An Unforgettable Drawing Session with Shigure Ui at Anime Festival Asia 2023 in Singapore - A live drawing event like no other?!
From Friday, November 24th to Sunday, November 26th, Singapore hosted Anime Festival Asia 2023, the biggest anime and manga festival in Southeast Asia.
One of the event's highlights was a live drawing session by the renowned illustrator Shigure Ui, held on November 24th.
In this article, we bring you onto the stage of this exciting event, introducing Shigure Ui's beautiful artwork and even a comment from the artist herself!
Welcome to Anime Festival Asia (AFA), the epicenter of Japanese culture in Southeast Asia
Similarly to Japan's Comiket, Anime Festival Asia 2023 featured booths showcasing various anime and manga content, as well as spaces where creators distributed their work.
The event attracted approximately 130,000 visitors, including many from neighboring countries.
A key difference from Comiket were the many special stage events with popular artists.
These included talk shows with popular VTubers, sessions with anime production staff, and singing performances by cosplayers who are well-known in Singapore.
Additionally, pixiv's official booth offered limited collaboration merchandise featuring Shigure Ui's artworks, which quickly sold out, underscoring the artist's widespread popularity in Singapore.
Shigure Ui's live drawing event: a smashing success!
Renowned Japanese illustrator Shigure Ui took part in a drawing event that quickly filled a 2,000-seat hall, with many standing onlookers as well.
The crowd broke into loud cheers as Shigure Ui made her appearance. She began by warmly greeting the crowd with a "Hello," accompanied by a host providing simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation.
In this event, her first drawing session outside Japan, Shigure Ui demonstrated her process of coloring a self-portrait, starting from the base colors.
The atmosphere was lively and interactive, with Shigure Ui engaging in conversation with both the host and fans while working on her art.
The discussion began with a focus on illustration techniques, like eye coloring and detailing in costumes, and gradually shifted to unique questions from fans.
A particularly memorable moment was when a group of fans, whimsically dressed in garbage bags, asked Shigure Ui to perform a "Ui Beam".
This event, unlike typical drawing sessions which are often quiet, was lively and filled with laughter throughout.
Here is the finished artwork!
Comment from Shigure Ui
When they invited me to Anime Festival Asia 2023, I was both surprised and thrilled.
I wondered, "Why me?" and was a bit concerned that maybe not many people knew who I was, but seeing the large turnout at the event filled me with joy.
The interaction with fans made the drawing session a delightful experience. A big thank you to everyone in Singapore!
- Shigure Ui
- A 16-year-old (allegedly) who loves drawing and high school girls.Professional freelance illustrator.Notable works include light novel illustrations, video games, TCG artwork, and the design for VTuber Oozora Subaru.As of December 2023, she's reached over 1.6 million subscribers on her YouTube channel.
