Digital Illustration with Japanese Ink Techniques
A course by Yohey Horishita, Illustrator and Art Professor
Discover “tradigital” illustration by combining traditional techniques with digital tools to create contemporary artwork inspired by Japanese motifs
Illustration can be a therapeutic process–it’s a way to tap into your inner self, and reflect your memories and emotions into your artwork. For illustrator and art professor Yohey Horishita, it’s a way to navigate through self-reflection while exploring creative expression. With collaboration with publishers like Penguin Random House and The New York Times, he’s here to show you how to combine traditional Japanese techniques with contemporary artwork.
In this online course, explore “tradigital” illustration by mixing modern art tools with traditional ink techniques. Learn to take the balanced compositions of Japanese art and make them your own with the digital tools in Photoshop.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 11 downloads
What's included in this course?
Meet Yohey Horishita, a freelance illustrator, art professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and your teacher for this course. Hear about his creative journey into the world of illustration, before getting to know his influences and inspirations.
Start with an exercise to help say goodbye to the fear of the blank page: the Word and Visual Association technique. Get an overview of the tools and materials needed for the course. Yohey then introduces you to the anatomy of Japanese Traditional Arts and Design.
Next, learn how to make thumbnails of the sketches, before digitizing, enhancing, and printing them. Learn to trace your thumbnail on to watercolor paper, before illustrating on it with traditional inking methods. Yohey teaches you how to create texture with acrylic gesso, oil pastel, and graphite powder for the final project. Time to take both pieces made in this unit onto Photoshop, combine them, and add color.
Finally, learn how to format your file for print, web, and social media. Wrap up the course by learning some tricks to enjoy the process of illustration.
- 100% positive reviews (37)
- 1,684 students
- 19 lessons (3h 38m)
- 11 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Create an illustration based on your memories by combining traditional Japanese techniques with Photoshop.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in self-expression and visual storytelling, and wants to explore those concepts through mixed media.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is required, but some experience in illustration can be helpful.
To take this course, you need India ink, a Speedball nib, watercolor paper, a light box, graphite powder, acrylic gesso, oil pastels, a scanner, and access to Photoshop.
Reviews
Yohey Horishita
A course by Yohey Horishita
Yohey Horishita is a Japanese freelance illustrator and art professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He studied illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, before moving to New York City for eight years, then later to Baltimore to teach.
He’s collaborated with publishers such as Penguin Random House and newspapers like The New York Times and Yomiuri Shimbun. Yohey has also participated in projects with The New York Metro, Canon, and Casio.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
How to Prepare
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Getting Started
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Tools and Materials
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Traditional Japanese Art and Design: The Anatomy 1
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Traditional Japanese Art and Design: The Anatomy 2
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U3
Production
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Creating a Sketch from Thumbnails
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Digital Manipulation and Image Tracing
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Using Traditional Methods: Pen and Ink on Paper 1
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Using Traditional Methods: Pen and Ink on Paper 2
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Using Traditional Methods: Oil Pastels 1
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Using Traditional Methods: Oil Pastels 2
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The Digital Stage: Adding Color 1
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The Digital Stage: Adding Color 2
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The Digital Stage: Adding Color 3
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U4
What Next?
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Prepping the File for Print
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Preparing to Share the Illustration Online 1
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Preparing to Share the Illustration Online 2
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Final Tips: Enjoying the Process
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FP
Final project
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Digital Illustration with Japanese Ink Techniques
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists who want to deepen their skills in watercolor, ink, oil pastels, and visual storytelling techniques.
You’ll need watercolors, oil pastels, ink, cold press watercolor paper, a dip pen, sketchbook, sandpaper, graphite powder, a lightbox, and access to Photoshop and a Wacom tablet for digital editing.
You’ll learn techniques in color mixing, line quality, negative space, texture creation, digital workflow, and storytelling, as well as how to combine traditional and digital tools for unique illustrations.
Yes, the course integrates traditional media like watercolor, ink, and oil pastel with digital workflows, including scanning, editing, and preparing artwork for print and web.
Absolutely. The course emphasizes self-expression, personal symbolism, and integrating your experiences to develop a unique artistic voice.
The course focuses on composition, color harmony, texture, visual storytelling, Japanese minimalism, and blending traditional with digital illustration methods.
Basic familiarity with Photoshop and digital drawing tablets is helpful, but the course will guide you through key digital techniques for illustration.
Adobe Photoshop
Passionate, clearly introduced and inspiring. I love the way he introduces and teaches.
Excellent course—clear lessons and practical guidance for applying Japanese ink to illustrations
This is a truly refreshing course! Yohey really encourages us to find our own voice and embark on a sensory adventure that reflects who we are. He offers us an approach he has developed, from idea generation to digital rendering and mixed media techniques. However, we understand that this approach is bound to evolve over time. It is a call to be authentic. His open-mindedness and dynamism are admirable.
very fun and informative
Excellent cours dont je m'inspire pour mes créations..
J'adore le style et la personnalité du professeur..
Je recommande vivement ce cours !