What is the Kawaii Technique?

You've probably seen anime or cartoons with happy faces or other gestures, and that's where the kawaii style comes in. This is a graphic design style of Japanese origin.

But first let's see what its definition is. Kawaii in Spanish refers to something sweet, tender and charming. That is why we can associate those sweet and tender little faces that we mentioned above.

The word kawaii is composed of the pictograms (可) which means acceptable and (愛) which means love.

Likewise, it is often used as an expression of attachment to some personal object even if it is not exactly " pretty ."

Today, Japanese graphic design is considered to be the union of a modern style with traditional symbols of this culture. It should be noted that Japanese graphics tend to convey an air of softness in their strokes compared to modern Western graphic design.

Origins of Kawaii Illustration

The origins of kawaii illustration date back to the 1980s, when this word began to be used to refer to an animal or a baby. However, today, this word is used to refer to anything that evokes joy and charm.

The " culture of cute " has managed to move from Japan to various parts of the world. From television programs such as anime, food packaging, to the fashion industry or objects with charming illustrations.

This has even become a lifestyle in which a characteristic is adopted from the educated, adorable and tender personality, to the way of dressing, makeup and accessories.

Thanks to cartoon characters like Hello Kitty, Pekemón and Doraemon , to name a few, they managed to penetrate the Western world thanks to their characteristics and features that convey innocence and charm. With it, they took over items from stationery to clothing.

Kawaii in Graphic Design

When you think of what a kawaii drawing is, you will be reminded of big, expressive eyes, accompanied by round, soft strokes. These kawaii drawing illustrations are memorable for their simplicity.

Using kawaii illustrations in physical or digital designs transmits confidence to customers. Imagine that you are upset, if you see cute and cute drawings of kittens in a diary, a piece of clothing, etc., almost immediately, the image will be present in your mind and will make you feel better by changing your mood.

These designs inspire fun, joy and ward off any negative expression.

If we see drawings of a very realistic dog, it will not generate the same effect if we see a kawaii design of the same dog. This happens because you relate the realistic image to a more direct style.

These Japanese designs influence people psychologically, because they tend to release their inner child.

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Characteristics of Kawaii Illustration

You should know that there are certain details in kawaii fashion that allow us to recognize it at a glance. Some of these are:

1. Facial expressions

It is characterized by having, for the most part, happy facial expressions . For example, to draw the eyes you can use black dots or circles. To make the illustrations more tender, you can add sparkles to the characters' eyes .

2. Basic Forms

One of the most common techniques is to apply basic shapes such as squares, circles, triangles, among others.

The use of these basic shapes demonstrates the simplicity of the technique. On the other hand, the basic elements give an idea of ​​order. While it is true that these basic geometric shapes are an important component, they do not always have to be perfect. It is possible to give them rounded or curved shapes.

3. Body distribution

One of the best tricks for making inanimate characters or objects look adorable is to make the face bigger than the body and to make the limbs short.

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4. Simplicity

The simplicity of the soft, rounded shapes of kawaii style characters or objects allows people to easily remember them, and as we well know, they convey innocence.

It is also important to keep in mind that the less cluttered the illustration is, the better. In that case, always focus on the details of the face.

5. Use of colors

These illustrations use harmonious colours that provide a feeling of softness, maintaining a gentle colour palette. Some colours that stand out are pastels and are usually accompanied by soft gradients .

If you are interested in learning about this technique, or looking to improve it, we have our online course for you: Kawaii illustration techniques . Enter now and register. Click here to start .

Courses that may interest you

Do you want to complement your illustration knowledge in the digital age? Here are some of our most outstanding courses so that you can master these tools like an expert: Adobe Photoshop CC2020 Fundamentals, Free Adobe Illustrator Course for Animation and Introduction to Digital Photography.