Andrew Joyce’s Favorite Tools for Drawing Everyday Stories
Meet Andrew Joyce, a UK/Japan-based illustrator known for his distinctive graphic style that blends simplicity with charm.
Andrew’s illustrations are minimalist in detail but full of personality. Using simplified shapes, restrained color palettes, and rich textures, he brings everyday subjects to life — from city streets and architecture to food, travel, and people. His work often captures the quiet beauty of ordinary moments.
Born in the UK, Andrew spent ten years living in Tokyo before returning to the southwest of England. This experience gave his work a unique Anglo-Japanese perspective, often depicting familiar scenes from both cultures with a playful and positive aesthetic.
source: andrewjoyceillustration.com
Andrew kindly shared the stationery tools that support his creative process — the pencils, sketchbooks, and everyday items that help him capture ideas whether he's sketching city scenes, traveling between countries, or developing illustrations for clients around the world.
Meet Andrew Joyce
- Name: Andrew Joyce
- Location: UK / Japan
- Profession: Illustrator
- Style: Minimal graphic illustration with playful charm
Andrew Joyce’s Favorite Stationery Tools
1. PILOT Rexgrip 0.5 Mechanical Pencil
What it does:
Mechanical pencil for drawing.
Why it’s special:
“It has always been my go-to pencil for drawing. It creates beautifully consistent and accurate lines, allowing me to capture what I want to draw exactly as I imagine it in my sketchbooks.”
Explore more mechanical pencil
2. Pentel Brush Pen
What it does:
Brush pen for drawing
Why it’s special:
“I discovered this pen in a convenience store while living in Japan. The varied line thickness helped me stop worrying about accuracy and simply enjoy drawing again.”
3. Jason Polan Pencil Case (UNIQLO)
What it does:
Keep all my drawing materials in one, neat place.
Why it’s special:
“Jason Polan was an American illustrator who visited Japan many times. Although I never had the chance to meet him, we were part of the same agency in Japan, and I greatly admired his work.
Sadly, he passed away in 2020. To commemorate his life and work, our agency, The Bees Knees, released this pencil case in collaboration with UNIQLO. Jason’s approach to drawing, documenting so many of the everyday moments around him, continues to inspire my own practice. Keeping this pencil case with me is a reminder to never stop drawing.”
4. MD Notebook – 15th Anniversary Edition
What it does:
A6 notebook for taking notes and putting down ideas.
Why it’s special:
“Back in 2022, I was kindly invited by MD Paper Products to contribute to an exhibition celebrating their 15th anniversary. Each artist was asked to design a cover and fill several pages of one of their notebooks. The finished books were then displayed and sold across Japan.
As a creator, the opportunity to hold something featuring your own work never gets old and the fact that, this time, it was a sketchbook made it truly special for me. I keep these with me every day to write down ideas and notes for client work, and they have become an essential part of my working life.”
You may also be interested in the MIDORI MD Paper Notebook A6.
5. Seawhite of Brighton A5 Sketchbook
What it does:
A travel sized sketchbook for drawing..
Why it’s special:
“These affordable, simple sketchbooks are, in my opinion, perfect for drawing. The paper is high quality, the size is ideal for travelling, and they have just the right number of pages, enough to feel substantial, but not so many that it becomes overwhelming. I keep one in every bag I own so that I always have something to draw in.”
6. Niijima Stone Dishes & Studio Coaster
What it does:
Dishes @yoshiko_mutou - Used for holding salt or soy sauce.
Coaster @ishinoko14 - Displayed in my studio Why it’s special to you Both of these items are from Niijima, a small island off the coast of Tokyo, Japan.
Why they’re special:
“I’ve been visiting the island for over 20 years and fell in love with it from the very first day. In 2024, I created an exhibition dedicated to Niijima and its people as a small way of saying thank you. I received these pieces from local artists on the island, and I keep them on display in my studio. They are a constant reminder to keep working towards something and to always have a goal.”
Reflections from Andrew’s Desk
Andrew Joyce’s tools reveal a creative practice built on simplicity, consistency, and observation. Rather than relying on elaborate setups, his stationery choices focus on dependable tools that allow ideas to flow freely — whether sketching city scenes, capturing travel memories, or developing illustrations for international clients.
From the precise lines of the PILOT Rexgrip to the expressive strokes of the Pentel Brush Pen, each tool supports a drawing process rooted in curiosity and everyday inspiration.
What stationery tools help you capture ideas when inspiration strikes?
Perhaps it’s a pencil you carry everywhere, a sketchbook filled with travel memories, or a notebook that slowly becomes part of your creative routine.
If you're curious to explore tools like the ones Andrew uses, discover more in our collection of Japanese stationery designed for everyday creativity.
Interested in sharing your own favorite stationery selection or setup? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected] to be featured in a future story.
Next month, we’ll be visiting another creator’s desk to see which stationery items they can’t live without.
Until then, keep exploring, sketching, and collecting the little tools that help ideas grow.
