Kaoru is an illustrator from Japan. She especially loves drawing animal characters. Her project often begins with a fascination with individuality and freedom in her subjects—whether found in a child’s posture or casual remark, or in the movements and characteristics of animals. She explores ways of illustrating these small moments through narrative.

She works with mixed media, including painting, collage, and printmaking, with texture playing an important role in her work. Outside of illustration, she enjoys dancing, baking, and going on bookshop crawls.