KIKANETSU: The Art of DaisukeRichard

Daisuke Richard is a Japanese illustrator who has 101K followers on Twitter and 679K followers on Instagram. He is quickly gaining popularity among young people and merchandise such as T-shirts and bags featuring his illustrations are always instant best sellers.

The distinctive factor in his work is high school girls in languid poses that arise from the uncertainty that is peculiar to girls during adolescence. Girls in his work show expressionless faces and the artist intentionally makes it hard to gauge their emotions. But the way that the artist presents the subject – depicting the uncertainty felt in adolescence, while at the same time celebrating these youths through pale shades of color and unique composition – is definitely something that resonates with teenage girls. Pale colors give an impression of the fragility and sweetness of young girls, while each work’s unique composition shows the girls dwelling alone in between the two incompatible worlds of adulthood and childhood.

This is his first artwork collection showcasing over 170 artworks, including never-before-seen original artworks, remakes of already published artworks, and rough sketches. This book also includes interesting features like the “motif collection”, the “making of 170cm cover art illustrations”. This book will surely inspire DaisukeRichard fans and those who are new to his distinctive illustrated works alike.