Warning : The following post contains nudity/adult content.

Japanese manga artist/concept designer/illustrator Katsuya Terada is one of the most renowned and exciting artists working in the visual arts field today, and as a huge fan of his art style I am always looking forward to his new publications. SKETCH is his first art book since REAL SIZE (2019) and is published by PIE International, probably my fav Japanese publisher in recent years.

As the title suggests, SKETCH is a sumptuous 512 paged art book that collects a dizzying volume of Terada’s drawings and doodles, known as Rakugaki (落書き) in Japanese. Incidentally, Rakugaki is also the title of his earlier sketchbook collection released back in 2002, and SKETCH can very much be considered a follow-up ( and level-ed up ) volume.

Terada’s international profile has certainly gone up considerably over the past 5-10 years because of the many live-stream drawing gigs and also exhibitions he has taken on, many of them in the United States ( this special issue of Illustration Note showcases quite a few of these events ), and SKETCH includes many of the art work he has created at these events as well.

(above & below) I like that at least 2 different kinds of paper stock are used for the book to achieve the best quality reproductions of Terada’s work; the more matte quality paper is used for his work drawn with ink pens, and this smoother, slightly more glossy grade paper for his more detailed pieces which I think are pencil or graphite drawings.

(above & below) The cross-hatching style seen in these pieces bear the unmistakable influence of the late French comic artist Moebius, but I love how Terada has infused the technique to create a distinct look of his own in much the same way as other notable Japanese artists like Katsuhiro Otomo and Yukito Kishiro ( Battle Angel Alita ) have done.

The preview images I have shown in this post are but a very small sampling of the huge depository of stunning art that is collected in this 512 paged book; a true Katsuya Terada art bonanza at a considerably low price point. My highest, highest recommendations.

“SKETCH – Katsuya Terada Art Book 寺田克也 スケッチ&ドローイング集” details :

– Dimensions – 8.3 × 5.8′ / 210 × 148 x 40 mm
– Softcover, 512 pages
– Full color, in Japanese/English

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