Studio Ghibli’s Co-Founder Shares Quick Tutorial On How To Draw Totoro
Image via IMDb
Despite turning 32 in April, Studio Ghibli’s hallmark animation My Neighbor Totoro continues to leave young audiences enchanted, and Totoro, an adorable large spirit with cat- and raccoon dog-like features, is still beloved by all.
To keep families entertained during Japan’s quarantine period, the Nagoya Board of Education invited Studio Ghibli’s co-creator and former president Toshio Suzuki to teach viewers how to draw the fan-favorite anime character.
The tutorial, conducted within a minute in Japanese, shows Suzuki sketching a simple form of Totoro with a calligraphy pen, etching out the character’s rounded silhouette, cat-like ears, and round tail.
These features are just the backbone, though. Suzuki explains, as translated by SoraNews24, that Totoro’s eyes are “the most important part” and must be drawn pretty far apart from each other. If you’ve been struggling to recreate the creature in art, the eyes are probably why. They need enough space between them to form a bridge.
Finally, Suzuki gives Totoro a button nose, whiskers, and his iconic round belly, finishing the illustration in seconds.
[via Comicbook, video via Nagoya Board of Education, cover image via IMDb]
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