Illustrator BerryVerrine tells us what triggered their art style changes - "I don't mind shaking up my aesthetics."
Interview by Ichibo Harada
Illustrator BerryVerrine is holding their first solo exhibition, U.V.W., at pixiv WAEN GALLERY in Omotesando, Tokyo through January 29th, 2023. There, you'll find roughly 90 of their original and commercial illustrations on display.
BerryVerrine is well-known for not only their powerful compositions and use of color but also their first art book, SPECTRUM, which was released in December 2022. Over the years, this artist's style has undergone a series of drastic changes. We asked them about the timeline of when these changes took place and whether they've got any qualms about those changes.

Things moonlighting as an illustrator taught me
── Tell us how you broke into the world of commercial illustration.

── Have you always wanted to be an illustrator?

── So you started working as an illustrator at a company?

── Interesting! Any plans of going full-time?

── Did working in an illustration-related field give you any insight into the world of illustration itself?

Originally, I drew in a cartoony style
── Looking back at your first posts on pixiv, your illustrations had a cartoony style to them, didn't they?

── From there, your style went through many evolutions: the neon-like colors of the 1980s, vivid hues, and even your current style using black and white for the background as well as a limited color palette.

── Do you think developing your own style is what stopped you from being influenced by other artists?

Nowadays, effects and abstract art* are what I'm most interested in rather than characters. I like to dress my characters in effects and abstract shapes, and there aren't many other artists who share my aesthetic. That's why I'm no longer influenced by other artists.
── I see. In the same way bishoujo illustrators often have the impression of wanting to draw things that will make viewers think it's adorable at the first glance, is there anything you'd like your viewers to feel when they see your illustrations?

── For your first solo exhibition X, held last year, you commented: "I have often wondered what is it that I want to paint, and I'm still wondering to this day." Could you tell us more about that remark?

The most important aspect of planning an illustration is the rough draft
── What part of the illustration process, such as rough drafts, line art, coloring, and so on, do you devote the most time to?

Definitely the rough draft. It's the blueprint that theoretically determines how convincing the end result will be. Sometimes I change up the base sketch along the way, but other times the draft and the fair copy turn out to be identical.
However, while the "flow" of the illustration is determined in the drafting phase, I quite often don't know what elements to use to create that flow. But it usually doesn't matter because as long as the flow's there, everything's fine.
── What do you mean by "flow"?

── You mentioned how a draft is "the blueprint that theoretically determines how convincing the end result will be." Where do you usually begin when sketching drafts? The colors? The composition?

── Could you use one of your works as an example?

── You mentioned how you're more interested in drawing the elements surrounding a character rather than the character itself, but it sounds like most commissioners would ask you to make the character stand out over everything else. How do you make a character stand out from its surroundings?

The importance of messing around with color palettes
── What is your software of choice?

── Using highly saturated colors in an illustration can make it look a bit sloppy and childish. How do you avoid this?

── It's true that many of your recent works have black or white backgrounds.

── Your use of color in your illustrations is impressive. How do you come up with ideas?

A solo exhibition including acrylic and metal pieces
── Tell us about your current solo exhibition, U.V.W..

── The girl in the main visuals looks a bit like the girl on the cover of your art book.

── I've heard that some of the featured artwork was created through a special process.


── What are your future plans as an illustrator?

── Thank you very much!
BerryVerrine's solo exhibition, U.V.W., is open through January 29th!

The artist themselves oversaw and directed the line-up of the show, which includes some acrylic and metal pieces. We hope you will visit the exhibition space and enjoy BerryVerrine's signature vibrant colors.
Dates: January 11th (Tue.) to January 29th (Sun.) 2023
Days closed: None
Free Admission
Address: Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 5 Chome-46-1 TWIN PLANET South BLDG. 1F
Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
*Please be advised that we may stagger admission via numbered tickets on crowded days.
*Countermeasures against COVID-19
BerryVerrine’s solo exhibition, U.V.W., is currently intended to run until January 29th (Sun). We will continue to monitor the situation, but there is a chance the exhibition dates may be subject to change due to the spread of the virus. You can find more information about products on sale, reaching the venue, etc., on the pixiv WAEN GALLERY official website and Twitter. We thank you for your understanding.
Merchandise is also available online!
Some of the merchandise sold at the exhibition will be available on BOOTH. The lineup includes metallic and acrylic artboards, mouse pads, and more, all featuring BerryVerrine's illustrations.