Most people seem to only refer to spirit animals when watching a viral video of a particularly lazy pug or hungry otter, but Japanese illustrator Monokubo (@13033303 embraces the concept as source of comfort in hard times expressed through art. Monokubo specializes in drawing larger-than-life animals and mythical creatures, but a recent series of gigantic cuddly animals consoling humans who have had a bad day has been warming the hearts of thousands on Twitter.

Each Tweet comes with a tagline of a "a creature that suddenly appears" to provide positive energy, sleep, or a comfy tummy for people who are exhausted, working hard, or having a trying time in their life. Monokubo told Grape Japan that one cold day on their lunch break, they looked outside and noticed it was very pleasant weather. While drawing the picture of the enormous cat, Monokubo thought "Wouldn't be nice if large animals like this were here for us?" and evidently it inspired a bit of a series of artwork, which has been soothing and inspiring many who look at it. Monokubo spends roughly 3-4 hours on each illustration in photoshop.

Monokubo is aiming to be a professional illustrator, and lately has been drawing a lot of pictures that feature large animals, as well as monsters and humans that inhabit the world of dark fantasy settings. While many of them convey a sense of wonder and adventure, you can see the roots of animals and large creatures comforting and looking over humans who need a helping hand. Follow Monokubo on Twitter, tumblr, and pixiv for more amazing artwork. Here are a few highlights.