Yokai Bestiary: How to Draw Eerie and Enchanting Japanese Ghouls and Monsters

Learn how to draw a bestiary of supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, and discover their origins as you go.

Yokai is a Japanese term for mystical beings that encompasses a range of supernatural phenomena, including demons, monsters, ghosts, and shapeshifters. Sometimes cute, sometimes frightening, but always enchanting, the creatures are often at the center of popular anime and manga stories. In Yokai Bestiary, learn how to draw 35 types of yokai while learning the folklore behind them.

Created for artists of all skill levels, this step-by-step drawing book shows you how to block in major shapes, provide proper shading to give dimension and depth to your drawings, and draw small but culturally significant details. Among the yokai types, you’ll learn to draw: Kitsune • , fox demons with multiple tails Kappa • , reptile-like spirits with a turtle's shell on their backs Tengu • , monsters with bird-like characteristics Kodama • , tree spirits Nekomata • , cats with two tails • And many more!

With both drawing instruction and Japanese mythology to engage your mind, Yokai Bestiary will transport you to a fantastical land of beasts and spirits.

© 2024 Wellfleet Press (Ebook): 9780760390214

Release date

Ebook: September 10, 2024