Combining Things That Exist with Those That Don’t - Background and Scenery Artist Yish Discusses Ways to Illustrate a Fascinating World
Interviewer - Harada Ichibo


- Yish (pronounced ‘why-ish’)
- Background and scenery artist. Environment artist. Graduated from Nagoya University with a master’s degree in engineering. They specialized in condensed matter physics and started working as an artist in 2015 after working as a semiconductor engineer as well as a patent engineer. Currently, they mainly create concept art and background art for game development as well as key visuals for light novels, literary magazines, businesses, and municipalities.
Originally, I started as a character illustrator.
── Thank you for letting us interview you today. Have you always had more of a preference for drawing backgrounds over character illustrations?

── So, when did you seriously take up drawing?

── Looking at your pixiv account, we can see that you mainly drew female characters. When did you shift to drawing scenery?

── From there, how did you establish yourself as a professional?

── You also worked as an illustrator on the side for a while, right?

First, think of an impactful symbol
── When drawing a background, it seems you first have to think of an impactful symbol. How do you come up with ideas for those?

Take my piece, Goshintaimori no Machi, as an example. I started by drawing out the terrain and as I was doing that, the idea came to me that having a massive tower-like rock rising in the center would give off a mystical feel. Thinking that it was necessary to have something enshrined in that rock, I drew a temple and an entire city around it.
── With the long, narrow islands adjacent to each other, the scenery visible in the very back also has quite a mysterious atmosphere, right?

── Your methodology for creating captivating backgrounds involves combining elements that both exist and don’t exist in reality, plus you also seem to keep that world’s “culture” and “energy” in mind.

── I see. So by using “elements that do and don’t exist in reality”, “culture” and “energy” as the starting points you can gradually solidify the image you want to create.

Bringing out the “Yish-style” by combining 3D and 2D effects
── Could you please tell us what your workflow is like?



── Is there anything that you’re particular about during this entire process?

── What do you focus on when retouching?

── Why did you choose MODO and VUE for your 3DCG software

── You used to make mainly 2D illustrations. What prompted you to switch to 3D?

── Then would you consider using something like image generating AI?

I’ve seen many opinions online that say, “Why don’t you just draw backgrounds using AI?” As a background artist, it’s a troubling thing, but I partially use AI, myself. For example, if I were drawing a cafe, I’d use AI for the menu. It’s hard to draw detailed text and reading a menu in an illustration isn’t necessary.
A part of me wants to use everything effectively, so I partially apply it to the details.
For commissions, clarify your “musts” and “wants”
── What kind of work does a background artist do?

── What are you careful about when communicating with clients?

── Do you have any requests for people commissioning illustrations that would make things easier for you?

── That makes sense! That’s very helpful for those who want to outsource doujinshi or illustrations. What kind of illustrator is suited to be a background artist?

── In other words, jumping into the illustration world thinking, “I’m going to be like Yish. A background artist that can get a book published and have their own solo exhibit!” will actually work against you?

Please enjoy this exhibit as if you’re traveling through different worlds.
── Please tell us about the exhibit, Into the worlds. How did the title and main visual for it come to be?


── It truly is a mix of elements that do and don’t exist in reality. A factory that generates a kind of unknown energy is really an imaginative setting.

── I heard that Keiji Inai, a well-known composer who wrote music for the anime, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, will be providing the music for the exhibit.

── This is your first time holding a background and scenery exhibition at the pixiv WAEN GALLERY.

── Please tell us your goals or anything you want to try down the road.

Yish’s solo exhibition, Into the worlds, will be happening until November 23rd!
Dates: November 2nd (Wed) ~ November 23rd (Wed)
Days closed: None
Free Admission
Address: Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 5 Chome-46-1 TWIN PLANET South BLDG. 1F
Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Countermeasures against COVID-19
Yish’s exhibit, Into the worlds, is intended to run through November 23rd (Wed). We will continually monitor the situation closely, but there is a chance the exhibit dates may be subject to change due to the spread of the virus. Information including that of goods on sale, directions to the gallery, and gallery hours will be updated on the pixiv WAEN GALLERY official page and official Twitter. We thank you for your understanding.