Yuko Shimizu is an acclaimed Japanese-American illustrator who finds inspiration from both comic books and traditional Japanese woodblock prints in the creation of her own unique style. She is both a successful modern artist as well as a successful business women thanks to over three decades of hard work and dedication.

Before becoming the talented illustrator she is today, Shimizu worked in personal relations for a large Japanese corporation for over a decade. She eventually became sick of the mundane corporate atmosphere and also began to feel trapped without much upward mobility in her position. Combined with her growing fear that she would regret not trying to do something more with her life, Shimizu quit her PR job to move halfway across the world to follow her dream of becoming an illustrator.

Smart financial maneuvering meant that Shimizu had enough savings to move from Tokyo to New York City. She packed up and moved halfway across the world with only a handful of personal belongings, all to peruse her dream of becoming an illustrator. In 1999 she enrolled at the School of Visual Arts as an undergraduate student. In her sophomore year she was accepted into the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program, a very prestigious program, as she was able to work under the guidance of Marshall Arisman. I this program, she created an illustrated alphabet book called Letters of Desire. This project was her first foray into the world of illustrating for publications, and helped her to find a direction in her creative life. After completing her BFA, Shimizu obtained her and MFA in 2003 after 3 years of hard work.

Since then, Shimizu has become even more successful as a freelance illustrator and designer. Her portfolio has grown immensely, featuring hundreds of pieces for a multitude of well-known clients such as the United States Library of Congress, Adobe, Microsoft, GQ, NPR, and many more. Most recently, in 2018, she won with the Hamilton King Award, one of the most prestigious awards an illustrator can receive. Some of her most notable pieces are Library of Congress National Book Festival (2016), Panda Bear Girl (2005), and her Collaboration for McGregor vs Mayweather Fight (2017).

Shimizu draws inspiration from both comic book aesthetics and traditional Japanese woodblock prints­—art forms that had an impact on her from a very young age. She borrows the curvy forms, dark outlines, and flat areas of color characteristic of Japanese woodblock prints. Shimizu has also been known to sign her work using iconic traditional Hanko stamps, which are cylindrical, hand carved wooden stamps used as personal signatures in Japan for generations. As she was a fan of DC comic books since a young age, it was almost natural for her to be stylistically influenced by the medium. Shimizu utilizes are the heavy black outlines, vibrant color, and simplified realism found prominently in comic books.

Yuko Shimizu is an extremely talented and successful contemporary illustrator. She is self-made, driven, and has a strong portfolio and career because of it. Her style is distinctly influenced by both comic books and traditional Japanese prints. All in all, Shimizu is an artist that all incumbent artists and designers should know of.

 

Header image:

Catalina Kulczar, Yuko Shimizu, Photograph, July 04, 2017

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Sources

Eskilson, Stephen J. Graphic Design: A New History. 2^ndEdition, Yale University Press, 2014.

Shimizu, Yuko. “Shimizu Yuko.” Accessed April 17, 2018, http://yukoart.com/.

Smyser, Kathy. “Artist Spotlight: Yuko Shimizu, Illustrator.” PCA&D, accessed December 14, 2018, http://engage.pcad.edu/blog/artist-spotlight-yuko-shimizu-illustrator.