Kawaii
is a word that originated in 1970s Japan when schoolgirls adopted the term to describe everything cute.
The word is now understood worldwide and identifies a particular trend of visual aesthetics (Hello Kitty being the most famous). It is also a recognizable art form practiced by artists around the world and covers the visual gamut from commercial art (stickers, clothing, calendars, pens, pencils, erasers, video games) to high-brow contemporary art (e.g. the work of Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara).
With this playful and comprehensive manual, both new and experienced manga artists will learn all the steps-both freehand and digital-to draw a host of stunning kawaii characters. Detailed step by step instructions will take them from initial character sketches to colorful finished designs, and even reveal how to master things such as the application of digital colour and 3-D vectorial drawing.
