25Jun / 2012

Yuta Onoda’s Amazing Illustrations

Yuta Onoda was originally born in Japan and presently lives and works in Toronto, Canada. He is an incredible illustrator / painter who has been commissioned for many magazine editorial illustrations. He has been shaping his art aesthetic through various forms of media, finding new avenues to express himself. Yuta is refining his style, based from his coursework from Sheridan College. Many of his personal pieces were drawn together using graphite, inks, and acrylics, combined with Photoshop to more or less define his style. Stemming from his childhood love of comics, Yuto outlines his images. He also likes to infuse his artwork with decorative elements and details, which comes from his love of Art Nouveau and Ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints. Currently, he has been merging Eastern styles with North American content, like the outdoor spirit of the Canadian wilderness. To see more of Yuta Onada’s amazing illustrations, check out his website and Behance page!

Permalink 3 Comments

18Jun / 2012

Darling D[di:]

Illustrator from Hokkaido, D[di:] has become well-known for her graphic novels “Fantastic Silent” and “Kigurumi”, while she was still a student at the Tama University of Arts studying oil painting. Her illustrated books have created a new genre called “Novel-Comic”. Within her work, D[di:] mainly uses colored pencils; she also uses gouache and watercolor. With an incredible mixture of talent, she writes and draws. With her delicate touch of illustration, unique sense of rhythm and lyrical wordings, she has energetically continued to create cynical but sweet world of works. As a rare artist in wide range of genres such as novels, comics, illustrations, fashion and design, she has many celebrities from various fields to support her. To see more of D[di:]‘s work or purchase her books and prints, visit her website and blog.

When asked about her pen name,

“I wanted to sign a name like I do not know nationalities and gender” - D[di:]

Permalink 3 Comments

09May / 2012

Yuko Shimizu’s Unwritten Illustrations

One of my favorite comic books is “The Unwritten”, written by Mike Carey with art by Peter Gross. The comic is published by the Vertigo (DC Comics). New York based artist, Yuko Shimizu illustrates the incredible cover art for the series. Her unique illustration style was one of the main reasons I started reading the comic! It is scary to think that she almost never became an artist at all. At the young age of 22, Yuko had a mid-life crisis. She was working for a prominent public relations firm in Tokyo, when she realized it was not the path for her. She worked hard, saved her money and moved to New York City to attend the School of Visual Arts (SVA). Yuko an incredible inspiration, for her art and her journey! She is currently working from her studio in Manhattan and is happy to report that she has never experienced a mid-life crisis since.

To see more of her amazing illustrations for “The Unwritten” or her art for other publications or exhibits, check out Yuko’s website gallery. Or your local comic book shop!!