The Shogun project is a self-initiated digital drawing / Illustration I made out of love and respect for the Japanese culture. Their food, culture, discipline and especially art will always be a source of inspiration for me. The Samurai Warrior in particular. Warriors that had to serve and project with high integrity is inspirational and timeless. With that in mind my target audience are people that have the same passion for Japan as me, as well as people that are into Samurai’s and art / drawing.

Because this is a self-initiated project I created my own briefing, which was to outline a Shogun Samurai and include well-known Japanese art elements like the Sakura (cherry blossom tree) for example. Since I had an Art Book as final result in mind I also wanted to draw something that would be a work of art in itself. Book covers need to be exiting and engage the customer into taking action. But It also needed to work as a high quality poster print for on the wall or in the office for example.

When I was finishing the Key Illustration I just couldn’t decide which version to go with. I had a traditional Japanese color scheme with Red, Black and White. But also a Blue colored version which felt more artistic. For that reason, I came up with a “Regular Edition” and “Limited Edition” of the Art Book. Highlighting both Illustrations for their own purpose. The Limited Edition Art Book also comes with a high quality print poster. Both versions of the Art Book are a Hard Cover book with protective case, as to emphasize on the art aspect. Artists, especially in Japan, take their craft very serious and they spend a lot of time on details. I wanted this to come across in my work as well.

It does not happen a lot to me that two versions work together. I almost always choose to go with one version. Therefor, the highlight for me is the strength of both individual pieces and what they serve for in the form of the Art Book. Besides that, they both work as a stand alone print as well, and it shows the Japanese culture and Samurai in particular in an Illustrative way.