We’ve seen optical illusions used in everything from special shirts to give appearance of a bigger breast size and bringing anime characters to life, but 15-year-old Japanese artist Keito (@Yassun0222K might have found the most effective way to use them by drawing everyday objects all around him. Keito says he likes to practice copying objects he sees in his daily life, but one of his most recent illustrations had many convinced it wasn’t a drawing at all. コカ・コーラ描きました！！🍹#コカ・コーラ #色鉛筆 pic.twitter.com/DJdZc9x84k — 慧人 (@Yassun0222K) 2018年11月20日 Outside of producing a very realistic illustration of the bottle itself and a tricky 3D effect, Keito seems to have perfectly captured the image of a…

In the past we’ve had the pleasure of introducing Tokyo-based French anime artist Thomas Romain (Symphogear, Space Dandy, Aria, Macross Delta, and Basquash!) and the collaborative series of artwork he produces with his two sons titled “Father and Sons Design Workshop Illustrations”. Working together, Romain takes the deceivingly simple looking (but definitely creative) doodles and sketches made by his sons, and then applies his skills as a professional animator to turn them into detailed illustrations that help shine a light on the imaginative power of character design and world building that can stem from a child and a piece of paper. In the series (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,…

Highlights of the prolific career of revered illustrator Yoshitaka Amano include lending his beautiful combination of Art Noveau inspiration and traditional Japanese brushwork to iconic titles such as the Final Fantasy series and Vampire Hunter D. The world famous artist has taken on some quite surprising side projects along the way, however, including a beautiful Cinderella picture book and other renditions of European and Japanese fairy tales. Now Amano has lent his elegant artistic touch to a shamisen he helped design with an original female ninja character! It is a beautiful woman ninja Shaura painted by game FF Amano Yoshitaka.Everyone in London is pleased with the shamisen of Yoshitaka Amano…

You’ll find no shortage of love for bushy-tailed Pokemon Eevee in Japan. This year at the now world famous Pikachu Outbreak festival which hosts an army of 1,500 Pikachus, an invading Eevee army appeared. So it makes sense that Eevee’s popularity has now translated into one of Japan’s many informal “holiday” puns. Happy Eevee Day! #イーブイの日 pic.twitter.com/JxBh3HaonN — かしわ (@3920kashiwa) 2018年11月20日 Today (November 11th) marks “Eevee” day in Japan. That’s because 11 resembles the Japanese sound of “ee” (いい), and “21”–well, although it’s bit clumsy to break down, can be read/interpreted as the Japanese pronunciation of “vee” in this case. It’s a little more complicated than Japan’s “panties and bunny…

London-based illustrator and graphic designer Thumbs grew up with a passion for skateboarding and the art surrounding it, as well as 90’s cartoons and comic books. That couldn’t be more obvious in his awesome and creative artwork that specializes in crossovers of his favorite cartoons, which have gained a wave of popularity that eventually led to the talented artist producing his own pins, stickers, and shirts for sale. While he has various crossover-themed goods to choose from, his series of designs that combine The Simpsons with classic anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon appear to be fan favorites, and demonstrate the creativity that goes into making the mashup…

Japanese online retailer Felissimo’s YOU+MORE! series (a play on the pronunciation of “humor” in Japanese) has featured some pretty adventurous products in past, including smartphone cases that let you simulate scratching a happy Shiba Inu’s belly, as well as scented lip gloss that replicates kissing a wet cat nose. Now the company combining belly-rubbing and fragrance and upping their creativity with scratch and sniff sheets scented with the fragrance of cat and Shiba Inu bellies! Source: PR Times Source: PR Times The sheets are exactly as described–stationery pads that depict happy-go-lucky Shiba Inu and cats exposing their bellies for stomach rubs. If you scratch or rub your fingers on the…

Japanese fan artists and cosplayers give their best versions of the Bowsette meme. If you’re into video games, you may have noticed that your Twitter feed for the past couple of days has been dominated by artwork of a sexy hybrid of Nintendo’s Bowser and Princess Peach. While many are familiar by now, here’s a quick refresher course on the origin of the meme. In the port of New Super Mario Bros. Wii U for the Nintendo Switch, Toadette can use an item called the Super Crown that transforms her into a more human-looking character called Peachette, like so: Toadette's transformation into Peachette upon collecting a crown in New Super…

Avogado6 (アボガド6) is a talented Japanese artist doesn’t offer much information about himself other than their fondness for chemistry and creating video works, but there is a ton of conversation to be had about their dark and though-provoking artwork. Avogado6’s illustrations, which we’ve had the pleasure of introducing before, often use powerful imagery and symbolism to reflect on societal problems, but also personal depression and trauma. All of Avogado6’s work can be seen on their official website and Twitter account, but below are some recent standout pieces that will leave you thinking! Hollow Avogado6 Responsibility Source: Avogado6 Affirmation Source: Avogado6 Disassociation Source: Avogado6 Powder Avogado6 Path of Humanity Avogado6 Changing…

Japanese artist Keigo illustrates the sad but funny life of a Crocodile in human society Japanese illustrator Keigo has a talent for depicting absurd fictional situations in a comical and quirky style. While the artist doesn’t have a lot to say about himself, his simple but eccentric work has gained quite the following of fans looking for slice of life humor on Instagram and even been compiled into an art book. Many of his illustrations show bleak but humorous in a creative way that despite their silliness, capture an element of frustration just easy enough to relate to. keigoさん(@k5fuwa)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 7月月12日午後3時38分PDT keigoさん(@k5fuwa)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 7月月28日午前6時48分PDT One of Keigo’s most…

Shonen Jump Exhibition Is A Must-See For Manga and Anime Fans Many manga and anime fans probably know that Weekly Shonen Jump has consistently published manga series that have become mega-hits with fans around the world. Captain Tsubasa, Fist of the North Star, Dragon Ball and City Hunter mostly in the 1980s, Slam Dunk, Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu Yu Hakusho, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure mostly in 1990s, and then Death Note, The Prince of Tennis, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece and recent favorites like Assassination Classroom and My Hero Academia in the 21st century. While the earlier works of the 80s and 90s are still popular (some due to ongoing or recent adaptations…

While it may be painting with too broad a brush to describe a style as “anime”, there are certain qualities and characteristics that many associate with art styles found and shared in Japanese animation. Perhaps one of the most nostalgic aesthetics is the art style many associate with the 1980-1990’s breakthrough of Japanese animation overseas with classic like Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Freelance artist Dmitry Grozov (also known as Ahriman) perfectly captures such a style with his ability to illustrate iconic scenes from classic films with a retro anime flavor. Grozov adds a new charm to some of your favorite movie scenes from Aliens, Jurassic Park, Blade Runner,…

While Japan’s fascination with all things “kawaii” has expanded into a culture of cute that covers aesthetics, merchandise, and fashion, one might suspect that horror movies to be the stopping point, but even that would be too strong an assumption. As today marks the ominous Friday the 13th in Japan, many are taking to Twitter to celebrate the classic horror film of the same name. What may surprise some, however, is the unapologetically adorable way in which people are tipping their hat to the iconic hockey-mask wearing slasher, Jason. Below are a few highlights of Japanese Twitter’s take on “celebrating” Friday the 13th, whether it be cat cafe cosplay, sexy…

Japanese illustrator re-imagines Disney Princesses using different anime art styles. Whether it’s turning fast food chain mascots into anime characters or drawing Japanese Kit-Kat flavors as handsome men, it’s clear that illustrators can have a lot of fun applying an anime aesthetic to popular characters. Japanese Twitter user, illustrator, and lover of cute things Miochi (@mio_ney) has given the trend a lovely twist, however, by drawing Disney princesses in the different styles of various popular anime–perfectly replicating each artist’s personal designs! Source: @mio_ney The illustration, titled “Disney Princess in Japanese Cartoon” by Miochi mimics the instantly recognizable styles of Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka, and Akira Toriyama, while also turning Mulan…

The following content is very much NSFW. Illustration series of girls showing off their underwear while giving you disgusted looks to become an anime. Sooner or later, there may be an anime for everything. And with doujinshi (self-published art works) as an endless well to tap, that even includes the very niche subject of girls showing you their panties with disapproving looks. Popular doujin series Iya na Kao Sare Nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai (“I Want You To Make a Disgusted Face and Show Me Your Underwear”) by Shimahara is being turned into an anime. 「嫌な顔されながらおパンツ見せてもらいたい」2018年にアニメ化。豪華声優陣が発表 https://t.co/3QmS4ukIsz #嫌パン #嫌パンアニメ pic.twitter.com/moy1XnUxNh — ごえモン (@goemon_fgo) 2017年12月29日 The doujin project began as a series…

The best artists in Japan to follow on Twitter. In Japan, many famous artists have strong social media followings on Twitter, but recently lesser known illustrators and creative talents have been recently using a hashtag to gain more attention and hopefully strike it big. The hashtag, #私の作品もっと沢山の人に広がれ祭り, translates to “A festival to spread my work out to more people!”, and it’s certainly worked to showcase a variety of hidden artistic gems. While several of the artists introduced below are already acclaimed in their own right, many gained popularity via the hashtag and routinely put out truly fascinating work. Here are several examples of artists in Japan making a name for…