Japanese Pop Culture "Kawaii" Illustration Techniques

To the Japanese illustrator Ohagi "Kawaii" is a true creative impulse

Born in 1993, the young Japanese illustrator Ohagi started her career as a teenager, posting her artwork online with Pixiv and Nico Nico Douga. In cooperation with the music producer ORYO Ohagi created various types of artwork including illustrations, graphic designs, and videos.

Her work, which often features the famous pop culture "Kawaii" style has gained support from the same age group in which she was spotlighted as a "popular teen illustrator" after she appeared on Japanese TV's NHKs educational TV program in 2012. She works in a wide spectrum of disciplines for many artists including the legendary Japanese singer Sachiko Kobayashi. She also creates illustrations for magazines and books, as well as imagery for the online games of the Japanese video game developer Square Enix. Ohagi has expanded her presence by frequently communicating with her fans and other creatives, and she believes that she could not exist as an illustrator without the online community.

Ohagi's art is all about "Kawaii". Learn how the Japanese illustrator does the trick.

Many of the famous illustrations by Ohagi are infused with Japanese "Kawaii" items: flowers, ribbons, jewels, and more. She believes the most essential part of a drawing is revealed through the attractive eyes of her characters. In this step-by step tutorial, Ohagi describes the distinctive drawing techniques she applies to give her characters a realistic look, like the use of makeup brushes on the face. The Japanese artist also explains how to draw illustrations that touch the viewer's heart, by drawing sparkling eyes and items, for example, to add more "Kawaii" to her illustrations.