Chibi Art Class

Chibi Art Class is a new tutorial/technique guide from artist and youtuber Anny Zhou (yoaihime). Due out 2nd April from Quarto on their Race Point imprint, it's 144 pages and available in paperback format.

I love to draw and doodle. Despite not being super advanced and skillful yet, I find drawing very relaxing most of the time. This is an accessible guide full of techniques and cheerful upbeat advice. The drawing style itself is completely adorable (chibi ちび translates to 'little'). They're big eyed and round faced with tiny hands.

About 10% of the page content covers an introduction to tools and supplies. This is a very basic and informal guide to some of the tools available. Roughly the next 20% covers specific ratios (with roughed in stylized ratio drawings) showing the relationship in size between realistic anatomy and chibi anatomy. There are some warm-up guided tutorials in this chapter as well, showing faces, props, backgrounds and more.

The next chapters progress to specific character types including anthropomorphs (<3), and the book concludes with an inspiration gallery and practice pages. The inspirations and practice pages include a sort of mix and match details and DIY tutorials to make your own.

The author's writing style is welcoming and informal. This would make a superlative library or classroom choice.

I really enjoyed this. I will use these to decorate journals and notes for friends. I see some chibi style science stuff in my future (chibi microscope, chibi lab, chibi test tubes)!

Four stars.

This is hands down the best Chibi art book that I've personally come across.
I love the style, simple step by step instructions and exercises and the inspiration gallery at the end.

This is a fantastic resource and I can recommend this to anyone who's interested in learning how to draw manga Chibis. Also recommend it for children and teenagers.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this chibi art book. It's cuteness overload and I can't wait to try out my new watercolors on one of my chibi sketches.

This is one of my children's favorite styles to draw. It is a good reference for anyone who prefers to draw Chibi figures.

Loved this walkthrough. All the drawings were very cute and I loved how it went into detail when it came to shading and clothing. There were plenty of examples and different types of media suggested for use

Bright colourful handy guide to drawing Chiba. For those who don’t know chibi are miniature versions of anime/manga characters and as we know anything small makes it extra cute. This is really useful ices you what you’ll need at the start, covers things like basics , bodies, proportions, expressions etc. Really good for the beginner or experienced artist alike. Clear and understandable plain English . I recommend this to anyone wanting to draw chibi. More cute is always needed.

This is a detailed and step by step look at Japanese art. It breaks down the equipment required before going through the basics.

A cool and adorable intro to drawing in the Japanese chibi style. Useful for beginners to advanced artists or just those curious about the art style.

Chibi Art Class made learning to draw a little easier. I'm new to drawing but always thought Chibis were cute. This books walks you step by step and leaves you room to practice and color in on your own. The pre-made dimensions of the bodies made it easy for me to learn the starting shape. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn to draw Chibis.

I love Chibis. I love their cute faces and adorable eyes and want to hug and squish them!

Ahem.

I have tried to draw Chibis but somehow they never seem to come out right
for me. Well, now that’s changed, with Yoai’s book on drawing and colouring Chibi figures.

She manages to really pinpoint what makes a chibi cute and has you practicing the skillset over and over until you get it right. However what really did it for me was the shading techniques. I get fed up of my chibi being black and white and okay looking and then once I’ve coloured it, it still looks flat and uninteresting.

But Yoai shows you where you should be shading and what colour to use to make
your character really come to life and that blew me away. Excellent attention
to detail and the simplicity of the characters made it so easy to follow.

The only thing is, obviously, she uses copic markers and I have yet to take out a mortgage so I can afford them.

I’ve been struggling with arts and crafts books lately. Too many feel like you’ve seen them all before. Chibi art books aren’t something I’ve been burnt out on, so this is definitely one of my faves in the last year or two. Super cute characters. Easy steps with a good blend of pictures and text. Plenty of tips. Easy guides. I’ll definitely be returning to this one soon.

I am new to drawing and doodling, and have always loved the cuteness of Chibi art, so I was thrilled to get the chance to try out this book.

Even for someone with my limited abilities, the tutorials are easy to follow. I enjoy trying them out and practicing them to improve my talents. I highly recommend this to anyone with any level of interest in drawing.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am finally going to learn how to draw Chibis because this is by far the best Chibi drawing book I’ve ever seen. I have a few several Chibi drawing books and have browsed a few others, but none of them welcomed me with such encouragement and explanation plus an abundance of step-by-step tutorials. Chibi Art Class is a very well organized and user-friendly book. It is just like taking a class in learning to draw Chibis and I can’t wait to go through the multitude of tutorials.

I particularly appreciate that nearly 30% of the book is dedicated to Chibi Basics (more on this later), something that other books cover in only a handful of pages. Yoani starts from the beginning and goes step-by-step through everything you need to know. One of the best features of this book is that for each of the 19 tutorials, Yoani provides an outline of the posing Chibi for the reader to complete by adding its features, clothes and then coloring. In fact, seeing the outlines allayed much of my anxiety about being able to draw Chibis and I figure that once I get the basics perfected by doing all these tutorials, I will feel more confident to draw the outlines.

After a discussion of the supplies,Yoani gives a thorough review of Chibi Basics — how to draw the body (including proportions), face, hair, clothing, etc. Next, we learn about coloring Chibis and Yoani explains how to choose colors and how to do shading. She even recommends which colors are best to use for shading specific colors, something I have never seen before and it’s inncredibly useful. There are two practice Chibis in which Yoani goes step-by-step in pencil and then coloring.

Part Two consists of 12 adorable Chibi tutorials with each one representing a different month of the year. The Chibis have different poses, expressions, clothes and props so you will get a lot of experience by doing all of these tutorials. There are 5 more tutorials of cute Chibi beasties. Following that is the indispensable Inspiration Gallery, which provides the budding artist with 20+ varieties of eyes, hairstyles, clothing, props/accessories. and ears/tails. The last section has a bonus of 12 Chibi outlines in different poses and 6 completed Chibis ready for coloring).

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Race Point Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a temporary advance e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I will definitely be buying this book.

Chibi Art Class is probably one of the cutest drawing books I’ve seen! It’s also great for beginners. You get the basics of chibi drawing and there is a step-by-step tutorial for 19 different characters. Twelve of those are for each month of the year. I really enjoyed how the book was in color and there were additional pages of different hairstyles, eyes, and clothes. The hardest thing for many people to draw are hands and feet. Luckily, chibi drawing doesn’t require too much detail with those!

There are practice pages where you can complete the outline of the characters. So, this really is a must buy in print. You or your young artist will enjoy learning how to draw these types of characters. The author did a great job in explaining the steps of each part so you can see how it comes together in the end. Nothing too complicated or too detailed. Simple drawing techniques for either beginners or intermediate artists. Recommended for ages 8 and up!

*Received a DRC for an honest review.

I loved this guide! I liked that unlike a lot of "how to draw manga" books, these drawings are actually cute and not creepy-looking or something that looked more like a cartoon than anime style. It was easy to follow and gave me some good tips for my own drawings!

What a great book!
Let me tell you something: if you don't have any drawing skill, you should know this book isn't going to make miracles, you'll be drawing everything as bad as before... except Chibi art! This book is so great that actually can make you draw some cute Chibi characters! I love Chibi, I think the art is cute and funny, and this book is a great way to develop some of you artistic skills (even if you think you have none, just like me).
It's a step-by-step guide, so you can learn to draw from the most basic forms to an entire character. Also, you will learn about the tools you'll need. I think is great for everyone, no matter their age (I think children will love it!), and it's a book you have to read with a paper and a pencil, you must practice your newly adquired skills from the very beginning!
I've read the digital copy (thanks, Netgalley!) but I think this book will be even better in paperback.

Chibi Art class is a fantastic, comprehensive guide to drawing Chibis! I know my skills have improved since starting it! The book starts with a detailed list of items that will help your drawings, even showing why you should use a regular pencil and not a mechanical one. From there, you learn about proportions and techniques like finding the light and shading. After that, detailed body and hair instructions are given. There is also a step by step practice guide as well as a lot of inspiration which I found very helpful. Overall this is a great instruction book!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I downloaded this for my daughter she is 9 and loves to draw and when I showed it to her she got so excited and couldn't wait to start drawing.

I am glad I came across this because it makes me happy to see her so happy.
Thank you!

I love Chibi's and LOVED this book!! Step by step on how to draw the Chibi"s and there was LOTS of Chibi's to draw! I found this book fun, entertaining and educational as I have no drawing talent what so ever to speak of, but with the step by step directions, I was able to draw a halfway decent Chibi! I had lots of fun with this book and recommend it for all those that love Chibi's!!

I love this book! Not only does it teach you how to draw step by step but it also has a lot of basic drawing and utensil info, as well as characters to draw, Reference hair styles &colors, clothes and more AND has practice outlines and uncolored finished outlines to color. Amazing!

Full of adorable illustrations and tons of helpful advice, this books offers the beginner artist interested in anime and manga a quick start to drawing the short, cute characters known as chibis.

The author does a particularly good job breaking down some technical elements that beginners may find intimidating. For example, the section on color is informative without being overwhelming, giving beginners a great starting place without getting bogged down by too much theory. In addition, the author explores several different yet very accessible traditional media beginners may explore.

However, that probably leads me to my first criticism. In this day and age, the majority of young artists are equally as likely to experience digital media as their basic medium. Many kids begin doodling and painting on iPads or tablets rather than with crayons and watercolor. I think this book would benefit from adding in at least one basic digital tutorial.

Next, this book made “beasties” part of its title, but I found that section particularly lacking. I expected tutorials on cute animals or similar, but these were pretty much just the normal chibis with animal accessories attached: ears, a tail, maybe wings on the shoulder. But I didn’t really feel like I was getting enough new information for it to warrant a new section in the book. There was no addressing different types of legs or how to do snouts etc.

Overall it was a good book, but there were key elements missing. Still, the wealth of reference for chibi creation was great, and I think it would be a good resource to spark the imagination of the beginning artist.

I love this Chibi Art Class book so much!

As a guide, this really helps people at all levels to either start off or improve their skills. As someone who used to draw when I was younger, this was very helpful in reminding me about the basics.

I learned that chibi's don't just exist to be cute, but that they have a purpose in manga and anime to change the mood to be more light hearted. Which makes a lot of sense.

These steps are super easy to follow and I can't wait to see how making my own chibi will turn out.

Highly recommend it!

Chibi Art Class is an exceptional drawing course in one neat little package. Every step is covered clearly and concisely, from materials used to step by step instructions for drawing and coloring each character. I was very impressed with the marker guidance given. My 9 year old daughter was able to sit down and create her own characters after just a few recreations. This book is filled with tips and tricks, inspiration for body shapes, hairstyles, clothing and eyes. There is a practice section for each character tutorial, my favorite was Desiree December. If you or your child is looking to broaden your drawing skills and try new styles, this book will be a welcome addition to your collection.

This is such a cute book! As the title suggest, it's about learning to draw Chibis. It explains what a Chibi is and gives instructions of how to draw them from the very basics, even different types of pens and markers you might want to use!

The basic form is simple enough that a non-artist like me can manage it. Detailed information and illustrations to show proportions of the general shape in different positions and where facial features should start and end are followed by more detailed features, like how to draw different eyes and other features, create expressions, use of colour, and most difficult of all, hair!

Examples of different types of clothing are included and even how to show motion with a flared skirt or other movement. Adding props, turning your Chibi into anthropomorphic forms and backgrounds are all clearly shown. Details like indicating light direction for adding realism as well as shading and shadows are explained and shown in very easy lessons.

A series of practice Chibis are offered to get the feel of the art form until you're ready to create your own original characters. The book finishes off with some practice pages with some basic forms that the reader can play with to make original designs, including a mermaid! Or merboy if you like, even a mercat or other animal if you fancy it!

All in all an excellent drawing instruction book for a specific form that is very popular.

Chibi Art Class A Complete Course in Drawing Chibi Cuties and Beasties - Includes 19 step-by-step tutorials! by Yoai is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This book is terrific starter book! It has head and body proportions for all ages. The facial features are shown in classic form and in all kinds of emotions but also in fun imaginative ways!
Not only does this book show you how to draw the Chibi family but different clothing and putting your Chibi in motion.
Lots of step-by-step instructions and pictures.
My young teen grand daughters will love this! So will I!

This was an interesting book, easy to follow and cute. My daughter loved it as well it jump started her newest hobby. This is a great read for anyone interested in anime, chibi style art.

I’m a big anime fan, and chibis are my favorites. I just love when a chibi version of an anime character pops up to appear super cute or yell at someone but looking all tiny and kawaii.

I even took a video course in the past to learn this style of drawing. And although I am by no means a professional, I am already familiar with this style from watching anime and doodling a bit myself.

Chibi Art Class is full of tips and tricks for drawing chibis. Tutorials for bodies, faces, hair, and clothing. A total of 19 tutorials make the bulk of this book, but you get more than the tutorials. You will ding a nice gallery of inspiration and even coloring pages to practice shading.

To get started with the Chibi Art Class, the author goes over a list of recommended materials. She mentions that she prefers to use the Canson Comic and Manga Illustration Bristol for color and layering projects, or the Canson XL Mix Media Paper for single layers.

The list goes on to mention markers, pens, watercolors, pencils, erasers, and other additional tools.

Chibi Art Class: Basics
Here is where the magic starts!

All the basics to drawing chibis are presented in this book. From sketching the base, body proportions, poses, facial features, hair, clothing, and even props and backgrounds.

Chibi Art Class also features an introduction on shading and coloring. Everything you need to know to get started drawing chibis is presented in this section.

Chibi Art Class: Cuties
This section contains various “cuties” or chibi characters to draw. Each one is presented with step by step instructions and accompanied by a drawing example. A total of 12 cuties, one for each month is presented in this segment.

Chibi Art Class: Beasties
Next the “beasties” segment presents a total of 5 step by step tutorials of beast-chibis. Feline humanoids, Canine, and even demons and faeries.

Chibi Art Class: Inspiration Gallery
In the inspiration gallery, you will find numerous elements to inspire you when drawing chibis. A plethora of eyes, hairstyles, clothes, props, accessories, beasties ears, and tails. All in full color and separated by sections.

Chibi Art Class: Practice and coloring pages
Well, the name says it all, doesn’t it?

First, the practice section has a collection of simple body sketches that you can use as inspiration, or even copy it as a base to practice other elements, like dressing up your chibis, practicing expressions or hairstyles, with practice and practice you will start drawing chibis by yourself in no time.

The coloring pages offer complete chibis, but without any color of course, so you can practice your shading and coloring skills that are taught in the basics section of this book.

The book is full of chibis. There is a lot of information with tons of examples on how to mark proportions, how to draw different elements, how to add more details to show motion. Then there are projects. For each, there is a list of all the materials used, then step by step instructions from penciling in, to outlining and coloring. And then there is a space to make your own - some empty space and a rough outline to fill in.
At the end of the book, there are many examples of different elements to use, like eyes and hairstyles, and some chibi outlines for practice and some coloring pages, too. It is a fun book.

I received a digital copy of the book from NetGalley

I'm just a lover of chibi drawings, so when I saw this book?
I knew I had to have it!

I'm a very 'doodle when bored' kind of person, and they aren't that great, but I do enjoy myself so any kind of guide to help me out a bit more, to try and make them better. Especially as I have two younger sister and one younger brother that I do love to keep entertained and what better than to draw some chibis of them for them to paint?

Amazing teaching from this book, Yoai is just a marvelous teacher even in book. With guides easy to follow!

Chibi Art Class is a nice introduction to drawing manga-style chibi cartoon characters. The opening sections on chibi basics are particularly informative, as Yoai covers fundamental topics such as proportions, facial features, hair, clothing, props, backgrounds, shading, and colouring. The remainder of the book provides numerous examples of characters to emulate, as well as many examples of hair, clothing, props/accessories, etc. to inspire creativity. Overall, a fun and useful book for those interested in drawing chibi-style characters.

Chibi Art Class by Yoai teaches interested artists the art of drawing kawaii chibi! From body style and posture, to expressions, from elements of movement, to clothing, and even cute critters, a wide variety of skills are demonstrated. It's not just people either! There are 'empty' chibi body frames for you to decorate, and places to draw and practise your own chibi art. If you're interested in exploring chibi art further, this is a great resource. I quite enjoyed it! I can draw chibi art, but my artistic skill is mostly self-taught. This gave me great information and skills to improving my chibi art.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a cute book, I am not very good at drawing but I love to doodle and books like these I really enjoy. I can look at the pictures and make similar drawings and not feel like mine look bad. My daughter also enjoys these types of drawing and liked the book also.

Very cute book to help me with my drawing, would recommend this book to anyone who loves drawing cute things!

Chibi Art Class looks great for someone starting out with chibi illustration. It says that it's a complete course in drawing and it actually seems to be! I've only tried the basics, but the instructions are clear and the book is very well designed.

This had great information in an easy to understand format. I love the style and hope I can become more confident in drawing it with the help of this book.