Yokai Bestiary: How To Draw Eerie and Enchanting Japanese Ghosts and Monsters

Fantasy illustrator and character designer Red takes beginner artists on a delightful journey through Japanese folklore via learning to draw a selection of yōkai: supernatural entities that play a popular role in Japanese culture and media. He begins with an introduction to the yōkai and its evolution (plus his own interest in the subject), then offers a brief overview of drawing supplies and tips. Following the introduction are drawing exercises that break each character down into basic shapes centered on a line of action, which helps establish the figure’s pose and facilitates building on the details from the outside in. The book’s drawing subjects are organized by type, including tricksters, monsters and other malevolent entities, and characters created from everyday objects or based on natural phenomena. Each subject is contextualized in Japanese history and culture; there’s also a glossary of yōkai-related terms and a list of recommended reading.