Jordi Roca: Art in Board Games #12
This project meant working on a game for the revered authors of War of the Ring, surely one of the best strategic games for two players that exists and a massively popular best-seller. For David and I, it was a challenge to accept and live up to the demands of this project..
This week we have Jordi Roca a graphic designer and art director who has worked on games such as Victus - Barcelona 1714, Verbalia, Enigmàrius, and Barcelona - The Rose of Fire, and with companies such as Devir, Vexillum and Saladin games.
Hello Jordi thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi everyone, I'm 53 years old and I graduated in graphic design at art school and started working in 1986. Since then I have worked in different studios, graphic arts workshops and agencies, as a designer and art director. At the moment I am director of graphic services in an advertising agency, but have frequently collaborated in editorial projects related to the world of boardgaming for 12 years now.
At the same time, I've been a board games enthusiast from the beginning, although I discovered a new generation of games, taking my hobby in a new direction when (in 1979) I bought Kingmaker, my first game from Avalon Hill Games. Since then my passion and collection has never stopped growing and already exceeds 1,000 titles.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
My father's fondness for art and illustration surely predisposed me to my willingness to work in the graphic world. When I had the opportunity I trained for it and entered the professional field. After working intensively in the advertising world, it was not until years later, that my first works in the world of games arrived.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
My link from graphic creations to board games came much later than my work in design, when I became acquainted with Oriol Comas, a creator and promoter of tabletop games in my country. I started work with him in 2006 to carry out the graphic parts of several projects after we had met thanks to our common liking for board games, and we kept traveling together for years to the Essen Fair. In 2007 we worked together on a game funded by the University of Barcelona, alled Pompeu Fabra i el seu temps, a card game that was the first box format game I worked on the graphics of. Through Oriol I contacted Vexillum, who wanted to publish their first board game Patim Patam Patum and two years after that became the first collaboration with Devir, a brand with which I have already carried out many more projects on an ongoing basis. The first was Verbalia in 2010 and the most recent is Barcelona - The Rose of Fire published this past year.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
Depending on the type of game, the work plan may be slightly different between some projects and others. For example, it would not be the same when making a game based on a historical moment, than it would be when working on an abstract games theme or environment. Having said that, I can identify these steps in the creative process of the graphic part of a game:
The first step is to test the prototype of the game that the authors have, as many times as necessary. In this first step I begin to take notes and imagine where visual and graphical improvements could be implemented with which to enhance the player's experience.
The second step is a documentation and research phase. Keeping in mind what components and mechanisms the game includes, I start a data collection phase. In this part of the process I research for data through the network, but also in museums and libraries, or in places where I can trace information. A good example would be when I worked on Barcelona - The Rose of Fire, where I spent a lot of time collecting old objects and publications, mainly in flea markets and from antique stores.
The next step is to elaborate on the overall graphic proposal of the project, describing the approach of the different components to present to the authors and editors. This proposal will be studied in terms of gameplay, simplifying and improving the visual language of the different elements, rethinking formats, ergonomics and accessibility of these game components.
Once the proposals have been approved, we establish the graphic work plan with the rest of the team and the illustrator makes the first sketches and illustrations that will be gradually incorporated into the final art of the project, before eventually sending them to the press.
All this creative process, depending on the project, can take 8 to 18 months.
You were involved in the creation of Barcelona - The Rose of Fire so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
In April 2015 Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello were working on the development of Barcelona - The Rose of Fire for Devir. At that time, Victus - Barcelona 1714 had just been published, for which David Parcerisa and I worked together on all the graphics. Marco and Francesco liked the work we did for Victus and spoke with Devir about the possibility of us taking over the graphic part of their project. Two months later, the first playtest of the games prototype with the authors took place, in which both David and I participated.
This project meant working on a game for the revered authors of War of the Ring, surely one of the best strategic games for two players that exists and a massively popular best-seller. For David and I, it was a challenge to accept and live up to the demands of this project, and especially exciting as this game tells the story of our dear hometown.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Barcelona - The Rose of Fire?
Barcelona - The Rose of Fire recreates a long period of time (from 1850 to 1930) where the city lived a real revolution in many aspects. From urban and sociological to industrial and artistic, this era brought about its definitive transformation from city to metropolis. This moment in the history of the city has multiple elements, of which, without a doubt, modernism is its greatest expression, encompassing architecture, painting, new construction techniques, mosaics, amongst many others. The biggest challenge we faced, both David Parcerisa and I, was trying to capture all those icons and visual elements and interweave them in the most harmonious way possible in the final aspect throughout the project.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
As a fan of boardgames, I have always liked fictional historical novels, because of their resemblance to the What if effect. They propose alternative versions of history, with the same elements or protagonists as we have when playing historical games. Within this genre I am follower of the work of Matilde Asensi, and now I am reading his last book The Hall of Amber.
Related to games, I also find inspiration in Sid Sackson's books A Gamut of Games and Philip Sabin’s Simulating War.
In terms of art, I love books that compile contemporary art trends from the second half of the 20th century, applied to graphic design, for example 1,000 record covers by Taschen.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
If someone who wants to dedicate themselves to the artistic part of the game world I would recommend that they really immerse themselves in it, in order to understand the challenges they face from within. I think that they should play and know as much as possible about published games, existing forms and game mechanics. For this, the great events of the world of games like Spiel fair in Essen each year, can be extremely enriching.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
Lately I have rejected some proposals from a couple of publishers to better focus on personal projects, also related to the world of games. These projects will probably see the light next year.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
You can see all my game projects in my profile in Boardgamegeek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameartist/11896/jordi-roca-parse
(All images supplied by Jordi Roca)
Ossi Hiekkala: Art in Board Games #11
When I was asked if I would like to make illustrations for a bicycle racing game, it didn’t take me more that half a second to say ”YES!”. As a road bicycling enthusiast the subject was more than pleasing, but when I playtested it, I was thrilled. It really was a game..
This week we have Ossi Hiekkala, an illustrator, who has worked with on games such as Eclipse, Nations, Flamme Rouge and Honshu with the game company Lautapelit.fi.
Hello Ossi, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi, thanks for talking to me. I am an illustrator from Finland and I have been in the business officially since 2005. Before that I had been living and studying in Japan for three years. My portfolio is full of every kind of assignment, from food and beverage illustrations to book covers and stamps. Board games are just one part of what I do, albeit a very pleasant one.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I am not lying if I said I wanted to be a comic artist and illustrator. Drawing has been my passion since I was a kid. Now that my first comics album has been published, I can also say I am a comic artist too.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
It was somewhere around 2009 when lautapelit.fi first approached me and asked if I wanted to illustrate their upcoming game Hornet, by the Moliis Brothers. I have no recollection how they ended up choosing me, but it was a very interesting assignment as I had never done anything related to board games before. I’m always eager to try different things. It apparently went well as they wanted me to illustrate another game after that.
It also showed me that illustrating board games is a group project and I had to expect lots of changes during the process. Illustrations, like graphics, have to be tested. Sometimes you hit it with the first shot, sometimes it takes more tries. I like board games as a format for illustration and their big boxes allow large size art. It’s like comparing CD’s and vinyl albums. It becomes an appealing object in itself.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
I am grateful that my clients trust me to propose visual ideas. It is often the best part of the project, sketching and brainstorming. In comparison when working in advertising more often than little thought is expected from the illustrator, which is kind of waste.
Making the art is group work. The designer, graphic designer and publisher all want their needs to fulfilled, so illustrator has to learn to listen too. I want to make the games visually appealing but also true to the rules and spirit. That’s why I don’t want to force the visuals to fit my style but rather try to think what kind of visuals would fit this game the best. Sometimes it’s more polished, sometimes more painterly. I want there to be a story in the pictures, if possible - especially on the cover.
I start with the quick idea sketches, after which we proceed to more detailed sketches. When those are accepted, I start the final piece. It still might have to be tweaked here and there before it goes to the printer. It is also good if the typography and other graphics are done hand in hand with the illustrations, so they can support each other.
You were involved in the creation of Flamme Rouge, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
When I was asked if I would like to make illustrations for a bicycle racing game, it didn’t take me more that half a second to say ”YES!”. As a road bicycling enthusiast the subject was more than pleasing, but when I playtested it, I was thrilled. It really was a game that suited my tastes. Fast to learn and fun to play. Asger Granerud, the designer of the game, did manage to create a game that simulates the racing in a simple but pleasing way. I have enjoyed playing all the games I have been involved with, but this game I just love.
There were many possible ideas for the visual style, but I am happy that my suggestion to make the game a bit more retro in style was well accepted. The cover came pretty easily, but the cards, player boards and the track pieces took more tries. They had to be tested and improved. There was a lot of emailing back and forth with lautapelit.fi’s graphic designer Jere Kasanen to work on this until everything was finished. What I like about making board game art is the slower pace for producing the illustrations. You have time to think and plan what you can do.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Flamme Rouge?
I guess my own passion for bicycling was the greatest inspiration, as was my love for older illustrations from the 1900’s. I collect art books and they provide me lots of inspiration. I just stop for a moment, have a cup of coffee and sit down in my armchair with a few selected books.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I have a small baby boy who keeps me away from idleness. But if I can, I love to spend my spare time reading non-fiction or watching documentaries about history or art history. I am big fan of history and I have been lucky that I have had opportunities to portray it in the board games I have illustrated. Luckily I can also listen to podcasts while I am working, and many of those podcasts are about history. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to play board games, for the aforementioned reason.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
It’s a world full of people who would love to do the same thing you would love to do, so the competition is tough. I’ve been lucky to have been involved with lautapelit.fi’s great people and taken part in designing games that have been gone on to be critical and commercial successes.
My advice is to try to meet an individual game designer looking for an artist for his or her project and get your foot in the door. For an illustrator, understanding what a graphic designer does is essential, so you can communicate with each other. Also, work with the professionals, if possible, since they will know what is commercially possible and value same qualities in others.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
I am happy to tell that while I was writing this lautapelit.fi made it public that Flamme Rouge’s first expansion Flamme Rouge - Peloton will arrive (hopefully) to Essen, so here is the cover. There are other games waiting to get to a printer, and some underway, and some at the drawing table. But unfortunately I am not able to say anything about those yet. What I can say though is that I have enjoyed working on every one of these, and I hope it will show.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
I have my own homepage and blog in www.archipictor.com
I also have an Instagram account I try to update regularly: www.instagram.com/ossihiekkalaillustration/
And of course Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Kuvittaja/
(Illustrations and artwork provided by Ossi Hiekkala, product shots by More Games Please).
Roland MacDonald: Art in Board Games #10
A project always starts with research. First broadly, everything to do with the theme. Then narrowing down to the different elements required for the illustrations. I make a new Pinterest board for each project and look at as many different approaches and sources as possible to get away from the obvious.
This week we have Roland MacDonald an artist and designer who has worked on games such as Escape Room: The Game, Stop Thief and Battle Line and with companies such as Restoration Games, Fireside Games and SEGA.
Hello Roland thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am from London but am now living in the Netherlands. I began my art career working in the computer games industry for five years, culminating in concept art, illustration and art direction on Shogun 2 Total War. After that I went freelance and moved to the Netherlands with my girlfriend. The life is great here. Since going freelance I have worked for pretty much every industry, from comics and books to pharmaceuticals to Google but in the last four years I have focused increasingly on art for games, digital and tabletop.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I was probably always going to do something artistic. I latched on to drawing at an early age and was always making something. I think I thought I would be a graphic designer at a young age though I probably didn’t really know what that was. I studied fine art but it was in the end a conceptual art degree. I wanted to learn to paint but ended up learning about philosophy and nothing about painting.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
The girlfriend I moved to the Netherlands with really liked games and her father is very involved in the games scene in the Netherlands. He has over 5000 games! He helped me make some contacts and I made two games in 2012 for Cwali games. It was a pretty bad experience, largely due to communication problems, and partly due to my inexperience with how much work was involved as I created the art and all the graphic design. As it was also badly paid I gave up on board games as a viable business direction. Over the last few years though the industry has boomed and good art and graphic design is better respected and valued. Over the same period my love of board games has grown so I decided to take another shot.
In 2015 I went to Essen to get meetings with publishers and I took a redesign of Cluedo as a card game to give away to them. That game was called Suspicion and was the catalyst for my new growth in the board games business. I chose Suspicion for two reasons, one, it’s a classic and two, has good characters, some items and some locations. That’s a pretty good spread of things to have in a showcase project. Also I had done a lot of work on a detective comic in the same style and knew it had a lot of potential. Of course once I started redesigning the cards of Clue I couldn’t help tinkering with the rules too. By stripping out the roll and move mechanic and by adding some event cards to increase interaction I think I ended up making some good improvements. This was also my first attempt at manufacturing a whole game which taught me a lot about the process. That experience, plus understanding more about how players interact with your art really added some great tools to my arsenal.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
I like to work closely with the client and understand the needs of the gameplay to come up with a great solution. A project always starts with research. First broadly, everything to do with the theme. Then narrowing down to the different elements required for the illustrations. I make a new Pinterest board for each project and look at as many different approaches and sources as possible to get away from the obvious.
If you are doing a Wild West game there are a ton of reference points. Partly these cliches are helpful as it helps the player connect to the IP and understand aspects of the game easier. However, looking sideways to Pirates or Samurai might give us some new ideas for character types or looking at 18th century American landscape paintings can help us get beyond the colour palette of Spaghetti Westerns and yet still feel authentic. Ideally the project isn’t rushed, then there is time to explore the theme with a range of sketches and different design solutions.
Once a basic look and feel is worked out I do sketches for all of the elements of the game. Mostly this process is digital, even the sketching. Though if the weather is nice I will use pencil and paper on a beer terrace. Sketches are loose as I like to keep some of the fun for painting. It keeps the illustrations alive and stops that part of the process being paint by numbers. Sketches are followed by rough colours studies. Once these get approved the final illustrations are done. It is Photoshop all the way. It's the fastest way to work for me and allows me to make changes both quickly and offer the publisher variations where needed. I used to do the whole sketch and scan process years ago but learning to use a Wacom tablet well enough to sketch has made that process a bit redundant. It was too slow and fussy.
You were involved in the creation of Stop Thief!, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
I have worked on six board game projects in the last year. Stop Thief is the latest one to get published and comes from a new company, Restoration Games. Their aim is to take old games and revamp them for the modern market. I was brought in to re-imagine the original 1979 game and modernise it with a nostalgic twist. The board has a very tricky perspective and had to fit a lot of gameplay information. Handling these two things, making convincing looking locations with visual interest that wouldn’t distract from the gameplay was a fun and difficult puzzle. I worked with the design and graphics team closely to refine elements of the original layout to create an optimal solution. We were all really pleased with the final board. It is both visually rich and very functional.
The project was on a tight deadline as restoration games are launching three titles at GenCon 2017 so the other challenge was the schedule. I don’t like to cut corners on the quality of the art so I worked for 32 days straight. It was tough but the outcome was really worth it.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Stop Thief!?
I was chosen as the artist for Stop Thief! based on my own project Suspicion and the work I did for Escape Room: The Game. The colourful noir look of Suspicion was a great match for this game. So, that was a large part of the art direction I received, but as this is a redesign of an older game the other major influence was of course the original. That game was very much a product of its time style wise, and mechanically. It’s art was charming but a crude and simple strip comic style that now looks very dated. The new layout fairly closely matches the original game board and as the original game is well know by a certain generation part of the project’s appeal is the nostalgia.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I don’t know that anything I am reading, watching or listening to is really seeping into my work. I do browse a lot of animation blogs and keep upto date with game and art trends. I love advertising art from the mid 20 century and that is a constant influence. Al Parker, Bernie Fuchs and early Bob Peak work are a few among some amazing talents. I could probably do with taking more time off and enjoying a good book but I am a workaholic.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
Do it because you love it. There are easier ways to make money. Computer games pay double what you get for a board game. If you want to learn what makes good game art and get your name out there maybe try reimagining an old game you love. It has worked twice for me and taught me a lot in the process. I recently redesigned Battle Line as a passion project and that and my Cluedo redesign have gotten me quite a few jobs and made lots of new contacts.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
I am publishing my redesign of Battle Line as a very limited edition, 400 copies only. That is currently at the printer and available for Pre-order. The other project that is even more exciting for me is my own design, Ruthless - Legends of the Black Flag. This will be published by Essen this year! I have completely designed this Pirate themed deck builder from scratch and illustrated it too. I am very proud to say that it has found a European publisher. I will have some copies in English at Essen if you can find me but hope to find an English language publisher at Essen this year, or I might try Kickstarter.
Oh and look out for Kaiju Crush later this year.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
My portfolio can be found here http://rolandsrevenge.com/ or https://www.behance.net/PaperSails
Battle Line Pre-orders here http://rolandsrevenge.com/battle-line-2nd-edition/
I post regularly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rolandtheillustrator/ both with art and stuff I like.
Twitter as an illustrator - https://twitter.com/RolandDraws and as a micro publisher - https://twitter.com/RolandsRevenge
(All images provided by Roland MacDonald)
Ryan Goldsberry: Art in Board Games #9
The biggest issue with Fugitive was the amount of art that was needed. The cards are numbered (0 - 42) and we decided that each card would be unique and that if you laid the cards all out in order, you could see a story and a chase taking place...
This week we have Ryan Goldsberry an Artist who has worked with on games such as Paperback, Burgle Bros., Word Domination, Fugitive and Hardback and with publishers such as Fowers Games and Jeff Beck.
Hello Ryan thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I worked in video games as an animator for about 12 years, most of that at Crystal Dynamics where me and Lara Croft became best pals. Somewhere in that time I started making art on the side for the games that my good buddy Tim Fowers was inventing. Currently I'm working as an artist and animator for Lawrence Livermore National Lab, where I'm making cool art for sciencey type stuff. And, since life isn't busy enough, I continue to work with Tim to make our games, and I also illustrate books that my dad and I write (our first book, Floater, was published a couple years ago).
I live in the Bay Area in California with my beautiful, hilarious wife and our 5 kids (yes, that's no typo...FIVE kids).
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
An artist...always an artist. I had no idea what that meant or what kind of an artist I wanted to be, but I never really deviated from wanting to be an artist… except for a brief spell in my teens where I thought maybe I'd just go ahead and be a lead guitarist for some kind of super famous rock band. But, you know... reality.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
I was happily working in the video game industry when Tim Fowers (who was a good friend from years back) called me up and said he was going to try and make a computer game and asked if I'd do the art for it. Not knowing any better, I said "sure!"
The rest is history. We made a couple of computer games (our first one, ‘Now Boarding’ was quite successful) and then we eventually switched to the board game media with Wok Star. I keep making the art I like, and Tim keeps saying he likes it, so we have no plans of stopping! I think we make a good team.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
Generally it starts with a conversation with Tim, where he tells me about the game he's working on, and tries to explain in detail how the game works. I try and pay attention, but inevitably zone in and out as he tries to explain it all. When he gets done explaining I stare at him with a blank look. Soon after that, I sit down with Tim and we actually play a prototype (Tim is the master of making prototypes) and finally a light goes on and I understand how the game works.
Then we have a lot of discussion about the theme of the game. Sometimes there is a very clear theme already in place, and sometimes we have to invent it. Once we feel like we have something cool in place, we start talking about how much art it will involve and we try and get a general idea of what we need, how long it will take, and also how much we should have done before we take it to Kickstarter.
As I'm creating the art I try and stick to the theme, and I do a lot of research to find references that support that. We have a certain art style and we try and stick to that because we feel like it has served us well. It's also fun because we now have a catalog of characters from the previous games we've made and we like to cross some of them over into our new games so it's like we're creating our own little universe. It’s fun!
You were involved in the creation of Fugitive, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
The biggest issue with this game was the amount of art that was needed. The cards are numbered (0 - 42) and we decided that each card would be unique and that if you laid the cards all out in order, you could see a story and a chase taking place. This added an extra challenge. Not only was there a lot to create, but it had to cohesively tell the story.
Also, with any good Kickstarter, you try and set a schedule and have an accurate delivery date. Goals help with the creation process and fulfilling goals keeps our awesome backers happy. However, after the Kickstarter ended and as I started to really dig in and work, it became obvious that we weren't going to hit our original timeline. This was a discouraging challenge. I was working as hard as I could to try and complete all the art without going too far beyond our estimated time frame but it was just too much to get done as fast as we wanted. Ultimately we came in late and it was pretty much all my fault, but, I think it turned out good in the end and hopefully was all worth it.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Fugitive?
Inspiration for Fugitive came from several places. First, the game is a cat and mouse style chase game and we were inspired by movies like Catch Me If You Can. I was personally also inspired by all the cool chase scenes I’ve ever seen in movies. I looked at a lot of these, especially the classic chase from Bullitt and that cool car/train scene from The French Connection.
Another inspiration was comic books in general. Fugitive turned out to be a sequential art, like something you'd find in a comic book.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
Hmm, I just got through watching the new and final season of Samurai Jack, and that also inspired me to go back to rewatch some of the previous seasons. Along with the fantastic storytelling that show has some of the most beautiful looking art I've seen in a cartoon. It's truly inspiring.
I also just got the big hulking 2 volume set of Ralph McQuarrie's Star Wars art and I've been reading through that. It's amazing and I wish I could draw even remotely as well as McQuarrie.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
If you're trying to work as an artist, my advice would be to branch out and really try different styles of art and design. I really like to see games that look different from the pack, and have themes and styles that are unique.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
Right now I'm finishing up our expansion to Paperback, and after that, we're going back to our beginnings with a game called Now Boarding. It will be coming to Kickstarter in August.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
You can follow me here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldsberryryan/
Tumblr: http://thecartoonhead.tumblr.com/
(Artwork supplied by Ryan Goldsberry).
Atha Kanaani: Art in Board Games #8
[..] it was my first “big” board. There was some art already done and I had to respect the style by making mine very similar. When you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s a little bit scary because the board is the part where players are going to live their adventure..
This week we have Atha Kanaani an illustrator who has worked on games such as Traders of Osaka, Pandemic: Iberia and Cthulhu, Archaeology: The New Expedition and with companies such as Filosofia, Z-Man Games, Asmodee Canada and Plaid hat Games.
Hello Atha, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi Ross, thanks for inviting me onto your blog! I’m a French illustrator currently living in Canada and I did a little bit of freelancing before coming to Montréal. That’s how I started working for F2Zentertainment in 2014. Our first Game together was Traders of Osaka. We did well and they appreciated my work, so, as little as a month later they offered me a full-time job with the condition of coming to their studio in Québec. At first I thought it was crazy but my girlfriend convinced me that it was a very good opportunity for us. That’s how we ended up here! Now the studio has changed owners and I’m a full-time illustrator for Asmodee Canada, as a part of the Z-man Games creative team.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I remember wanting to be an animal tamer, a race driver, and a lot of other things. I became conscious very late that drawing could be my thing. I drew a lot as a child and I just never stopped, finally I found out that there were people for whom drawing was their job.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
After graduating from art school, I didn’t know where to begin to become an illustrator. So, after some time, I remembered that my teacher (Vincent Dutrait) told us that the board game industry was growing bigger and bigger and we should take the chance to get involved. I contacted every company in France. By mistake I wrote a mail to filosofia without knowing that they were in Canada. They asked me to work on “Traders of Osaka” and that’s it, I had a foot in this industry.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
The first thing I get is a pitch from the art director. He gives me all he can at this stage (story, rules, old version of the game if it’s a reprint, etc) and if I can, I like to play one or two games just to know what it’s all about. If it’s a new game, I have more flexibility to play with the look (like for Smile as an example). In the case of a Pandemic game, the style must be close to the old ones.
We discuss about all the components that need to be illustrated and I do some visual research to feed my imagination. Then I can start sketching. I like to begin with the cover, I think it gives the tone for the rest of the game. But every company has its own way of working so you must adapt. For every part of the game I provide different sketches and the art director chooses the ones they want me to develop. Then I refine it and try some color sketches on it, and they choose the one they think best fits with their vision. After we agree on all of it, I can work on a final illustration. There are not so many changes in the process but art directors are humans, so I must deal with their different temperaments, but we always find a way to work together.
You were involved in the creation of Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
On this one, I worked with Chris Quilliams. My job was to work on the game board, refine the cards already done by another artist and create the ones missing. The challenge was that the board is a very large piece with a lot of details, and it was my first “big” board. There was some art already done and I had to respect the style by making mine very similar. When you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s a little bit scary because the board is the part where players are going to live their adventure. People are expecting something high quality. There are a lot of things you must think about, like how people are going to move their pawns. Where to put the towns with enough space for all the graphic design around it and how to separate the cities whilst keeping unity throughout the board. On top of all of that, you need to think how to create the right mood for this game. Fortunately, my art director was here to help me and I hope people are enjoying playing on it!
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu?
The idea was to give the players a feeling of anxiety and concern about what happened here. It was a lot of fun playing with the weird light and fog here and there. Are there people around? What could possibly do make a hole like this in a building? It’s a little bit like an old horror film, when you are waiting for the big hairy monster, jumping out from the woods!
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I started to read a book from Ed Catmull (president of Pixar and Disney animation) called “Creativity, Inc.”, and I’m also reading the Notebook of Leonardo Da Vinci which is really fascinating. I have another pile of books “in reading” because I can’t finish one before diving into another attractive book…it’s an addiction. I’m listening to Smooth Mcgroove! He makes Youtube videos where he sings video games music. Some people find that weird… but I don’t care, I love it!
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
Make mistakes. That’s how I ended up 5500 km from my home illustrating board games. Contact people, do good work, try everything you want, the only risk is to get a "no". I don’t really have any exact advice, there are so many different way to meet your goals. Keep sending your work, ask for feedback from people actually in the field. But first of all, you have to believe that your dream job is somewhere waiting for you, so keep moving because it’s not coming after you!
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
I think “Smile”, a little card game, is coming out soon. I had a lot of fun painting the little monsters. And a lot of games are coming up in the future but I can’t talk about it and that’s a hard part of the job.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
You can see some of my illustrations here: http://www.atha-kanaani.com
Or also here: https://www.artstation.com/artist/atha
(All images provided by Atha Kanaani)
Pierô: Art in Board Games #7
This project should have been the best moment in my career. I was working with only friends (game designers and publishers) on a very fun and original game. Everything was supposed to be cool. Unfortunately, I’ve realised since then that it’s always when I think it will be cool and quick that it’s a painful and slow process..
This week we have Pierre Lechevalier an illustrator who has worked with on games such as Mr Jack, Ghost Stories, Rampage and Yggdrasil and with companies such as Repos Production, Matagot and many more.
Hello Pierre thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hello, so my name is Pierre Lechevalier but nobody has called me that in a very long time. Now everyone calls me Pierô and I never write my last name when I’m signing a game. If I have to, I’ll put la lune (the moon). Pierô la lune is a character from the italian Commedia dell’arte and in French there is an expression “avoir la tête dans la lune” which roughly translates to “have your head or mind in/on the moon” meaning you’re always dreaming and not very focused on the surrounding world. As a child (and still), it describes me pretty well and everyone calls me Piero because of that. Wow! Just my name alone made a long intro. I will try to keep the rest shorter!
So I’m a french board game illustrator working in the industry since 2006. The first game I illustrated was Mr. Jack which was quite successful and is still available now. I’ve done 40 games since then and the most popular ones are Dice Town, Ghost stories, River Dragon or Rampage aka Terror in Meeple City (depending from which country you’re coming from). Illustrating games is how I’ve made my living for 11 years now and I’m lucky to have had a lot of work meaning I can live from it. Which is great because it’s a damned good job.
Beside my work, I live in the south east of France in a very very small village where I can enjoy the birds singing and the wind in the trees. But don’t imagine me with long hair running naked through the woods with flowers in my beard... I don’t have long hair. More seriously, I lived for more than 30 years (I’m 42) in the city and I grew tired of it, plus as I’m working from home I need the calm and fresh air.
I’m a gamer and a pretty serious one. Videos games, when I have the time and a lot of boardgames. I have more than 500 board games at home and when I go beyond that amount my wife strongly suggests that I give some away to friends and family who can use them. My wife is also a gamer, as is my 8 year old son. When I don’t work or play I’m jumping from planes with my parachute and have been since 2012.
Hmmm, I think you know pretty much everything about me. Oh no! One last thing! I talk a lot. I mean A LOT! As you can see, quick answers are not an option here. Sorry.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an illustrator and I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. Drawing has always been a way of expressing myself and if there was something I couldn’t say, I drew it.
Not just that though, if there was a toy I couldn’t have, I would just draw it to play with. Or if I had to give someone a gift? Wow, it’s so much cheaper to draw for them, plus then they’d also have to say it was great too! My mother put me in an art school when I was 8 but perhaps she was just tired of the ugly drawings as gifts.
In France, comics are very different than in the U.S or other countries. They cover a much larger audience spanning children, teens and adults. They are hard backed and normally between 44 and 56 pages. Generally it’s the work of 2 or 3 artists (a writer, illustrator and colors artist) and they take around one year to finish. I wanted to be a comics illustrator until I was about 25 or 26 but I failed because it’s very hard to become one and requires a lot of work and talent. I didn’t have enough or didn’t work hard enough, who knows. Anyway, I always wanted to be an illustrator, a drawing artist and I did it! Which is pretty cool right?
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
I have a cousin who lived with me for a number of years or we always lived very close. I consider him my little brother and we played a lot of board games together when we were young. When I was 15 and he was 13, we discovered a store that sold board games and RPGs and we fell into the trap. We found a lot of different RPGs (Vampyr, Star Wars, Cthulhu and Cyberpunk…) and at the same time discovered American board games with Warhammer 40000, Dungeon Quest (yeah, the 1st version) and Cosmic Encounter as well as the French touch with Full Metal Planet, Sherlock Holmes and many more. We played until I had to leave my hometown for my studies.
I stopped playing board games until 2003-2004 when I dived deep back in after discovering modern games such as those from Days of Wonder or Asmodee. In two months alone I had bought 30 games, just because they were so good and so beautiful! Still drawing in my free time and trying to become a pro, I started to draw me and my board game friends dressed as characters from the games we played. I wanted to start a website about it and I contacted Bruno Cathala to ask him if I could use my version of Shadows Over Camelot on there. I showed him my drawing and had fun with it. However, one week later I received a message from him, giving me his cell phone, asking me to call him to discuss a project. That was Mr. Jack.
That’s how I first became involved in the board game industry, Bruno Cathala! Yep, you’re free to blame him! When Mr. Jack was released, I went to Essen (2006) to see my first box as soon as possible and I got invited by Bruno and Ludo (Ludovic Maublanc, co designer of Mr. Jack and Dice Town) to do little drawings on the lid of the box for gamers. This was the first time in Essen that an illustrator came to do a signing session. Once I sat on my chair to start doodling I never was able to leave it. During those 4 incredible days of drawing gamers really appreciated it and it ended up making a big buzz. That’s how I became a board game illustrator I think. My signing session made me famous and Mr. Jack was a huge success.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
First step, try the game. I’ve been going to Essen every year since 2006, to the Bruno Faidutti gathering since 2007 and to some smaller conventions in France too. Bruno Faidutti, Bruno Cathala, Ludovic Maublanc, Antoine Bauza, Roberto Fraga, Nicolas Normandon and many others became friends of mine. Real friends. I’m playing a lot of games at the prototype stage and sometimes, if I have a big crush for one of them (Dice Town and Ghost Stories are good examples) I really want to be a part of it. I think you never do a better job than when you’ve tried the game. It helps a lot to understand what’s important in the mechanics of the game and what you have to highlight. A beautiful game is not enough, it has to be a good game too in order to face the many games which will be released in the same year. Of course it helps to have a nice, beautiful game but illustrations are at the service of the game and sometimes, an illustration has to be simplified to help the comprehension of how the game works. That’s why it’s a very important first step for an illustrator to play the game.
When the publisher has finished their work with the game designer (creating the game and developing it) they will have a theme, a list of needs and this is when I start to work for real. I start some rough drafts to find the style I want and make some suggestions to the publisher (sometimes designers are involved too).
I like to change my style so I don’t get bored of my work. Sometimes, I want to make some cartoonish and colorful illustrations (Dice Town, Rampage, River Dragon, Medieval Academy) and others perhaps I want to be more serious in style (Yggdrasil, Ghost Stories). That’s why I’m always trying different styles for each project. Once we have an idea of what we want, I start to work with black and white roughs of the cards, boards and covers. There is no rule about what I do first so it depends. Sometimes the cover will give me the style and direction for the rest. Sometimes it’s the board, as I say there are no rules.
I send a big mailing with lots of roughs and then wait for the green light. Once I have it, I do the final drawings in black and white and send them to the publisher. When I have approval to go ahead further I put in the colors. I generally try to not do all the roughs, black and white final drawings and (at the end) colors at the same time. It’s very complicated to create an illustration from scratch on a white page so I generally try to alternate between differents step throughout the process, although adding the colors is a pretty cool and easy task.
Oh, I didn’t mention, I work 100% on a computer. That’s the only thing which has changed since 2006. The first illustrations of Mr. Jack were drawn on paper with computer colors. Now, from the first rough, everything is digital. I’m working on Corel Painter.
In regards to the art process, some game designers like to be involved and others don’t. For example, Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala love to discuss and give their opinions during the creation process. Sometimes designers don’t really care or leave it down to me. Or it might be the publishers who stop me sharing my work with the designers so as to not bring in more opinions thus slowing down the process.
You were involved in the creation of Rampage/Terror in Meeple City, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
I’m going to talk about Rampage (Terror in Meeple City on the second release) from game designers Antoine Bauza and Ludovic Maublanc (published by Repros Prod) as although it’s clearly not my best work (or even the one I enjoyed most) it explains all the processes I covered in the previous question and was a real challenge.
It started when I played a really early prototype during Essen in 2008. We were here with Antoine for the release of Ghost stories and Ludo (Ludovic Maublanc) was here for Cyclades (or perhaps also Cash and Guns). It was very late, something like 3am and we were drinking, just maybe not the water they had put on the proto table. One hour later, some guys from Repos signed the game and I was there to say “I’m the illustrator of it and you don’t have choice!”. I always have a video camera with me and I filmed a lot of things that night, proving we didn’t just drink water. We started to really work on the game 4 years later, sometimes it takes time to develop a game to its final version.
When I started to work on it, I spent a lot of time to find the style we wanted. It was very complicated because of the style of the game, which was fun and stupid with big monsters. We hesitated between a lot of different styles. After a few weeks of research and a dozen tries we, of course, chose the very first one. It’s always like this.
The cover was the first thing I started and I had done more roughs of proposals than I usually do. It had been a real fight between me and the publishers (friendly, of course) because I had a preference for a cover and they had another. As we are all very stubborn it took us some time to chose and finally we went with their choice. The publisher has the last word of course. The game then also had a second release with another name and another cover. This time the artwork I had prefered. So we both had our cover and we all won. But now, of course, I prefer the first version.
The cards were done very quickly as the cartoon style was fast to do and fun. The cards descriptions given by Antoine and Ludo were very clear so I just had to translate their wishes and follow their direction.
The real challenge was in the game board. I was, at this time, an illustrator for 6 years with at least 15 games to my name. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you won’t make a poor estimation of how much work you need to do. We chose a very cartoon-y style, simple and colorful. I’m pretty fast on this kind of work so I imagined it would take me one or two weeks to do the board. It took me 3 months.
The game was released at Essen 2013 and not 2012 partly because of my mistake in time evaluation. The illustration of the board was supposed to be a part of a big town with buildings and sidewalks. A simple top view. I wasn’t supposed to draw 3D buildings with perspective and so I was very optimistic about it. 5 years later, I still ask myself how I could have been THAT stupid. A top view of a cartoon building is basically a square. It’s very empty and so ugly! I had to add details, objects, and more details, more objects... I still wake up screaming “Nooooo! Please…! No more of this board!!”.
This project should have been the best moment in my career. I was working with only friends (game designers and publishers) on a very fun and original game. Everything was supposed to be cool. Unfortunately, I’ve realised since then that it’s always when I think it will be cool and quick that it’s a painful and slow process.
But, to be honest, I learned a lot (even more than I wanted) with this project and it’s still one of my best works according to my son. He’s young… He doesn’t know.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Rampage/Terror in Meeple City?
The game was designed to be an homage to a very (very very) old video game called Rampage. We (Antoine and myself) were big fans of the game (I wasted so many coins on this game) which is why we did it. I took inspiration directly from the video games visual design. That’s what the publishers wanted too and we were good at it, unfortunately, perhaps a little too good. They had to change the name of the game and the publishers chose to change the cover as well to be cautious.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I’m not reading as much as I would like to. Comics or books. Firstly because I don’t have much free time and secondly, like everyone else, I’m watching a lot of television series. I’m a big fan of old shows like The Wire, Six Feet Under or Firefly. I’m watching a lot of things, Netflix is a good dealer. Actually, I love Sherlock, Viking and Grey’s Anatomy…. Yeah, I know… I’m sorry! What can I say, it’s clearly a guilty pleasure. My wife was watching that show from the beginning and I started to get into it. Bam, I started again from the 1st season. Really? Am I talking about Grey’s anatomy in a professional interview? I clearly have to drop it!
I don’t really fuel my work with movies, tv shows or books. Or not consciously. When I’m drawing, I have podcasts playing in the background (Dice Tower and French ones) or music. If I put on music it’s generally a movie score in the mood of the game I’m working on. For example, when I drew Ghost stories I listened to Miyazaki movie soundtracks (Ghibli films like Mononoke or Totoro) and Memoirs of a Geisha. 3 months, I can’t listen to them anymore!
Of course, I have a lot of friends who are illustrators. Naiade (Tokaido, Seasons) Dijb (Clash of Rage, Titan Race), Miguel Coimbra (7 Wonders, Smallworld), Biboun (Dice forge, Time Bombs), Ani (Jamaica), Jeremy Fleury (Oceanos, Yamataï), Arnaud Demaegd (Ystari games) and many many others. We see each other a lot, we speak a lot and we help each other. We are real friends and not competitors. If I can’t do or don’t want to do a job, I ask them if they’re interested.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
Don’t! Stay where you are! There’s enough of us already!... please? I don’t really have too much advice because it’s a cool job in a very cool industry, for sure. Two things perhaps. First, play, play and play again. It’s a wonderful sensation to see our illustrations being played by perfect strangers but it has to be played first. Don’t hesitate to forget a little about your ego and highlight the game mechanics. Secondly, and much more importantly... wait let’s make this a new paragraph as it’s so important.
Here we are. So, secondly: It’s a job!! IT’S A JOB!! You’re a gamer? You’re an illustrator? Cool, welcome, but make sure you’re paid! It’s very easy to meet passionate people in this industry but it doesn’t mean that passion will fill your fridge or pay your rent. Don’t underestimate your work and its importance. Don’t listen to people who say “Hey! It’s cool for your artbook” or “I don’t have the budget but you will be famous after that!”. If you don’t have the budget for the illustrations of your game, don’t publish it! Actually, there are more than 1000 board games released every year. You just have to put some budget into the components and the illustrations.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
Yep, I do. Would I like to talk about it? Oh Yeahh! Can I...? Nope! I can tell you a new expansion for Dice Town will be released soon with a new design of the base game. I’m also working with Matagot on some projects and I’m illustrating a game for two players with a very cool theme.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
You can find me on Facebook under the name of ‘Pierô la lune’ @Pieroillustrateur. It’s a page, not a personal FB. My personal is Pierô Lalune but I don’t accept friend requests anymore on my personal account. It’s just too complicated to manage private and professional lives at the same time.
I don’t post everything both in English and French. Mainly because I don’t have a lot of followers in English but I could do if I have to. You’ll see my last illustrations, some live videos so don’t hesitate to come and comment!
(All images supplied by Pierre Lechevalier)
Lorinda Tomko: Art in Board Games #6
Nature is a big source of inspiration for me; nothing is creepier than some of the things that already exist here on Earth. I’ve based monsters on parasites, diseases, carnivorous plants and deep sea creatures - I like that the Kingdom Death universe isn’t filled with the same old thing!
This week we have Lorinda Tomko, an artist who worked on Kingdom Death with Adam Poots Games.
Hello Lorinda, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi Ross. I grew up loving art and illustration, and have been doing freelance work for just over 10 years. I went to JMU for a degree in Studio Art, and I’m now living in the Pacific Northwest with my husband Dan and our pet rat Brie. I’ve dabbled in a lot of different art projects, but my first love will always be game art and illustration.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I first realized I loved art in middle school. As a kid I was always doodling on everything; my desk, restaurant place mats. I even got into trouble for it at times. I also loved reading horror stories. My parents were extremely supportive, I was very fortunate!
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
I think Kingdom Death was actually the first board game I was involved in making. Adam had posted a call for artists on a forum I used. I responded and have been contributing on and off, to the growing game world that is Kingdom Death, ever since. I love the dark concept behind KD:M, Adam has very creative ideas and the other artists are fabulous. Games can be a great project to work on. It’s a substantial amount of work so I don’t need to be constantly hunting down other projects, but it’s still a lot of fun, especially when the game has an interesting theme.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
Since I’ve taken up more graphic design work than I did at first, I’ve come to consider these aspects much more, like what will fit well in the space, and what needs to be immediately visible and legible. I don’t usually do a lot of sketching before settling on 1-2 ideas. I prefer to brainstorm while doing other things, then when I’m ready to get down to work I already have an idea I’m happy with.
You were involved in the creation of Kingdom Death, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
I’ve contributed a few different sorts of things to KD. First are small images for the item cards, which is fast and fun. I get a short description to work off of for most items, which is pretty flexible so I get to play with what I think will look creepy or interesting. I’ve done some illustrations also. With these I aim for an interesting composition, something that will be eye-catching in the rule book. Lastly are miniature designs. These are the most challenging but also what I’m most proud of. Adam is open to a lot of design ideas from the artists, but it’s a challenge to hit the right aesthetic and feel for the existing game universe, especially since I don’t always have access to all the lore or what the other artists are working on. It’s very satisfying when a design is approved and you get to see your drawn concept become a real sculpt.
With miniature concepts there are some special challenges I try to keep in mind. KD has done some amazing things with delicate sculpts, but there are limits on what can bear weight. If the sculpting is done traditionally, small piercings in the designs will be hard to capture and the end effect may look blocky. I’ve learned a lot since beginning, both on KD and other miniature games like Purgatory, what makes for a clear turnaround design that sculptors can use, as well as what looks dynamic at a small scale.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on Kingdom Death?
I love horror and surrealism. I think my art reflects that a lot - it’s much easier for me to draw grim and creepy than cute and shiny. The monster designs of KD run the gamut from grotesque to elegant, but I’m drawn toward the ones that are subtler and almost graceful. Nature is another big source of inspiration for me; nothing is creepier than some of the things that already exist here on Earth. I’ve based monsters on parasites, diseases, carnivorous plants and deep sea creatures - I like that the KD universe isn’t filled with the same old thing!
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
Right now I’m rereading the Dark Tower series, partly out of excitement that they’re making a movie.. I follow a few comics as well like Monstress and Kill Six Billion Demons, both of which I highly recommend. Junji Ito is my comic idol and I’m constantly rereading his works. As for music, right now I’m listening to a lot of RTJ and Shamir.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
Two words.. Be professional! Very few games are made start to finish by one person. This means there are people trusting you to know your stuff, respond quickly and courteously, set or negotiate your own rates (at a price point that is worth your time!), and of course meet deadlines. I can’t even begin to list the projects I was brought in on simply by being dependable and keeping a fast turnaround. It’s a very competitive market and if you prove reliable, the word of mouth will be invaluable.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
I’m finishing up some graphic design and a bit of illustration for two other minis games who successfully funded on Kickstarter: Mythos by Paranoid Miniatures, and Purgatory by Underestimated Games. Both are small indie companies and I’m very excited to see where they go! Mythos is a Lovecraft-inspired game set around the 1920s, and I got to incorporate a combination of deco and nouveau styles into the design. Purgatory is a comedy/epic apocalypse game set in the end times of Earth, battling angels, demons and humans against each other. There’s a great sense of humour in the character designs which I had fun with - I can’t wait to get my hands on the Soul Train faction.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
My own website is at www.lorindatomko.com. You can also follow me at www.ensoulart.tumblr.com, or find me on FB at www.facebook.com/ensoulart. Thanks for having me!
(Images supplied by Lorinda Tomko)
Saskia Rasink: Art in Board Games #5
I used to go to second hand book stores and search for hours to find the beautiful maps in old travel guides. One map I found, from 1970, inspired me to make a personal map of Copenhagen. This actually started my freelance career, with many map-based freelance jobs coming in..
This week we have Saskia Rasink an illustrator who recently worked on the Kickstarter game The Open Road.
Hello Saskia, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and studied illustration graduating in 2013. During my studies I started becoming obsessed with old maps and old graphic designs from buildings from the 1960’s and 1970’s. I used to go to second hand book stores and search for hours to find the beautiful maps in old travel guides. One map I found, from 1970, inspired me to make a personal map of Copenhagen. This actually started my freelance career, with many map-based freelance jobs coming in. Nowadays, I illustrate my love of architecture, cities, and traveling every day for many different companies which I am very grateful for.
Now we know a little more about you, I have to ask, as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
The funny thing is, I always wanted to do ‘something with drawing’. My grandfather used to paint beautiful landscapes and he really inspired me to do the same. When I was young, he taught me all about paint, techniques and the different kinds of paper that work best. Nowadays I don’t illustrate or paint by hand, it’s mainly computer (Illustrator) based, but my grandfather definitely inspired me to become an illustrator.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
Blair Berg and Carl Strycharske, the people behind the Open Road board game, saw my work and thought my illustrations were perfect to visualise their board game idea. They approached me and told me about the game, and I got really excited about illustrating it. There was a lot of creative freedom in this game, which is not always the case in commissioned work and I also thought the idea of a bicycle board game was very original. I cycle my treasured old 1970’s ‘grandmothers’ bike everywhere around Amsterdam and as cycling is very common in this country it felt like a subject very close to my Dutch heritage.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
With the map of the USA, I started the same as I always do for maps. I research everything, from the local landscape, to landmarks, to trees. After that, I first pick a color palette to start working with and then start with the landmarks. Then I place them on the map, and I start working on every other detail like mountains, trees, people on bicycles, tents, animals, or other local things. I keep working until I am satisfied and I feel the map is getting nearer to the finished product. When all the details are illustrated I usually put it down for a few hours and come back to it, and I start to switch around details, or maybe add another detail because it’s too empty somewhere in the map. Sometimes I switch colors too if I feel it’s not ‘there yet’.
You were involved in the creation of The Open Road, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
Before I started designing the game board, there was already a route of the USA created, with lots of lines, dots and city names, as this is the gameplay. At the beginning all these lines and dots, which were the cities and routes you could take in the game were a huge challenge because they took up a lot of space on the map but weren’t visually attractive yet. It was my work to combine everything and make it look like an actual board game. Sometimes all these lines and dots, and every city name, made it hard to have enough space left for illustrations of local landmarks or details that were important to show the local area, especially as I could not place them somewhere else in the map.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on The Open Road?
The first thing I looked at to inspire me in making the big map of America for the Open Road board game was all the different kinds of landscapes in the USA. I felt this was really important to research because I had to get a certain atmosphere onto the map that was fitting to every area in the USA. After that I researched local landmarks that people would recognize, to add on the map.
For the cover of the board game the different landscapes in the USA were especially important and pictures of these really inspired me in creating the illustrated cover. We wanted to have three different kinds of landscapes, that represented the nature in the USA you’re bicycling through. You have the snow capped mountains, the pine tree forest and the jagged desert rock formations near Las Vegas. I had a lot of creative freedom to make this one big illustration, where the landscapes were different, but flowed into each other for the cover.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I currently have an obsession with vintage matchbox labels from Eastern Europe and Russia from 1950-1960. They are being sold on Ebay, and I love to search for hours to find the most beautiful labels and buy them for my ever growing collection. They are a huge inspiration to my work, as the labels are very beautiful designed but at the same time they are graphic, minimal and have lovely colors. For their very small size they are so very clear and communicate so much.
Also, colors inspire me a great deal. If I need color inspiration, I always turn to “A dictionary of Color Combinations” by Sanzo Wada. It was originally published in 1933. This book is really old, but the color combinations are surprisingly still very up to date!
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
I never thought my illustrations would work in the board game industry, as I had always thought board games looked a bit different to my illustration style. If your work fits the idea of the board game, and you personally love the subject, go for it! It doesn’t matter if the board game looks different, it will only make it more special and people will want to buy that game because the artwork looks different to what’s already out there.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
I can’t tell much about it yet, but it has got something to do with Summer landscape illustrations!
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
You can see my work at:
My website: http://www.saskiarasink.com
Behance: https://www.behance.net/saskiarasink
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saskiarasink/
Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/saskiarasink
And the board game I designed is on Kickstarter until 4th July 2017: kck.st/2rtFuNk
(All images provided by Saskia Rasink)