Kawaii is a Japanese concept, that dates back to the 1970s, and translates closely to “cuteness” in English, or, as Wikipedia points out: ‘lovely’, ‘loveable’, ‘cute’, or ‘adorable’.
It is a broad category that encompasses clothing, fashion, anime characters and more. It is, by definition, the most influential drawing style in the world. Kids love kawaii drawings, and long to nail them down accurately. These two books are for that.
Kawaii Kitties. Learn How to Draw 75 Cats in All Their Glory by Olive Yong
When I heard that the Instagram sensation Bichi Mao (@bichi.mao) was publishing a book about her cats, I jumped at the chance to review it. First off, because kitties are the very definition of Kawaii, and this Malaysian self-taught artist has captured the trend perfectly. Secondly, because cute kitties are hard. They are a big chunk of the Instagram community, after all, and can be found in a myriad of styles.
The book is organized in 75 how to, easy-to-follow lessons. They include poses, mannerisms, costumes, food items in the chubby paws or mouth of the kittens and more.
Bichi Mao wants you to learn the way she does things, from drawing and coloring your cats, to a facial expression directory, and a bonus of coloring pages to decorate.
These kittens don’t have the traditional kawaii eyes, (that are of the round, shiny variety), they fall more into a few expressive lines category. That is great for beginners.
This book is not for illustrators trying to nail a style and evolve from it. This is a book for your kid, to practice a different pose every now and then. It will give your child the opportunity to practice and adapt all these poses to record the life of its own pet. I find it very useful.
Also, this title is part of the Kawaii Doodle Series!
‘Kawaii Kitties. Learn How to Draw 75 Cats in All Their Glory’ is on sale since April 6, 2021.
Publisher: Rock Point
Format: Paperback / softback, 144 Pages
ISBN: 9781631067396
Illustrations: color illustrations
Published: April 6, 2021
Now, if I could just go to a store like before the pandemic and browse kawaii coloring books, I would definitely be looking for something like the next title:
Cute Kawaii Coloring. Color Super-Cute Cats, Sushi, Clouds, Flowers, Monsters, Sweets, and More! by Taylor Vance
Kids love to draw kawaii objects. If there’s something I’ve seen over and over with my nephews, students and the kids that I talk with over Zoom meetings (schools are still online in my country), is that doodling food and giving it eyes, or drawing unicorns, and clouds, and all sorts of inanimate objects with facial features, is a trend that has boosted since the pandemic began.
I personally was looking for good designs to try my hand with polymer clay, and I knew I didn’t have enough imagination to bring some designs to life.
In that respect, I found exactly what I was looking for. AKA: Cute Clouds; Adorable Cacti; Lovable Kittens; Creative Monsters; Sweet Desserts; Yummy Snacks & more.
There are 50 different styles of coloring sheets, from the completely overwhelming imagery that leaves no space whatsoever, to themed pages, to mandalas and free style patterns.
Publisher: Chartwell Books
Format: Paperback / softback, 128 Pages
ISBN: 9780785839378
Illustrations: 60 illustrations to color
Published: April 27, 2021
