The DRAWING BOARD Journals
A Book Made by an Artist for Artists
by Denise Shimabukuro
THE BOOK
These days, time and quality are essential in creating an illustration. Having the right resources at your fingertips can allow you as an artist to produce the desired outcome more efficiently and effectively. The Drawing Board Journals can be the tool needed to help you speed your creative process along.
​
This "journal" is a compilation of helpful tips gathered and created along the years to guide the visual storyteller through illustration. It contains useful information that is organized in a way making it easy to follow, including some guidelines in creating effective compositions, utilizing bookmaps, posing characters, and handling backgrounds and props within the drawing. It also presents a method of simplifying basic anatomy of humans and a few animals to be able to sketch out a desired pose quickly and with less struggle.
These notes are shared in the hopes of allowing fellow artists to more easily express their creativity and in turn share their unique storytelling with others.
THEY SAY ABOUT IT
“
“
“
In every chapter Denise presents a different area
and she does that with a disarming simplicity. Her explanations – always accompanied by sketches
and drawings – are so linear and clear that it gives you the illusion that it’s really easy to create the perfect illustration.
​
Trust me, it is not.
​
​
Should I say that I learned a lot reading this book? Yes, that’s exactly what happened, cross my heart. Denise it’s incredibly talented! Her drawings are beautiful, full of life and above all clear and intelligent, explaining the different rules and possibilities. They are more than what you could hope for to approach illustration with enthusiasm and passion.
​
Wow! The Drawing Board Journals is a treasure of insights, tips, and a wealth of information on how to illustrate a book. From layouts, to character design, to backgrounds, and everything in between, a seasoned pro or a new student can gain knowledge and a full understanding on how to structure and execute a great book.
​
​
ELISABETTA MELARANCI,
ILLUSTRATOR AND COMIC BOOK ARTIST
BRUNO BOZZETTO,
ANIMATION DIRECTOR AND FILMMAKER
JUNE FUJIMOTO, ILLUSTRATOR AND
KEY ASSISTANT
ANIMATOR
BIO
Denise Shimabukuro is an artist specializing in storybook illustration. Born and raised in Hawaii, she moved to California where she worked on staff for some of the major entertainment companies. Her experience also includes character design for animation, and her activity extends to T-shirt and jewelry designs.
Denise has used her experience to train artists in Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, and London, and her work is featured in hundreds of children’s books published world-wide.
She now resides in Milan, Italy, with her husband, where she continues her work as a freelance artist.
STORE
ENGLISH VERSION CURRENTLY
DISCONTINUED
Dear All,
Here is an update on the book availability together with some great news! The sad part of it is that the book is not currently available in English. But the good news is that the first Italian edition has been launched and available for purchase since September 6th, 2024.
​
Hopefully more editions will follow in different languages.​
​
Thank you so much for your patience and your support!
​
​
CONTACT
For any inquiries, please use the form below:
Follow me on Instagram
