Title: Kawaii Doodle Cuties: Sketching Super-Cute Stuff from Around the World
Author: Zainab Khan
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:
Since I just started drawing last year, I thought I should look into a few how-to-draw books. I like that this book starts off by defining the word “kawaii” (shouldn’t assume everyone knows what kawaii means) and then goes over how the placement of eyes and mouth affects the cuteness of a drawing. The book is then separated into sections on food, animals, architecture, natural wonders, fashion, etc. I like that Khan exposes the reader to a lot of different cultures, from Japan to Australia to Mexico. She achieves this by showcasing both popular objects like koalas and not-as-well-known objects such as felucca.
My complaints about the book started when I tried to draw some of the objects featured. I quickly realized that most of the drawings are quite hard for beginners. Not all the steps were shown, and the description to “add more details” was not helpful. This is extremely subjective, but I don’t think all the objects were cute. Some things just don’t need happy faces, like the k-pop skirt. Overall, I think this book is worth it if people want some inspiration for doodling or if they are interested in the 12 coloring pages at the end of the book.
