Georges Seguin (Okki)
Yuko Shimizu
IllustratorKnown for:
Ink illustrator merging Japanese calligraphic traditions with Western editorial illustration. Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame inductee.
Education:
Waseda University, Tokyo (BA, Faculty of Commerce, 1988); School of Visual Arts, New York (MFA, Illustration as Visual Essay, 2003)
Yuko Shimizu is a Japanese illustrator based in New York City who made a dramatic career change from a corporate job in Tokyo to pursue illustration in her mid-30s. She enrolled at SVA in 1999 and graduated with an MFA in 2003, quickly establishing herself through dynamic brush-and-ink compositions rooted in Japanese calligraphy. Her clients include The New York Times, TIME, The New Yorker, Nike, and Microsoft. She has taught at SVA for over two decades, was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2024, and has won two Caldecott Honors for her children's book illustrations.
Yuko Shimizu's Gear List(6)
Connection note
Japanese calligraphy brush for Buddhist sutra transcription. Her primary inking tool. "Not easy to find in the USA."
Brause
Connection note
Used occasionally for line work alongside brushes.
Brause
Connection note
Used occasionally for line work alongside brushes.
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Last updated March 21, 2026
