To start with, while I organise and unclog my massive files database looking for freebies and projects to post here… Check out the latest in Japanese illustration styles at this portfolio site (in Japanese but it’s the images that are of interest):
Leaning towards the clean, vector design style of art, the techniques are quite varied however ranging from traditional to Photoshop i.e. non-vector. Hmmm… they would never get past the Submissions Approval process at certain Stock Illustration sites, where all non-vector originality is leached out of you, leaving only the barest husk of a soulless EPS file with no transparency, no layers, no texture… But then again, why would these artists want to sell their stuff on a site like that?
There are some refreshingly original artistic styles on display here. I particularly like:
Kawamoto and Endoko and Kitamura
…and there are, of course, plenty more conventional, derivative styles on show which are nonetheless impressive for the mastery of technique. Besides, these are what are in demand for their bland, generic appeal:
