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Exclusive: pixiv Announces 4th Annual Drawfest Event for June 10, June 17

Attention to all artists: pixiv announced on Thursday that it will host its fourth annual Drawfest event on June 10 and June 17 (JST). The online drawing festival hosts live streaming workshops and lectures in Japanese and English; this year will feature Chinese and Korean language support for the first time.

The event will feature lectures from KawaiiSensei, the multimedia artist OMOCAT (the art director of the OMORI RPG), and the popular illustrator Ogipote. The event is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants from around the world.

The highlights are as follows:

• A lecture from OMOCAT about the production process of OMORI, from the initial idea to the final release.
• A class by KawaiiSensei focusing on composition and figure drawing.
• A live drawing of the VShojo Virtual YouTuber Ironmouse, where artist Ogipote details tips for using light, shadow, special effects, and anime-style coloring effects.
• The “Draw! Draw! Draw!” illustration contest will start from Thursday, June 1. Prizes include a Wacom One Creative Pen Display, and other prizes provided by co-organizer Wacom and the various lecturers.

The artists' lectures will take place on "Study Day" on June 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. JST (June 9, 8:00 p.m. to June 10, 1:30 a.m. EDT). There will be a Q&A session at the end of each program. "Feedback Day" will take place the next weekend on Saturday, June 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm JST (June 16, 8:00 p.m. to June 17, 12:00 a.m. EDT). On Feedback Day, the lecturer will comment and give advice on artwork posted to pixiv that was inspired by the program.

To join Drawfest4, participants must register in advance. Applicants will receive an exclusive Drawfest 4 digital artbook by the creative group SSS, as well as three free months on pixiv Premium. Registration will close on Friday, June 16, or potentially earlier if the event reaches full capacity.

The pixiv website was founded in September 2007 and now boasts 90 million users and more than 3 billion monthly page views. pixiv also runs the FANBOX crowdfunding platform, the e-commerce website BOOTH, and the 3D character maker VRoid.

More than 300 creators posted their first-ever works to pixiv during Drawfest 3. Takahiko Kato, pixiv's Vice President of Creator's Platform Department, noted that 52% of participants were located outside Japan.

Source: Press Release