Cygames Calendar May 2022: Children’s Day Theme
Liven up your PC or smartphone with the Cygames Calendar! We have one of our illustrators create a uniquely themed image each month and ask them to tell us about their creative process. May’s theme is “Children’s Day.”
Let this month’s image bring some holiday cheer to your PC or smartphone! Click here for this month’s calendar image.
- Illustration TeamYuriko
- Majoring in design at university, Yuriko draws stand-alone pictures and in-game character illustrations for Cygames. She loves fantasy and specializes in scenes and shapes that look as if they were plucked from a dream.
A Flight of Fancy
The thrill of soaring through the sky on a carp
Why did you choose Children’s Day as the theme for your illustration?
- Yuriko
- Several ideas came to mind when thinking of May, such as irises and rice fields, but I felt this would be a great chance to draw some special Children’s Day motifs like koinobori (colorful carp streamers hung from homes and in public places) and kabuto (a traditional military helmet). I don’t know when I would otherwise get the opportunity to try my hand at drawing these, so it seemed like a good challenge.
What inspired the concept of a boy flying through the sky on a koinobori?
- Yuriko
- When I was considering how to incorporate the koinobori, I knew I wanted to give them a connection to a young boy (Children’s Day is traditionally a day for celebrating boys, while Hinamatsuri is reserved for girls). I also remembered that I used to dream about flying on the back of an animal when I was little, so I was hoping to capture that sense of excitement.
Could you tell us more about the boy in the illustration?
- Yuriko
- He’s a little shy and reserved, but he loves going out to play with his friends. The koinobori that he’s riding is also like a spirited child, being drawn to different things here and there, and excitedly flying all over the place.
How did you go about designing the boy’s clothing and accessories?
- Yuriko
- The kabuto and jinbaori (a short coat worn over armor) are traditional items associated with Children’s Day, so I didn’t feel like I could change them up too much. However, I wanted to give the impression that the boy has taken a liking to the pieces and snuck off to try them on over his everyday clothes.
- Yuriko
- I did some research on the yaguruma—a pair of decorative arrow-spoked wheels that sit on top of the pole from which koinobori are hung—and found out that they’re actually intended to ward off evil. The pole looks a little like a magic wand to me, so I found myself getting swept up in the fantasy of it all.
My eyes are drawn to the flock of koinobori flying in the background. What was important to you in drawing and coloring the background?
- Yuriko
- I actually didn’t have the flock of koinobori in my rough sketch, but I had this image in my mind of many koinobori swimming together. I thought that drawing multiple koinobori of contrasting sizes would help create a sense of depth, so I added them when creating the finished illustration.
- Yuriko
- I drew from the five traditional Children’s Day colors (blue, red, yellow, white, and black) in coloring the streamers flowing down from the top of the frame. However, since they take up such a large part of the illustration, I made the colors brighter and more fun so they resemble a rainbow in the sky.
How did you incorporate light to create the impression that the sun is shining on the boy and the carp?
- Yuriko
- I really wanted to create a sense of vibrancy and freshness by making the illustration as bright as possible! In particular, I put a lot of effort into the way the metal parts of the kabuto reflect the light, and how the light shines through the koinobori.
Which part of the illustration felt the most natural to work on?
- Yuriko
- The design of the kabuto and koinobori are so well-known in Japan that you can’t get away with messing them up. With that fact in mind, I focused on these familiar elements to draw them just right!
You’re involved in a range of different activities at Cygames, including working on stand-alone pictures and in-game character illustrations for ongoing titles, as well as supervising some projects. Were you able to draw on that experience in creating this illustration?
- Yuriko
- Absolutely. I made good use of everything I’ve learned on the job, including composition that serves to guide the viewer’s eyes throughout the illustration, silhouettes, coloring, texture, and much more.
What would you say was the most difficult part of creating this illustration?
- Yuriko
- The koinobori. I found that if the shape and pattern were even slightly off, it just didn’t look like a koinobori anymore.
Did you enjoy drawing during your childhood?
- Yuriko
- I loved it. I spent a lot of my time drawing characters from my favorite video games and anime for fun.
What did you study at university?
- Yuriko
- I majored in design. Rather than drawing pictures, my studies were focused on how to visually express what I want to convey.
What made you decide to become an illustrator?
- Yuriko
- I always had a vague idea that I wanted to find a job where I could draw and hone my skills. When I was at university, I received an offer to do illustration work, and that got me thinking about how I could use my drawings to help someone create something. After that, I started pursuing a career in illustration in earnest.
What is the best part about being an illustrator?
- Yuriko
- I have severe stage fright and I get really nervous if I feel like I only have one shot at something. Illustration work suits me because I can think carefully and work at my own pace to create something I’m proud of.
Do you draw in your free time as well?
- Yuriko
- I start to forget what it feels like to draw if I don’t do it for a while, so I sketch and trace pictures in my spare time. I also like to try out colors and subjects I don’t use in my job, as well as working on certain areas I’ve struggled with on projects.
On a final note, do you have a message for the readers?
- Yuriko
- I hope my illustration encourages you to look back on happy, fun-filled memories or simply helps to let your imagination run wild.
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