We Interviewed Ishida, Winner Of pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2020

Article by Ichibo Harada @HEW

Once again, we're looking for the next rising stars! pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021, the largest digital illustration contest in Japan open to all high school students registered on pixiv, is accepting entries until September 12, 11:59 p.m. (Japan time).

The contest aims to call forward creators who will be active at the forefront of the illustration world in the next generation; the winner of the First Prize in last year's pixiv High Schoolers Student Illustration Contest 2020, Ishida, is already working on commercial projects and seems to be moving steadily toward their future. Today, we asked Ishida about their reaction after receiving the award and about their future plans.

Ishida
An illustrator currently enrolled in high school. They won the First Prize in pixiv's High Schoolers Student Illustration Contest 2020 for their entry Wind Chimes (風鈴). Since then, they've been creating works that combine 3DCG and 2D illustrations, specializing in combinations of inorganic objects, landscapes, and male characters, which are also widely used in commercial fields.
pixiv
Twitter

How to stand out, and does relative evaluation matter?

── What has happened since you won the First Prize in pixiv's High Schoolers Student Illustration Contest 2020?

Thankfully, I was contacted for a few projects within a few days of the announcement.

Promotional illustration for the smartphone RPG Tabakari no Hime: Pocket.

Promotional illustration for HUION, an LCD pen tablets manufacturer.

Also, my family found out my social media accounts...

── How did they find out?

I was awarded a prize of 100,000 yen, and since money was involved I ended up telling my family about it... And one thing led to another. (laughs)

── An unforeseen trap! (laughs) Why did you decide to participate in pixiv's High Schoolers Student Illustration Contest 2020?

Since I had only won an Honorable Mention in the 2019 edition, I thought this time would be the good one and posted my entry. To make a good comeback, I had to restart from the basics, but when I saw other people's entries on Twitter I was impressed by the sheer number of outstanding works I found. It was unthinkable that they were drawn by someone my age.

Quartet

by 石田

Ishida's submission to the 2019 contest.

── How did the winning work come to life?

風鈴

by 石田

When I heard that the theme would be "Festival," the idea of wind chimes came to my mind. When I looked it up, I found out that there is an event called Fuurin Ichi (風鈴市, Wind Chime Market) where a variety of wind chimes are lined up as far as the eye can see. From there, I thought that if I were to paint all the wind chimes the same color, the repeating of identical objects could help emphasize the engaging rhythm I was going for in that scene. That's how Wind Chimes was born.

── Why do you think your work was chosen?

I had thought that the winners would be decided with a predetermined scale of standards, but now I realize that relative evaluation is also a thing. In response to the theme of "Festival," many of the works used mainly warm colors, while I used mostly cool tones, which probably made me stand out on a comparative scale. As it turns out, such small details are surprisingly crucial.

紫陽花風鈴

by 石田

Another work featuring the same character showcases a process of trial and error.

── Your comment at the time of victory was: "I had a feeling that only illustrations featuring pretty girls would be picked as winners for this contest, but I think I have left some kind of mark with my work by winning the First Prize for an illustration that has a boy as its protagonist."

I'm under the impression that girls' illustrations are more mainstream, not only in illustration contests but in the illustration industry as a whole. I guess I have a rebellious side that makes me not want to draw girl characters, but boys instead. (laughs) I'm glad I was able to leave a mark this time.

The award-winning illustration took three days to make

── Tell us about your work environment.

I use an iPad Pro for drawing illustrations, and a gaming notebook PC for 3DCG* and other work. I only choose traditional media for my notes and sketches.

* 3DCG: 3D Computer Graphics

── When did you start drawing digitally?

In junior high school. Back then I would use a notebook PC with a pen tablet, but since high school, I have been using an iPad. For 3DCG, I've been using the free software Blender for a couple of years now. Blender is open source and there are many tutorials in Japanese, so I can try out various things while doing my own research, which suits my style. I'd like to specialize in works that combine 3DCG backgrounds and hand-drawn male characters, which are also the works that I often post online. I'd like to pursue the middle ground between 2D and 3D.

Distance

by 石田

── Your award-winning work also combines 3DCG and illustration, right? How do you mix these different drawing styles so that the final product doesn't feel off?

I add hand-drawn touch-ups to the computer graphics and make sure to balance the amount of detail on both sides. In the award-winning work, the wind chimes themselves were created with CG, but I added distortions and contour lines later. The software I use also includes a function that automatically draws contour lines, but they're too precise and tend to make the illustration look too artificial. I'm always careful to disguise the stiffness of computer graphics. I also think it's important to get a cohesive sense of perspective and light direction.

── What do you mean by cohesive light direction?

I make sure that the lighting is consistent in both the illustration and the CG. In this respect, I had a hard time with the illustration I drew as the main visuals for pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021. I used strong frontal light to make the characters stand out, but such lighting doesn't exist in the CG data. It was difficult to combine the background with the illustration, but since we're talking about a piece of art, I think it's okay to prioritize appearance over accuracy, and in the end, I created a scene I enjoy.

a masquerade

by 石田

The main visuals for pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021

── How long did it take you to create the award-winning work?

About three days, including rough sketches and everything.

── Three days!?

After I'm done with everything, I wait a few days before reviewing my work, but even so, I try to get a single illustration done within a week. I tend to get bored easily, so when I start losing interest, it means I'm done. (laughs) What I spend the most time on is coloring people. I have to arrange them so that they come together with the background, and I also want my characters to be the stars of the picture.

Video making changed the way I draw

── How do you usually put together reference materials?

I like to look at photographs of architecture. When I am out and about, I take pictures of places that I find interesting.

── For example, what kind of places?

I like places where the same things are all lined up, like IKEA warehouses. (laughs)

無題

by 石田

野菜売り場

by 石田

Works where the same motif is lined up throughout the illustration.

── The scenery of Wind Chimes seems to fit the description.

I like to create depth in my work. Recently, I saw a picture of bridge piers on the Internet, and I wanted to make one myself.

── You have a strong sense of architecture and space, don't you? Many illustrators start with a character and later create a backstory, but you seem to do things differently.

That's right. Rather than characters, I tend to start drawing from a texture I want to replicate or a particular place I want to portray.

Queen Bee

by 石田

This works shows attention to the texture of rubber and other materials.

── You also do video making, don't you?

Whether it's digital illustration or video, I enjoy the process of learning to use all sorts of functions. Sometimes I come up with an idea and look into ways to reproduce it, only to find out that someone else already made a tutorial about it. Then I watch those tutorials and, once I figure out a technique, I arrange it to fit my objective. I find this whole process very exciting.

こんなものを作っていた pic.twitter.com/7qifxl8S1V
— 石田 (@segu_ishida) June 11, 2021

One of Ishida's videos.

── Since you started making videos, have you found it also affects your illustrations?

I used to try to draw things that were based on reality, such as realistic lighting, but now that I'm making videos, I've come to realize that it's okay to lie a bit if that makes the result look good.

── One would think that videos are closer to reality, but it works the other way with you, doesn't it?

I guess so. I've never been very exposed to manga or anime, and I studied illustration by referring to photographs, so... When I draw something with a story, I tend to overthink things like why the character did what he did, so it can get quite complicated. That's why when I draw, I often listen to comedy videos as if they were on the radio.

── How do you practice drawing?

I don't have to go to school every day, so there was a time when I'd spend more than eight hours a day drawing. Back then, I used to complete one or two pictures a day, from start to finish. Recently, I have been spending much less time on illustrating because I have to think about my higher education and video production. I don't have any hobbies other than drawing, so I've been doing creative work every waking hour.

── Churning out so many pieces so fast, do you ever run out of ideas?

Actually, I'm in that situation right now. (laughs) When I can't come up with anything, I try to look at something abstract. There is actually a whole "abstract" genre that uses CG to create complex three-dimensional compositions.

── Are there any creators who have influenced you?

LM7. I'm in love with their unique worldview, which is modern but also has a classical atmosphere. I would like to draw the same way myself.

As a creator, I want everyone to know my name

── Do you plan to become a professional creator in the future?

For now, I'm considering attending a vocational school to study computer graphics and video making, and I hope to find a job while I'm there.

This work is Ishida's selection. It's called Tanabata and the author seems to be very attached to it. Ishida is actively posting works that combine 3D and illustration.

── You have already worked on several commercial projects, but I guess it's easy to feel at a loss when dealing with business requests. What are your tips and tricks?

When it comes to business emails, there are so many rules... So I always pay attention to what I type. Still, it's hard to learn everything by myself, so if possible, I would like to work for a company for a while and have someone teach me. (laughs)

── In addition to your commercial works, you also actively interact with other creators by hosting a student creator-only server on Discord. Do you find that the communication skills you developed there are also useful in your work interactions?

I guess you could say that, although on Discord we mainly chat. The server itself was originally created by someone else, and I took over. I had a lot of fun participating in it, so I wanted to share the fun with others.

Most of the time, though, we just chit-chat about where we went that day and other random things. Someone even asked me to review their work, which embarrassed me a little. No way I can do that. (laughs)

── Some creators would rather pursue their craft alone, but the same doesn't apply to you, does it?

That's correct. It gives me a chance to relax, and it's one of the ways in which I can do things for the sake of others. I want to be more involved with people.

── What are your goals for the future?

I want to be famous. As a creator, I want everyone to know my name, and I want the people who have helped me in different ways to see my work in media. I also like to keep up to date with various singers, so I'd be happy to be involved in some kind of work related to that. I'm a fan of XYZ in particular, so it'd be nice to produce a music video for them someday!

── In your comment last year, you mentioned you'd like to work on projects featuring male characters. What kind of content would you like to create?

Right now, I'd say smartphone games. There are a lot of smartphone games like Azure Lane with gorgeous sprites and a lot of effort put into gadgets and such, but I don't think there are many games with boys as main characters. That's the content I'd like to take on.

── Finally, do you have a message for the participants of pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021?

In my humble opinion, and judging from the results of previous years, I think the key is to come up with original ideas without sticking too close or straying away too far from the theme. I'm planning to participate too, so let's do our best together!

pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021 is underway!

This is Japan's largest digital illustration contest, and it aims to call forward creators who will be active at the forefront of the illustration world in the next generation. Every year, prominent creators and corporate sponsors lend their support as judges, so entries will have the chance to receive professional critique.

In addition to the prize money and special award items provided by each corporate sponsor, there are also chances for works (and their creators) to participate in additional pixiv projects and visual productions.

＞＞＞Check out pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021＜＜＜