“Tropical Japan” Digital Illustrations by Daniel Castrillón

WRITTEN BY: Roger McDonald

Have you ever dreamt of surfing the shallow seas of Japan, sun beaming through the breaks in the waves as your favorite Takeshi Terauchi song plays? Thankfully, these stunning digital illustrations by Daniel Castrillón have brought vibrant visual life into those dreams.

Daniel Castrillón is a Columbian illustrator and graphic designer with an eye for color and a toolbelt lined with different design aesthetics. For this project, entitled “Mixtape 1: Tropical Japan,” Daniel decided to blend seemingly-random styles in an attempt to create a new, unique visual aesthetic.

The styles used in these digital illustrations may seem random, but they work harmoniously. Vibrant beach-themed design elements find balance with ancient Japanese culture. Also, pop-art-style shading compliments the striking line-art designs.

Furthermore, the variation in fine-grain gradient shading and halftone dot shading gives otherwise flat artwork incredible layers and depth. Simple 3D styling on the text and other design elements adds additional depth.

Each of these digital illustrations is wholly unique. However, recurring design elements link these posters together to create a unified set. Although distinct, each poster has minimal line-art backgrounds with magazine-style stamp marks with palm trees and numbered labels.

Additionally, their rich and colorful subjects burst from the center of the page, accompanied by framed Japanese-style dimensional typography. There’s nothing to dislike about these fantastic digital illustrations.

“Mixtape 1: Tropical Japan” Digital Illustrations

Pretty damn good digital illustrations, huh? Pretty disappointed when you finished looking at those designs and realized you weren’t thrashin’ tides in 1980s Japan, weren’t you?

Don’t worry; we can whisk you away to another design dreamland with more creative inspiration!

Prepare to enter a world where internationally-known corporate brands find themselves personified as ancient warrior knights. Check out these “Brand Knight” Action Figure Illustrations by Dexter Maurer!