pretty difficult process. Instead, he arranged a 10-year plan of learning it. Using the first 3 years to draw elements and objects like trees or vegetables, and the next 3 years to learn how to combine such motifs together to form a painting, he perfected his art bit by bit, and reached the point where he could make jaw-dropping artworks using just MS Excel. Don’t believe me? Look here!
His Themes and Topics
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He first came in the spotlight in 2006, when he entered an Excel Autoshape Art Contest and won with his stunning pieces. Since then, he has continued to recreate Japan’s beautiful landscapes and cultural sights like Th Miroku Waterfall, Cherry Blossoms At Jogo Castle, View of Tomonoura, Koinobori (a festival) etc. on his computer. He seems to do complete justice to these heavenly places with his bright colors and accurate techniques. According to Horiuchi, it takes a lot of time and patience but the results are worth it, and we couldn’t agree more!
Shining With His Artistic Passion!
He has revealed that people make fun of him sometimes. They ask him what the point is in putting so much effort for something at his age. This sweet old man takes all these jabs in good humor and continues to make his paintings. With this level of dedication, it is only natural that he would receive acclaim. He is now basically considered a legend, dubbed the title ‘The Michaelangelo of Microsoft Excel’, and much of his art is displayed in the local Gunma Museum of Art. I think our sense of admiration for his work comes from the fact that we all know how tough working with MS Excel really is, and therefore salute this man who has managed to do such wonders with this simple software and a basic printer. Needless to say, people are starting to get excited about supporting this artist by buying his work!
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Tatsuo Horiuchi is an inspiration for aspiring artists of all kinds; art can be done with anything without restrictions. As long as you have passion and patience, the world is your canvas. His down-to-earth kindness is also evident because you can find some beginner’s instructions to use MS Excel for painting, on his website; spreading his skill for everyone to learn! There’s only one thing left to say after we have learnt of his accomplishments- ‘Excel-lent work, Mr Horiuchi!
If you liked reading this, you will love: Pablo Rochat – Digital Artist, Creative Director, Transformer Of Everyday Things Into Art
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