Calling all artists. Drawfest 3 is fast approaching

Online illustration event features Mika Pikazo, Hanubashi and many more. Draw, learn and communicate with others at this event livestreamed in both English and Japanese.

TOKYO and PORTLAND, Ore., May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wacom, in collaboration with pixiv, will hold its third edition of Drawfest, a large-scale online drawing festival which attracts approximately 10,000 creative participants from around the world, June 18th and 25th, 2022 (Japan time).

Drawfest is an online event where popular illustrators and animators explain various drawing and creative techniques, while allowing viewers to complete works of their own within a certain period of time. Speakers will include Mika Pikazo, a leading Japanese creator, Hanabushi, Guweiz, an illustrator living in Singapore, and Namie, an illustrator residing in Australia. The program will be available in both English and Japanese, so people from various regions can enjoy the programs.

This year's Drawfest will be split into two sessions: Study Day on June 18th and Feedback Day on June 25th. After taking in tips and techniques from speakers during Study Day, viewers will have one week to create artwork of their own and post them on pixiv. During the second session, the speakers will introduce and give feedback on the submitted artwork. Winners will also be selected for each category and receive a Wacom One creative pen display and an official illustration book from our sponsor, Genshin Impact.

From this year on, Study Day will be streaming in both English and Japanese to allow participants to better focus on their creations. All pre-recorded video will be dubbed and livestreams will be interpreted in real time, so that participants can hear explanations in a language they're more accustomed to.

At the first two editions of Drawfest, held in 2021, approximately 40% of the audience had commercial illustration experience and roughly 60% were from outside of Japan, making Drawfest an event where a diverse range of creators could interact beyond language barriers. This year's Drawfest is no exception as talented creators with fans from all over the world will take the stage and give pointers on their creative techniques. We hope those who take part come away with something that proves useful in their own creative endeavors.

Study Day: Saturday, June 18th, 2022 (JST) 9:00 am to 2:30 pm (tentative).
Feedback Day: Saturday, June 25th, 2022 (JST) 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (tentative).

Real-time broadcasts in both English and Japanese.
* URLs for both Japanese and English will be provided.
 Exclusively streamed on YouTube Live.

Participation Fee: FREE, pre-registration is required, videos won't be archived.

Pre-registration: https://pixiv.net/special/drawfest3/

Pre-registration period:

Part 1: Wednesday, May 18th to Friday, May 27th, 2022
Part 2: Wednesday, June 1st to Saturday, June 25th, 2022
Please note that applications may be closed once a certain number has been reached.

Programs:

1. Learn with Guwiez. How to Draw Cool Female Characters in the Shadows

Date & Time:
Study Day: Saturday, June 18th, 9:00 am to 10:30 am (JST).
Feedback Day: Saturday, June 25th, 9:00 am to 10:00 am (JST).
Summary: Guweiz will explain the techniques behind depicting dignified women existing in their own world, starting from a grayscale rough sketch.

Guweiz's Bio:

A highly talented illustrator living in Singapore, Guweiz started drawing at 17. In just a few years his work has gained fans both in Japan and abroad, depicting scenes and characters that move people's hearts. "The Art of GUWEIZ," an artbook filled with past illustrations, is now on sale.
pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/users/8350338
twitter: @ttguweiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guweiz/

2. Welcome to the Animation Dojo. Mika Pikazo learns from Hanabushi

Date & Time:
Study Day: Saturday, June 18th, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm (JST).
Feedback Day: Saturday, June 25th, 10:30 am - 11:30 am (JST).
This program, featuring Mika Pikazo and Hanabushi, aims to help beginners in the world of animation take a step forward and learn the basics - the joy of movement and key points of expression.

Mika Pikazo's Bio:

Born in Tokyo, in '93, she works as an illustrator and character designer.
You might know her as the designer for the Vtubers Kaguya Luna and Hakos Baelz, Sei Shonagon and Mysterious Ranmaru X from Fate/Grand Order, or even characters from the Bandai Namco Entertainment game - DENONBU.
pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/users/1039353
twitter: @MikaPikaZo

Hanabushi's Bio:

Illustrator and animator formerly affiliated with Toei Animation, has participated in many productions and has worked extensively as a character designer and animation director. Hanabushi's work on music videos for artists like Zutomayo on their 2020 song "Obenkyo shitoiteyo" and their 2021 song "Darken" has been widely acclaimed, even among those with no interest in anime.
pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/users/9211647
twitter: @hanabushi_

3. Genshin Impact x Namie - Create Cute Characters and Scenes with a Variety of Colors and Textures

Date & Time:
Study Day: Saturday, June 18th, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm (JST).
Feedback Day: Saturday, June 25th, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (JST).
Namie will explain how to make scenes and characters prettier by using photographic materials while drawing characters from Drawfest's sponsor, Genshin Impact.

Namie's Bio:

An illustrator living in Australia known for her use of soft colors and cute characters.  Extremely popular on social media, her work includes character designs for Arknights

(Mizuki, Goldenglow) as well as Fate/Grand Order concept figures, ornaments and game anniversary illustrations.
pixiv：https://www.pixiv.net/users/3829860
twitter：@namgoreng
Sponsor for this event: Genshin Impact

Drawfest dedicated page: https://pixiv.net/special/drawfest3/

About Wacom
Founded in 1983, Wacom is a global company based in Japan (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6727) with subsidiaries and affiliate offices around the world to support marketing and distribution in over 150 countries. Wacom's vision to bring people and technology closer together through natural interface technologies has made it the world's leading manufacturer of interactive pen tablets and displays as well as of digital styli and solutions for saving and processing digital signatures. The advanced technology of Wacom's intuitive input devices has been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world and provides business and home users with their leading interface technology to express their personality. Please visit www.wacom.com for further information.

About pixiv 
pixiv is a social media for creators focusing on communication through artwork. It was launched in September 2007, specializing in the publication and exchange of various works (illustrations, manga, and novels). The service is based on the philosophy of creating a place where creative endeavors can be more fun. Currently, more than 79 million users have registered. To discover more, consult https://www.pixiv.net.

*Wacom, is a trademark of Wacom Co., Ltd.
*All other trademarks and product names are property of their respective companies.

For more information, please contact:

Douglas Little
Wacom Technology Corp.
[email protected]

SOURCE Wacom