The methodical magic of Yuko Shimizu

Entwining exquisite linework, vivid colour and Japanese influences, multi award-winning illustrator Yuko Shimizu renders dynamic characters and stories in intricate pen-and-ink detail across posters, book sleeves, magazine covers, murals and more for clients from The New York Times to DC Comics.  

Not to be confused with the creator of Hello Kitty (with whom she shares the same name, as she likes to joke – just see her tongue-in-cheek piece Hell-O-Kitty, created out of frustration for being confused with her namesake), the Japanese-born and New-York-based artist has spent the past two decades forging a distinctive style that blends dark fantasy, strong female characters and the natural world. 

Above: Shimizu created  Hell-O-Kitty out of frustration for being confused with Yuko Shimizu, the creator of Hello Kitty. 

In her twenty-year career, she’s scooped prestigious awards including two Caldecott Honors (one of the highest awards for picture books) for The Cat Man of Aleppo (Penguin, 2020), and Up, Up, Ever Up! (Clarion 2024), has earned multiple Clio Awards (2023), Hugo Award nominee (2019, 2020), and over fifteen medals from the Society of Illustrators. When she’s not busy winning awards, she can be found teaching at The School of Visual Art.  

Despite being an imaginative child with a love of drawing, Shimizu, like many young creatives, chose the more ‘practical’ career path of corporate PR in Japan, where she remained for eleven years. Even there, she was known for her drawing abilities; “Whenever someone was retiring, I drew their portrait”. Ultimately, it was the combination of Japanese workplace culture for women and an abusive boss that inspired her to pursue a new adventure. “Around thirty, I realised I wasn’t a kid anymore and started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. In Japan, work environments for women were very behind compared to the West, and many women quit after marriage. I didn’t want to follow that path.”  

My bosses were terrible, but waiting until I was ready to quit worked out – I think it saved my life.

Above: Tour poster for British band The Cure's 2023 show in Bogotá, Colombia. 

Although our parents’ generation didn’t approve, manga was educational in its own way – we learned about history, literature and strong women from comics.

But there was a long road ahead. Shimizu worked tirelessly to save money and build a new illustration portfolio at weekends until she could apply to art school. “It was hard, because I worked all week, then illustrated over the weekend,” she says. “But knowing what I wanted gave me focus and made drawing fun again. My bosses were terrible, but waiting until I was ready to quit worked out – I think it saved my life.” 

While Japan lagged in women’s rights in the workplace, Shimizu recalls the strong, capable female characters she looked up to in the manga she grew up reading in the 70s. “Although our parents’ generation didn’t approve, manga was educational in its own way – we learned about history, literature and strong women from comics.” For example, the series Rosal Belfield taught her about the French Revolution and Japanese history, and many of the comics she enjoyed, such as Akira, later became popular animations.  

Above: Bloomsbury Publishing commissioned Shimizu to make a cover for the 1960 Japanese classic When a Woman Ascends the Stairs.

Although she hasn't read comics since the 1980s, their influence is clearly woven through her work today. Her recent commission for Bloomsbury Publishing features a young Japanese woman walking down a neon-lit street, where crowded business signs set against a purple gradient background create a sense of depth and motion. The piece serves as a contemporary cover for the 1960 Japanese classic When a Woman Ascends the Stairs; one of the first feminist films, exploring the struggle of young women in post-war Japan to achieve financial independence.

The best clients trust the artist to do the creative work and only give feedback when something absolutely doesn’t work. That rarely happens, but when it does, it’s great.

An army of other female figures appear across her portfolio, including Madame Butterfly On Her Own Terms for Cincinnati Magazine in 2023 – a bold reimagining of Puccini’s tragic heroine transformed into a symbol of strength and self-assertion, reclaiming a story long defined by passivity and loss. Meanwhile, in her dark and mythical illustration for Masahiro Shinoda’s haunting folk-horror movie Demon Pond, Shimizu channels the film’s ethereal and formidable water-residing female spirit.  

Above: Madame Butterfly On Her Own Terms for Cincinnati Magazine (left), poster illustration for Masahiro Shinoda’s folk-horror film Demon Pond (right).

With her versatile and eye-catching style, there seems no limit to the type of client seeking a slice of her creative vision, from global brands and museums to music artists. “I’ve worked on lots of different commercial projects, but it’s often not about the type of brand or publisher,” she explains. 

“The best clients trust the artist to do the creative work and only give feedback when something absolutely doesn’t work. That rarely happens, but when it does, it’s great.” Among them being American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, for whom she created a psychedelic two-part poster for their 2024 world tour at Tokyo Dome, and British band The Cure, who commissioned a dreamy, screen-printed illustration for their 2023 show in Bogotá, Colombia. 

What everyone can do is go to the library and pick out a book that has nothing to do with them. That teaches you a lot.

Above: Two-part poster for Red Hot Chili Pepper's 2024 world tour at Tokyo Dome.

Another significant project for Shimizu was illustrating The Cat Man of Aleppo (written by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, Penguin Putnam, 2020), a heartfelt picture book based on the true story of a selfless man who stays in war-ton Aleppo, Syria to rescue and take care of displaced animals. “I had no idea why they thought I was the right illustrator”, she says with a laugh, “but I was looking for a project that was completely different and challenging. I’m fascinated by foreign policy and dictatorships – how people cling to power and how others follow along – so Cat Man of Aleppo aligned with my personal interests. I spent six months reading about Syrian dictatorship and how it ruined the country. They told me, ‘You don’t need to research so much!’, but I said, ‘No, I really like the research!’ It was meaningful work.” 

I start with ideas that often feel too obvious, then I throw them out again and again, until something clicks that feels unexpected.

It’s her fascination with history, people and politics that inspires Shimizu’s work the most – far more than studying other illustrators, she explains. “My work reflects everything that influences me in my life. During school and early in my career, I wanted to draw like other artists, which is natural.” Nowadays, she finds travelling, meeting people and reading more inspiring than looking at others' work. “I’m privileged to be able to travel. It’s not something everyone can do. But what everyone can do is go to the library and pick out a book that has nothing to do with them. That teaches you a lot.” 

Above: One of Shimizu's illustrations for The Cat Man of Aleppo (written by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, Penguin Putnam, 2020).

As with most artists, Shimizu’s creative process and style have evolved over time. Nowadays, her technique begins with a flurry of rough sketches to explore composition and concepts. “I start with ideas that often feel too obvious,” she says, “then I throw them out again and again, until something clicks that feels unexpected. I’m a very logical person. People might not think that from my work, but I have to come up with combinations of things that make sense, but are slightly off the norm. Until I figure it out, it’s hard work, and every time I start something new, I still think, ‘I’ll mess it up this time.” 

I learned how to talk to bosses, negotiate and handle disagreements,” she explains. “Those skills are more valuable than the marketing knowledge itself.

The final design is drawn in pencil on paper, then brought to life through intricate and instinctive pen and ink work with fluid lines, patterns and mark-making. These monochrome illustrations are then scanned into Photoshop, where she layers contrasting colours and texture. “Starting is the hardest part,” she admits. “Once I go in, it’s not as hard. “I try to begin a drawing at night, even just a tiny bit, so when I come back the next day, it’s already started.”