How to Draw: Kawaii by Yishan Li

How to Draw: Kawaii by Yishan Li

Kawaii is a Japanese word meaning ‘super-cute’, and it’s a trend that’s sweeping the globe. Anything can be drawn in the kawaii style, from animals, people, vegetables and flowers to food, vehicles and household items. Here, expert comic book and manga artist Yishan Li shows you how to achieve amazingly adorable drawings in just a few simple steps. Draw the cutest rabbit you’ve ever seen, or turn a car into a cute and cuddly character complete with eyes and a smiley mouth. Even a vacuum cleaner and a television set are brought to life in kawaii style. There are 28 different drawings to choose from, all full of personality and bubbling over with charm. Each one is developed in 8 easy stages from a rough sketch of the basic shapes through to the finished, coloured drawing, making this book suitable for adults and children of all ages and abilities. 

Kawaii is Japanese for cute, and anybody familiar with manga and anime will know what this style looks likeLearn how to draw your own cute characters and decorate everything with them!

As a long-time fan of all things Japanese this is one title I was looking forward to reviewing and having a go with. As with all the books in this series each page shows how, in several easy stages, you can build up a drawing from the simplest shapes.  For ease of use the original step is shown in blue, with each new step adding details in pink. Ink in the final lines in black, and then add colour. I have found that this system can result in the later stages adding a bewildering amount of detail suddenly, but with cartoon styles it is easy to see how you progress from a line drawing to a coloured image. The book opens with a page about the style, explains how the book works and what you need: basic art materials are all you require. Images include human figures such as a schoolgirl, witch, princess and scientist, animals like a cat, lion, dolphin and seal, plus everyday items like a donut, kettle, marker pen and car. I found I was drawing with ease and getting to understand what details and modifications are needed to make anything look kawaii. This is one of the best entries in this series in my opinion.

Yishan Li is a professional Manga artist currently living in Shanghai. Yishan has been drawing Manga since 1998 when she was in high school and she has subsequently been published internationally including China, North America, France and the UK.