Clansman of the late Tokugawa period
A CLOSER LOOK Putting chibi characters to use
Creating a cover, poster or display
CALLING ALL CHIBI FANS!
WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A LOT OF CHIBI-STYLE CHARACTERS WERE POPPING UP IN ANIMATED SERIES AND MANGA. I THINK THAT’S WHY I STARTED DOODLING LOTS OF CHUBBY LITTLE CUTIES IN MY NOTEBOOK AROUND THAT TIME, RATHER THAN MORE REALISTIC FIGURES.
SINCE BECOMING AN ADULT AND DRAWING LOTS OF CHARACTERS OF ALL TYPES, I SEEM TO KEEP GETTING COMMISSIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS TO CREATE THE CHIBIS THAT PREOCCUPIED MY YOUTH. I WONDERED WHY I WAS THE CHOSEN ONE—WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER ACCOMPLISHED ILLUSTRATORS OUT THERE—AND WAS SURPRISED WHEN THE PEOPLE HIRING ME EXPLAINED THEY WANTED SOMEONE WHO COULD MAKE THESE EXAGGERATED AND CARICATURIZED CHARACTERS LOOK CUTE.
I NEVER THOUGHT OF BEING ABLE TO DRAW CHIBIS AS ANYTHING SPECIAL. I THOUGHT ANYONE COULD DRAW THEM AND THAT IF I COULD PRODUCE THEM, THEN IT CAN’T BE THAT DIFFICULT.
WHEN I STARTED TO ASK AROUND—A WRITER FRIEND AND THE STUDENTS I WAS TEACHING—I REALIZED THAT MAKING THESE CHARACTERS LOOK CUTE MAY SEEM SIMPLE, BUT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING. THEY SAID THEY TRIED TO REPLICATE THE CHIBI STYLE, BUT THEIR WORK NEVER LOOKED QUITE RIGHT. THEY MISTAKENLY CONCLUDED THAT THEY WEREN’T ANY GOOD AT IT.
I PRODUCED THIS GUIDE TO SERVE AS A STARTING POINT FOR BUDDING ARTISTS WHO WANT TO DRAW CHIBI CHARACTERS BUT DON’T THINK THEY HAVE THE SKILLS OR TALENT. NONSENSE: OF COURSE YOU DO! WHETHER IT’S CREATING SIMPLIFIED OR EXAGGERATED CHARACTERS, THERE’S A CHIBI STYLE MADE JUST FOR YOU.
— RYUSUKE HAMAMOTO
WORKS BY RYUSUKE HAMAMOTO
PETIT EVA
A still from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
PETIT EVA (C-STYLE)
Illustration from the release of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. The C-style line added new dimensions to the illustrations.
MACROSS SERIES
These illustrations were commissioned for use as limited-edition merchandise at the Sapporo Snow Festival 2016.
ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
These characters created by the artist have distinctive, dynamic poses and individualized style.
ORIGINAL CHARACTERS FOR BOOKS
Book illustrations showing characters with differing proportions. The illustration process is explained in Lesson 5.
Lesson 1
CHIBI BASICS
CHANGING EXPRESSION THROUGH PROPORTION
IN THIS CHAPTER, WE’LL LOOK AT THE BASIC METHODS FOR DRAWING CHIBI CHARACTERS RANGING IN HEIGHTS FROM 1.5 TO 4 TIMES THE SIZE OF THEIR HEADS. THIS WAY YOU’LL BE ABLE TO COMPARE THE VARIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS AT A GLANCE. THE TRICK TO GETTING IT RIGHT IS TO REMEMBER THAT THE SMALLER THE BODY IN PROPORTION TO THE HEAD, THE SIMPLER THE DETAILS SHOULD BE.
Emphasizing Changes in Expression