Onoda Board Game Art - Visual Storytelling - Interview with Javi de Castro (Issue #74)
“There are many tragic moments in the story, I tried to reflect them with colors, shapes, and other resources. The board game follows Onoda's life chronologically, and I tried to reflect that in the cards; you can see how he ages.. “
In this board game art interview, I’m speaking to Javi de Castro, a Spanish comic artist whose rich narrative approach to board game art creates deeper thematic connections through play.
When it comes to telling stories through illustration, comic artists are second to none. Recently, I discovered Onoda, a board game based on the life of Hiro Onoda, a Japanese lieutenant who hid in the jungle for 30 years, believing WWII was still ongoing. The game artist is Javi de Castro, an illustrator and author whose own work has been nominated for both an Eisner and a Harvey, the most prestigious comic awards in the world. I was intrigued, and Javi was kind enough to join me for a chat. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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For more great insights into board game art, check out the interview archive.
Thanks for joining us, Javi! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thanks for having me! I'm an illustrator and comic artist from León, a small city in the northwest of Spain, and I currently live a bit further north, in Asturias. I love cinema, comics, novels, theatre, everything related to storytelling.
You’re best known for your web comics and graphic novels. Where does your inspiration for these stories come from?
Each project is different; the specific case of webcomics is peculiar. I want to do more because it is a very interesting medium to experiment with, but it is difficult to do without finances. The Eyes was a personal project. I had been stuck for a while and remembered how much I liked short tales and anthologies like The Twilight Zone or Roald Dahl's stories. I wanted to do something similar where the use of GIFs was justified. So each story is born from the use of the GIF itself.
Thanks to this project, the Principality of Asturias asked me for another webcomic where I treated historical facts. I had to document myself a lot, but I also had freedom; I could take it to my field and do what I wanted to do. I avoided doing something boring like a Wikipedia dictation.
Each graphic novel or comic has come from different inspirations, and I have always been able to allow myself to do what I wanted to do. My last published comic is for children and has also been an experiment, ‘Cosmo en el espacio’, which can be read upside down. It will be coming out in English soon.
Have you always wanted to be an artist?
For as long as I can remember, I have liked drawing. When I was a child, I discovered that the pictures in books were called illustrations and were made by an illustrator, and I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was always self-taught, although I also studied illustration when I started making fanzines and webcomics. I was very clear that I wanted to work in drawing, and while there have probably been worse times, I was always stubborn.
Your art features clean lines and bold color choices. What do you love about this style?
It’s hard to say, but I love clarity, so that everything is understood. I always mention artists like Challand, Hergé, Schulz, and Mignola, but I guess an important influence was cartoons like Bruce Timm's Batman. Nowadays, I look at authors like Chris Ware, Joost Swarte, or Aude Picault.
My style emerged naturally; every time I drew, I just wanted to make cleaner lines and simpler shapes. That's what characterizes my art. It's a very useful style for some jobs and sometimes a pain for others, but it's fun to find solutions.
What is your usual process for creating art for a client?
It depends on the time I have, but I really like to document myself well, I have a good time, and I get into what I want to tell. In the case of games, I've always had to work first on the cover of the box, and that's the part I think about, sketch, and test the most. I enjoy making a beautiful object. Then I work on the cards, board, etc., and that part is more direct. Sometimes I have a phrase or an idea, and I try to reflect what it asks for; sometimes I have to be literal, and sometimes I have to look for a metaphor.
How did you first begin working in the tabletop industry?
I was contacted by Salt & Pepper Games, they had seen my work as an illustrator and they proposed me for a board game. I had never illustrated one before, and I thought it was really cool. The truth is that I don't know much about the tabletop industry. I know the publishing industry well, and for me, this is all new, so I didn't have any preconceived ideas. My work has consisted of illustrating, in that sense it doesn't change much, but it's fun to have so many formats, cards, board, tokens, of course, the box.
You illustrated Onoda, a board game that follows the life of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who spent nearly 30 years holding out, believing World War II wasn’t over. What was it like to recreate this piece of history?
I knew a little bit of the story, but I read a lot about it. Herzog has an interesting book, and recently, a French movie came out. I do a lot of research and try to document myself a lot. There is a lot of information about the war, the uniforms, weapons, and such, but there is nothing about the 30 years that Onoda spent on the island. I designed Hiro Onoda as if I were making a comic, and I designed a character that would remind people of the real person.
Onoda is a controversial character. When I heard his story, I only thought of him as a survivor who spent 30 years without knowing that the war was over. But when you go deeper into the story, you realise what he did. He was an imperial soldier who stole and killed innocent people. He's like Rambo without a cause. He's no hero for me. I didn't want to portray him like that. He's no epic, just a complex man surviving on an island at all costs.
How important was staying true to the history in the art of Onoda?
Onoda allowed me to be more expressive and less literal. There are many tragic moments in the story, I tried to reflect them with colors, shapes, and other resources. The game follows Onoda's life chronologically, and I tried to reflect that in the cards; you can see how he ages. However, I invented the design of his companions and made Onoda my own in his design. I always strive to be faithful to reality, but without obsession; if something can be improved or better understood, I don't mind if it's not entirely accurate.
You’ve also illustrated another board game featuring real people, The Battle of the Divas. In what ways was this project different from Onada?
I illustrated ‘The Battle of the Divas’, which is about Maria Callas and Tebaldi, and it was a very different documentation work. There are thousands of pictures of Callas and Tebaldi's lives. With the Divas, I had to ensure they were always recognizable because they are very famous.
Your work has a cinematic quality. Is there a trick to illustrating scenes that feel dynamic and alive?
I love movies, but I don't know if they inspire me beyond the stories or certain shots. But I think comics are very dynamic! Much more than cinema. Because it's the eye that moves across the page, it's a much more active medium. I can't apply this to cards, sadly. But I work a lot as an illustrator too, so I guess I'm used to making single-illustration comics (that's one way of looking at it haha!) The only trick I know, is to make the viewer's eyes move where you want them to.
As a comic artist, what do you think is the key to illustrating memorable characters?
This is a difficult question to answer. I always look to create characters that are easily recognisable and charismatic. Almost always, the character takes on a life of its own. Without realizing it, I'm modifying it, and it changes; I always have to retouch the first few illustrations because they no longer resemble the character at the end of this journey.
What are you reading, listening to, or looking at to fuel your work?
Lately, I'm obsessed with the work of Antonio Hitos and Jon McNaught, I recommend any of their comics. I'm also reading all of Tove Jansson's Moomintroll strips and I'm loving them.
Finally, where can we see more of your work?
I have a website, javidecastro.com, where you can see some of my work (I have to update it), and you can also read my webcomics. You can also find me on Instagram as @javi_decastro.
Thanks to Javi de Castro and Salt & Pepper Games for providing the article images.
Interstellar Adventures Board Game Art - Narrative Design and the Optimism of 1960s Science Fiction - Interview with Adrián Iglesias (Issue #71)
“If we think about the science fiction of the 1960s, we can say that its main characteristic, in terms of design and thinking about the mechanics of space travel, is optimistic naivety….”
In this board game art interview, I’m speaking to Adrián Iglesias, an Argentinian artist whose work on the Interstellar Adventures artwork combines a comic illustration style with escape room style game mechanics.
Being an escape room-style game, there’s a lot of secret stuff I can’t share, but I hope what I can share sparks your imagination. Enjoy!
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Thanks for joining us, Adrián! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello Ross, thank you for welcoming me and giving me a place in this space. A little about me, I was born in Argentina, in the south of the country, where I graduated in fine arts at the National University of La Plata.
My love for drawing and comics has been a constant in my life since childhood. Even before I learned to write, I was creating simple comic strips based on the animated shows I enjoyed, like Mazinger Z, He-Man, and Space Ghost. These were my initial forays into graphic storytelling.
After completing my education, I took on a few conventional jobs until I decided to pursue my true passion. I left everything behind and, along with some friends, started a comic publishing company. Thankfully, that leap of faith paid off: I landed my first steady role as a comic artist for a series about hackers and spent four years teaching comics at a private multimedia art school. For over fifteen years now, I have been working as a freelance illustrator and comic artist.
You’ve illustrated Interstellar Adventures, a new escape room-style sci-fi board game on Kickstarter. Can you tell us a little about it?
When Harriet contacted me, she mentioned three words that instantly piqued my interest: retro science fiction. As a fan of science fiction, especially the nostalgic variety I enjoyed as a child, I felt a spark of excitement. I realized there was an entire universe of board games related to this theme that I had yet to discover.
With a whole sci-fi world to create, where did you start?
We started working on the design of the characters and the illustrated cards. But little by little the project unfolded before my eyes as something new. It has a richness in the gameplay that I hadn't seen before. Screens to launch missiles, cards that change by overlaying other cards, secret messages, and puzzles that form new paths for the characters. Every detail is thought out. It is a lot of fun to illustrate, and I can't wait to make it a reality and play it.
How did you look to illustrate a world that feels specific to another era?
If we think about the science fiction of the 1960s, we can say that its main characteristic, in terms of design and thinking about the mechanics of space travel, is optimistic naivety. These were stories that took place in space before mankind had ever set foot in space, so there were thousands of fundamental details that were unknown and that later complicated the idea of space exploration. Yes, it was known that it was necessary to wear a space suit. Just contrast the designs of Terrore nello Spazio with Alien.
Keeping this concept in focus, I created the suits and items featured in the game. To complete the project's visual identity, I drew inspiration from 1960s comics. This is reflected in a restricted color scheme, the incorporation of halftones, and a texture reminiscent of offset printing and paper.
This combination of naive design and limiting the vast arsenal of digital tools, I think, is what gives a retro look to the project.
As a comic artist, what do you think is the key to illustrating memorable characters?
That's the key question, isn't it? In my view, one of the most crucial elements in comics and graphic storytelling is the performance. The drawing style, or how the artist depicts reality, offers an almost limitless variety and is heavily influenced by personal preference. I tend to favor synthesis and exaggeration in my drawings. Additionally, character design plays a significant role; creating characters that are instantly recognizable and have distinctive shapes greatly enhances the initial visual impact. However, all of this loses its effect if the characters fail to convey the emotions that the story aims to express when they interact within the two-dimensional world we've crafted for them.
Real-world escape rooms are very kinetic spaces. How did you look to breathe life into the inanimate objects and environments of Interstellar Adventures?
Everything is in function of telling a story and conveying the tone and message of a scene. Of course, this manipulation of shapes and colors must go unnoticed by the reader, and therein lies the skill of the artist. For example, the palette turns to warm tones (reds) if the scene has action and danger. Conversely, it leans towards cool colors (blues) if we need to convey calm, pause, and tranquillity. Something similar happens with lighting. It is manipulated to guide the viewer's eye over the drawing.
We know that we see the areas of highest contrast first, and that is where we put the most important things. The dimensions of the eyes, mouth, and even hands of the characters change based on the emotional requirements of each scene. When it comes to set design, it becomes a character in its own right.
For Interstellar, I envisioned the crew alongside their designated spaces within the ship simultaneously. This means that each crew member's personality is reflected in the set, and the set influences their character as well. A great example of this is Eugine, the robot engineer. His design is quite basic, evoking the look of early 20th-century submarine suits, which aligns with the aesthetic of the engineering section.
The sci-fi genre has a rich history in creative arts. Did anything inspire your work on Interstellar Adventures?
Undoubtedly, my gateway to science fiction was Star Trek, the original series and as such it left an inescapable mark on my imagination. Although I'm also a big fan of cyberpunk, works like Blade Runner, Akira, Neuromancer, Ghost in the Shell, I discarded that whole branch of the genre as the underlying tone doesn't match the spirit of Interstellar Adventures.
To the Star Trek imaginary was added the low-budget science fiction films I used to watch on Sunday afternoons at my grandparents' house: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 film), Terrore nello spazio (1965), Forbidden Planet (1956), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), among many others.
Were there any challenges in illustrating an escape room-style board game?
Absolutely, it’s an exhilarating journey! I’ve never embarked on anything quite like this before. Initially, Harriet and I focused on character design, an area I’m quite familiar with and have tackled many times. Once we nailed that down, we shifted our attention to the cards. Although I had never illustrated anything of this nature, I found it easy to visualize each card as a panel in a comic book, which made the process feel even more thrilling.
Then came the box design, which was truly a highlight. Harriet proposed a brilliant concept: to style the packaging like an old television set. This required me to carefully consider the box layout and how each side would contribute to a cohesive concept.
What captivates me the most are the puzzles within the game—paths that shift in the player's hands, crystals that materialize, monsters lurking in enigmatic caverns, and numbers concealed in unexpected places. The gameplay of Interstellar Adventures is extensive and diverse, and I’m eager to dive in and witness how all the intricate elements we’ve crafted will come together to create this captivating adventure.
What are you reading, listening to, or looking at to fuel your work?
I find it fascinating to learn about the art, books, comics, music, films, and literature people gravitate towards, as it offers a glimpse into what fuels their creative spark. It's truly another window into the artist's world.
Currently, I'm rewatching Star Trek, with episodes from ‘The Next Generation,’ ‘Deep Space 9’, ‘Voyager,’ or ‘Enterprise’ perpetually playing on my second screen while I work in my studio. My go-to entertainment choices outside of work are detective stories, whether in the form of series like Columbo, Sherlock, Murder She Wrote, or Miss Marple or novels featuring Cormoran Strike. A particular favorite is the iteration of Dr Who starring Matt Smith alongside Karen Gillan.
For a comic book artist, reading comics is something that, apart from being very enjoyable, is almost obligatory. You always learn from studying the great artists of the medium. Now, I'm following two collections: Angel Wings and Conan, The Cimmerian. I always manage to have Argentinean comics at hand to keep up to date with new releases like Almer, Jobs, Nathaniel Fox; and anything drawn by Eduardo Risso, Mandrafina, and Alcatena. To finish this review, I could mention the literary sagas I've read lately: Liu Cixin's Remembrance of Earth's Past; The Witcher, Patrick Rothfuss's incomplete trilogy; and the one I'm currently reading, Brandon Sanderson's Born of the Mist.
Finally, where can we see more of your work?
Thanks for the question! Searching for 'santaplix' on any search engine will lead you to my social media profiles, where I share drawings, glimpses into my creative process, and geeky content. However, for a comprehensive and organized collection of my work, please visit my website at www.santaplix.site. This is where I showcase my creations: comics, stories, illustrations, and ongoing projects. While most of my content is in Spanish, there's a dedicated section featuring English translations of my comics.
Find out more about Interstellar Adventures, the escape room board game from Minty Noodles, by visiting its Kickstarter page.
All images provided by Adrián Iglesias and Minty Noodles.
The Lost Expedition - Garen Ewing: Art in Board Games #3
I think I always wanted to be an illustrator, perhaps more specifically a comic artist - so I’ve been lucky. I was in hospital a lot as a child and my mum gave me comics to read and paper and pencils to draw with to keep me occupied - so perhaps my fate was sealed...
Welcome to Issue 3 in my series sharing the stories behind board game art. Growing up, I adored the animated adventures of Tintin. The series struck a chord with me, not just for how realistic it felt but also for its wonderful art style, called Ligne Claire. Seeing this art style used so well in The Lost Expedition, a wave of nostalgia hit me, and I had to know more.
Be sure to check out the interview archive for more great insights into board game art.
Hello Garen, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hello, Ross. I’ve worked as an illustrator since the late 1990s, working for a variety of businesses and publishers in a variety of areas. From posters, book covers, editorial illustrations, packaging, educational, theatrical … the list goes on! I also wrote and illustrated an adventure comic called ‘The Rainbow Orchid’ which was published in the UK in 2012 and has also been translated into several European languages. I live in West Sussex with my wife (a writer and editor) and two young children.
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 think I always wanted to be an illustrator, perhaps more specifically a comic artist - so I’ve been lucky. I was in hospital a lot as a child and my mum gave me comics to read and paper and pencils to draw with to keep me occupied - so perhaps my fate was sealed.
So how did you first get involved in making board games?
This is my first work for a professional board game company (not counting the handful I home-made as a youngster). Duncan Molloy of Osprey Games contacted me, I think after seeing my Franco-Belgian style artwork in ‘The Rainbow Orchid’, and thinking it would suit the world of ‘The Lost Expedition’. Of course I didn’t have to think for very long to say yes.
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?
After absorbing the brief I’ll start on some rough sketches. This phase will usually involve a bit of light research, but not enough to slow down getting some basic ideas down. With ‘The Lost Expedition’ my initial idea for the box cover was for the explorer party to be just entering the thickness of the jungle, with little hints of some of the dangers they’d face in the darkness ahead. Osprey liked the basic idea but wanted them right in the thick of it, so I worked up a new sketch and this was approved. Quite often I find the first image that leaps into my head after reading the brief is pretty close to what I end up doing - though not always!
You were involved in the creation of The Lost Expedition, so could you tell us a little bit about what that involved and what were the biggest challenges you faced?
There were four main jobs within ‘The Lost Expedition’ - the cover, the character cards, the adventure cards and the map cards. The adventure cards were the biggest chunk (65 in all) and trying to choose the best image to convey the meaning of each event was probably the most challenging aspect. I also had to make sure there was a fairly even representation of the six different characters across the cards - so I kept a tally of who was appearing as I went along, and whose appearances I sometimes needed to boost a bit. Research was also a big part of the task - sometimes fascinating (researching the characters, who are all based on real people), and sometimes not so pleasant (hook worms, leeches, etc!)
The map cards were also a bit of a technical challenge as there were nine in all and I’ve made them so they can go in pairs in almost any order. Getting the tree lines on the edges to match up, as well as giving each card a bleed required a lot of concentration to avoid a big jungle-y mess.
What was the inspiration or core idea that drove your work on The Lost Expedition?
I knew I’d been chosen by Osprey for the ligne-claire styling of my comic work, so keeping that Tintin/Blake & Mortimer vibe to help create the feeling of classic high adventure was important - but that’s the stuff I love anyway, so it was fairly easy to stick to that vision. I’d also already read, a few years earlier, the main source material which inspired Peer Sylvester to write the game - David Grann’s ‘The Lost City of Z’ - so I kept that in mind too. It was enormous fun to work on.
What are you currently reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?
I’m currently reading Dickens’ Oliver Twist - I love history, especially Victorian history, and particularly love the filmed versions of this story by David Lean and the Lionel Bart musical, but I’d never read the book before. I grabbed it on my way to the airport for a recent comic festival in Munich. As for listening - I’m enjoying a playlist of Studio Ghibli songs - I made it for my children after I got them hooked on the films. Watching … not a lot - regular Ghibli with my children, and for myself I’ve been slowly converting my ageing Akira Kurosawa DVD collection to Blu-Ray. I watched Indiana Jones and the last Crusade last week, which seems appropriate for this interview!
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the board game industry?
I’m pretty sure I’m not in any position to give advice on that, given that this is my first board game work! Do good work, get yourself out there, get involved in the community, network with the right people - not just online … all good advice that I should really follow more myself. Don’t wait for your work to be ‘perfect’ before you show it publicly - it never will be. I already wish I could redraw half the cards in ‘The Lost Expedition’ - but it all helps you to improve and then you move on to the next thing.
Do you have any current projects underway, or coming up that you’d like (or are able) to tell us about?
I’m doing a couple of private commissions at the moment as well as some illustrations for a web design company, and I’ve just completed the cover and packaging for ‘The Scarifyers’ (an audio adventure series from Bafflegab). I’m also working on the next Julius Chancer book - it’s all plotted and partially scripted - I just need to get on with the drawing.
Finally, if we’d like to see more of you and your work, where can we find you?
My (somewhat out-of-date) work website is at www.garenewing.co.uk, my comics website is at www.juliuschancer.co.uk, and my blog is at www.webbledegook.co.uk. Thank you!
(Sketches and artwork courtesy of Garen Ewing. Product photos by More Games Please).