Artist Spotlight - DSmile: Master of Kawaii

Welcome to the Solaris Blog! ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ”

If you are a fan of light and visual novels and art books, you might have heard of DSmile (DSマイル), an illustrator who has designed many adorable and colorful characters. DSmile is known for their vibrant and expressive style, which captures the charm and personality of each character they draw. Let’s take a look at some of their works and discover some great original characters to add to your collection.

Who is DSmile?

DSmile is a Korean artist who started their career as a doujinshi creator in the circle Tsundere is love. As DSmile continued to draw, they developed a very unique and easily identifiable art style which has brought them much attention in recent years. This has led them to become a character designer of original characters for a wide variety of works, including figures. With a passion for drawing cute girls, they also often draw fanart of their favorite characters. And of course, that means Hatsune Miku. Who can deny her charm!

You can check out their X account and Pixiv to see more of their great illustrations!

DSmile’s Art Livens Up Games

DSmile has worked on a number of different projects and their art is featured in several different games. Oshi no Love Yori Koi no Love, also known as OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos, is a yuri visual novel game about a romance between two women who are obsessed with gacha games.

The game follows Akuru Hayahoshi, an unlucky otaku office worker who meets Ren Furutachi, a cheerful and outgoing lover of all things cute. They meet by chance and end up living together after Ren proposes to Akuru, who misunderstands her intentions. The game showcases their hilarious and heartwarming romance as they struggle with their gacha addiction and their feelings for each other.

One of the attractions of the game is the cute and colorful art style, which was done by DSmile. One of the defining features of their artwork is the expressive eyes, unique way of drawing hair and soft color palette. All of these elements helped create a yuri team that you fall in love with.

The figures are available separate or as a pair with interlocking arms! The figures are detailed and expressive, and they capture the personality and charm of the characters. The characters are very different from each other which is reflected in the visual contrast. If you are only interested in one of the girls, Akuru is changed to be in full gacha mode...

... while Ren maintains her confident demeanor by placing her hand on her hip!

So if you prefer the JK aesthetic or OL vibes, this series has you covered!

UKM-2000: Polish Beauty

Dolls' Frontline (aka Girls' Frontline) is a strategy RPG game for smartphones that features anthropomorphic versions of firearms from the First World War to the present day. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where private military companies fight for survival and resources. The player commands a squad of Tactical Dolls, or T-Dolls, which are androids that can wield various weapons. DSmile has drawn some of the most popular characters from the game and is the designer behind UKM-2000. UKM-2000 is a general-purpose machine gun developed and manufactured in Poland. With a little more moe moe kyun power, this cold, hard weapon of war is transformed! DSmile's figures showcase the cute and cool aspects of the gun girls, as well as their detailed firearms and outfits. Currently there are two figures up for pre-order releasing with the next few months! One features UKM-2000's swimsuit outfit......while the other is a damaged version of her swift whirlwind outfit!

HMS Manchester - The Royal Navy's Beauty

Another mobile game featuring anthropomorphic girls is Azur Lane! This time, we have warships. Also set in a post-apocalyptic world, these shipgirls fight for survival and resources... Sound familiar? The player commands a fleet of shipgirls and engages in naval battles with enemies and bosses. DSmile is so good at drawing cute girls, turning guns and boats into them is not a problem! Manchester along with her Midnight Devil in White Halloween succubus alternate costume was designed by DSmile. Her outfit is very ecchi and highlights DSmiles skill with character/clothing design.The contrasting black bra, white skirt and white thighhighs goes nicely together and keeps the viewer engaged. The nurse cap, bat wings and hair tied as a single bun to her right side solidify her as a devil in white. Manchester is a playful and cheerful character who likes to tease others and have fun. DSmile did an excellent job with the illustration and FREEing has brought it to life!

DSmile’s Original Art Comes to Life

DSmile is credited as the illustrator for over 25 figures on My Figure Collection with majority being original characters. Most are of the NSFW/cast-off variety like Otaku Circle's Princess but there are plenty of gems to cover that are perfect for all ages!

Kousa

Every year since 2011 the 100 artists exhibit (eshi100) has been held. At this exhibit, artists active in the anime, manga and gaming industry are asked to produce artwork centered around a specific theme. In 2019, that theme was era, so artists selected were tasked with recreating their vision of the scenery, people and activities of various time periods in history. 2019 was also the year when a new emperor was abdicated in Japan. It was a time for people to think about the past and present, and turn their attention to the future.
At this exhibit, DSmile showcased a new original character, Kousa designed in a beautiful, traditional kimono. It is a very cute figure that captures the simplicity of the past. Union Creative did a superb job at recreating all the small intricate details and matching the kimono design.

Bunny Girls Never Go Out of Style

If you make a list of things that are cute and sexy, bunny girls will surely be on it. DSmile serves a moe appeal with a side of ecchi. There are many contenders in the bunny girl maid and casino arena, but DSmile managed to create two very strong contenders. Their original character Eruru would fit right in with most bishoujo figure collections. With a removable skirt, you can somewhat control how much skin is visible…

…maybe not really.
How do you improve on a great concept? Take the pants off. It seems to work rather well for DSmile’s other character, Pink Bunny. Originally used as the cover illustration for their art book, Silhouette and Choker, Pink Bunny was popular enough to become a figure to take home.

Your Neighborhood Witch

What would it be like to live in a fantasy world with a witch as your neighbor? DSmile creates his image of the everyday life of a witch with their original character Lily. No swirling magic, red mage explosions or flying broomsticks. Instead, walking home with a basket full of groceries.The witch aesthetic is subtle and mainly consists of the oversized hat and robe around Lily’s small frame. On the surface, Lily is seemingly average and unassuming but simultaneously there is an air of magic around her.The skirt might be a tad too short for some but the outfit design is well done with small details adding to the cuteness. Lily is currently available for pre-order and if you can’t get enough, one version comes with a tapestry!DSmile is an amazing artist who has an impressive portfolio of beautiful and adorable characters. Their figures are high-quality, varied and fun! Expect to see many more figures based on their designs in the future, because an artist of this caliber is hard to find!