How to Draw Japan

About this book

100 ANIMALS & MASCOTS. 6 STEPS EACH. 600 STEP-BY-STEP DRAWINGS. ZERO OFFICIAL MASCOTS — EVERY DESIGN IS ORIGINAL AND YOURS TO USE.

Cats, dogs, tanuki, foxes, cranes, koi — and a whole street of mascot friends.

Every character in this book is built the same honest way: one little mascot body from its joints, a snout system in Step 3 (cat whiskers, a shiba muzzle, a fox's pointed snout, a rabbit's front teeth, a crane's beak), ears and a tail in Step 4 (pointed, round, long, floppy, feathered, fins — curled, fluffy, flowing), and a pattern, accessory and prop in Step 5 that turns a species into a character. Nothing moves between steps — the head you draw in Step 1 is the exact head you colour in Step 6.

Inside: 20 cats & dogs · 20 wild animals of Japan · 15 birds · 15 fish & water friends · 15 original food mascots (onigiri, mochi, sushi, dango, taiyaki…) · 15 original town & seasons mascots (lantern, castle, little train, cherry blossom, snow friend…).

And after every character: a practice page. Trace the faint character, then draw your own version in the empty frame. 100 characters, 100 practice pages.

No real official mascot or existing character appears anywhere in this book — the animals are generic species studies and every mascot is an original design made for these pages, so the characters you invent with these systems are completely yours. All you need is a pencil and an eraser.