Art teacher Hirotaka Hamasaki of Nara, Japan, connects to his students through elaborate chalkboard drawings.

Art teachers have an exceptional opportunity to inspire the next generation of creative students. They use all kinds of strategies to connect with their students. One of these is Hirotaka Hamasaki, a fine arts teacher and graphic designer from Nara, Japan. He connects with young people through his elaborate chalkboard drawings, where he recreates a variety of the world’s great masterpieces and a wealth of pop art pieces. 

Instead of writing notes or homework assignments for his students, Hirotaka emulates great works of art that feature historically significant imagery. Examples include Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper or Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. Sometimes he recreates contemporary or pop art works, such as Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

In recent years, Hirotaka’s artwork has gone viral. His blackboard masterpieces have gone beyond his classroom, capturing the imaginations of millions of people all over the globe. But what many people don’t know is that he is not the only one who has shared a talent in blackboard art. In fact, there’s an actual blackboard art trend that has been sweeping Japanese schools for nearly a decade now. The trend can be traced back to at least 2012, when Kotaku East published an article about three students who spent a whole week decorating their classroom blackboard with an impressive chalkboard drawing inspired by the popular One Piece anime series. The following year, the internet magazine published another article, this time posting more amazing chalk drawings from the same three students. They also featured other creations from various schools around Japan.

See more of this amazing educator’s work on Instagram at Hirotaka Hamasaki.