Except for the illustration in the lower left corner,these illustrations were showcased in the Society of Illustrators. I love Japanese art and these pieces by Yuko Shimizu quickly caught my eye.  It is inspiring to see how hard work pays off because the result of pieces must’ve took a lot of time. The intricate details with in these figures are my favorite part and the fact that this was done in ink which you can’t erase is amazing.The pieces are part of series called Tale of Shikanoko and the author of the series is Lian Hearn. The client is Farrar Strauss & Giroux and the art director is Alex Merto.

In an interview with FSG Work in progress Yuko Shimizu said “They are all ink drawings with brush on paper. No digital work, other than how the colored sections are separated from the rest of the drawing”. When finding an illustrator for the series Merto said “Yuko came to mind as soon as I started reading these stories. Her illustration style pairs perfectly with Lian Hearn’s writing because it blends traditional Japanese style with surrealism. That’s what we were aiming for with the design of this series”.

Yuko Shimizu is known as one of “100 Japanese People The World Respects” by Newsweek Japan in 2009. She has worked for many clients in advertising, editorial and publishing. With clients such as Rolling Stones, Nike, DC Comics, Esquire and many more she has quite the resume. Not only has she won awards in the Society of Illustrators but she also won awards from places like the Society of Publication Designers, Art Directors Club of New York and Association of Illustration. I can’t wait to see what else she brings to the world through her vision.