Behind the scenes with illustrator Fuwari! How does he draw his cute characters?
On Artist's Spotlight, we interview artists around the globe who are active on pixiv to shed light on their work and how they create their illustrations.
These interviews often discuss topics related to the business of illustration, such as how to take your skills to the next level as a creator and things to keep in mind as a professional, making them a valuable source for both aspiring and professional illustrators.
For this feature, we spoke to Fuwari, a freelance illustrator based in South Korea. We talked about the behind-the-scenes of one of his recent artworks, his approach to drawing cute characters, and how he builds his brand as a creator.
- Fuwari
- South Korean illustrator.
He teaches illustration courses on the online learning platform Fast Campus, and his work spans various fields, including merch design for VTubers (like hololive) and illustration collaborations for games.
His signature style brings out the charm of his characters through soft, refreshing colors and compelling compositions.
Introducing Fuwari and his illustration work
── Could you briefly introduce yourself and share a few of your representative works?
Hi, I'm Fuwari, an illustrator. I used to work as a full-time company employee for about five or six years while also teaching illustration. Around two years ago, I quit my job to go full freelance, taking on commissions and participating in events. Even back when I was working at a company, I would draw both original content and fan art pretty freely.
I don't think I have any representative works just yet, but if I had to name one of my most famous works, it would probably be my fan art of Elaina from Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. That one got the biggest response on pixiv.
Fuwari's fan art of Elaina from Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, posted in 2020.
A recent illustration
Fuwari's favorite illustration and its creation process
── Of the works you've created recently, which one is your favorite?
My favorite illustration is this high school girl, which I made a little while back.
"High School Girl" by Fuwari, posted in 2022.
── What inspired this illustration?
Honestly, I didn't go in with a super clear idea like, "I have to draw this!" I was browsing reference images on Pinterest, pixiv, and X, and I'd come across things like unique hairstyles or interesting hand poses. From there, I'd start pulling more references and expanding the idea in my head. That's kind of how the concept took shape.
── What makes this illustration so special to you?
── What was the most enjoyable part of creating it?
Definitely the props—especially the cup ramen. It's fun to watch those familiar visuals pop up in your own artwork. It helped me stay really focused while I was working on it.
I made a point to pay extra attention to how I drew those little items. By including things that people see in real life, I think I was able to enhance that feeling of a realistic everyday scene.
▼ Here's a little behind-the-scenes!
── Was there any part that was difficult or challenging?
The shelves in the background were pretty tricky. I used a masking technique where you overlay photos and then draw on top of them, which sounds easy enough, but at the time, I wasn't used to blending photo elements into my illustrations. It took a lot of tweaking, and I leaned pretty hard on good old Gaussian blur to make it all work. (laughs)
Bringing out the cuteness in characters
── Your characters have that perfect trifecta: cute faces, appealing poses, and fresh, vibrant colors. How do you bring out a character's cuteness?
── How long does it take you to finish one illustration with this level of polish?
When it comes to personal projects, I typically spend 7 to 10 days on each piece. That's around 20 hours or so.
Building a personal brand as a creator
── Do you have any personal branding strategies that help you keep creating, connect with fans, and make your art sustainable as a career?
Fuwari's fan art of Hibiki from Kantai Collection, posted in 2016.
Fuwari's fan art of Blue Archive.
── Lastly, could you share a message for your fans and those reading this interview?
Thank you so much for reading this long interview all the way through. Taking the time to reflect on my journey as an illustrator has been refreshing in its own way.
I'll keep pushing forward so I can grow and share even more with you all. I hope you’ll continue to enjoy my illustrations from here on out!
── Thank you very much!