Cygames Calendar, September 2022: Acorns
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. The theme for September is Acorns!
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- Illustration TeamShuri
- Shuri started off by creating digital illustrations in junior high school before going on to specialize in oil paintings in high school and university. At Cygames, she is responsible for character and weapon coloring. Her specialty is creating art that plays with different textures and lighting.
Fall into autumn!
Picking acorns with a playful boy and his cat
What inspired you to choose “Acorns” for the September theme?
- Shuri
- Well, September is the start of autumn. I took a trip down memory lane, back to when I was a child. There were these trees with acorns near my school, and we’d harvest them as a class. Afterward, we’d make cookies and eat them together. That pleasant association with the season is what made me choose acorns.
I see the boy in your illustration also has cookies. What is he doing in this art?
- Shuri
- In my mind, this boy is like me as a child. He’s gone acorn harvesting with friends, and made some treats. Now they’re throwing a party, having fun together.
The way he looks directly at us with that excited expression stands out. What would you say his personality is like?
- Shuri
- He’s a rambunctious boy who loves spending time outdoors, even to do something like pick up acorns. He’s also creative—those cookies, and the matching hats he and the cat are wearing, are homemade. He’s very handy that way.
Now that you mention it, there are acorn motifs everywhere: the hats, his backpack…
- Shuri
- Yeah. I wanted people who see this art to come away with a strong impression of acorns, but each of the acorns on that tree are small. So, I figured the best thing to do would be to incorporate them wherever I could.
The spaceship-esque form of that backpack is especially adorable.
- Shuri
- Thank you. Actually, I have a cat at home, and whenever I have to take them to the vet, I use a carrier with a dome window just like this. Even before this drawing, I always kind of thought it looked like an acorn, and now that I had the chance, I wasn’t letting it go to waste.
Ah, so you actually have a cat. Is the relaxed expression of the cat in your art inspired by your cat?
- Shuri
- I’d say so. My cat’s face is flat and a little round; their body is also on the pudgy side. In that sense, they look alike. Personality-wise, my cat’s also very laid-back. My inspiration for this theme came from my personal experiences and environment, and the same can be said for my art in general.
The whole picture, from its composition to the texture, is very autumnal. What did you do to draw out that seasonal feeling?
- Shuri
- I wanted to capture the appeal of the character and highlight the fun atmosphere surrounding him, so I chose to go the simple route, with a camera point of view. This time, I also wanted to include a damp, autumnal feel, so I avoided the smooth luster that’s typical with digital art and opted to focus on a textured feel. Finally, by highlighting with light from the side, you get the impression that this is happening later in the day, when the sun is lower in the sky.
Have you always liked drawing?
- Shuri
- Yes. As far back as I can remember, I was drawing something or other. I don’t actually remember this, but my parents got angry with me for drawing all over the bedcovers with lipstick. I liked doing stuff with my hands, and got a kick out of making something with them, so I just kept drawing.
Did you specialize in art at school?
- Shuri
- I attended some painting classes through elementary and junior high school, but also was involved with sports. I really started to focus on art when I got to high school. I was especially drawn to oil painting, where you use a palette knife to spread the paint around—the resulting pictures were dynamic, and I continued to specialize in that at university. Oh, and I did digital art in junior high too.
What put you on the career path to being an illustrator?
- Shuri
- My friend and I created fanart books, which we’d sell at events. At one of those events, I was approached to do a commission of a video game character. As time went on and I got more requests, I thought, “I want to do video game art for a living.” I had fun making things with my friend, so I thought I could work together with a team to create something amazing.
Anything else you want to share with the readers before we wrap up?
- Shuri
- Whether it’s harvesting acorns or delving deeper into hobbies, I’d like people to bask in the seasonal things around them, like my childhood self and the boy in the autumn-themed art.
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