“Do not open unless you’re ready for cuteness overload,” reads the cover warning of Mini Kawaii Doodle Cuties.
Zainab Khan shows you how to draw kawaii characters from around the world in this smaller, portable version of Kawaii Doodle Cuties.
Kawaii is a Japanese word, meaning cuteness in English. It applies to adorable food, fashion, nature, animals, transport and architecture – each of which is dedicated a chapter. There are many interpretations of kawaii, but in Japan the word is used broadly to describe anything cute. If you are a fan of emoji art or the style of Hello Kitty, you may already be familiar with kawaii. Generally, kawaii art is composed of simple black outlines, pastel colours and characters or objects with a rounded appearance. Facial expressions are minimal and characters are often drawn with oversized heads and smaller bodies, explains Zainab.
“I’ll show you how to draw kawaii-inspired art using things from around the world, like food, nature, architecture and more. The great thing about kawaii culture is that it’s not limited to anything, so once you start practicing, you can turn even the most common thing into something kawaii,” she says.
There’s more than 100 super cute characters to draw and what I like most is the simple step-by-step instructions. While my natural talents do not include drawing, guided by Zainab, I was able to easily realise a tulip, windmill, penguin, panda and flamingo. Not only is it fun, but it works! Our family is guaranteed hours of fun, inspired by kawaii cuties too.
The book also includes search and find puzzle patterns to colour. Plus, each chapter concludes with the double page feature of more doodles, ‘Get Inspired’.
Pic Candle is the online handle for Zainab Khan, whose doodle journey began six years ago, when she started creating YouTube videos. She is the author of Kawaii Doodle Class and Kawaii Doodle Cuties.
Reviewer: Andrea Molloy
Quarto, RRP $18.99