We’ve got an amazing team of artists working hard to bring Tales of Seikyu to life and we’re always looking for opportunities to sing their praises. If you’ve played Tales of Seikyu, you’ll definitely be familiar with the work of Liz, our Lead Character Designer, and Yan Guo, our Game Scene Designer. We caught up with these talented artists for a quick interview so that you can find out more about their backgrounds, inspirations, and processes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lln6s61ww50&t=1
Tell us about yourself! What’s your background and how long have you been a professional artist?
Yan Guo: I am a game scene designer with three years of work experience. I used to be a professional designer, and now I am a Chinese herbal medicine merchant who can paint. I usually spend my spare time designing things I love.
Liz: I am a lead character designer with around ten years of professional experience. Since childhood, I loved copying characters I admired, and by high school I began studying art more seriously. Later, I chose illustration and manga as my university major, which naturally led me into design and creative work. Looking back, I feel very happy about that decision.
How did you end up on the Tales of Seikyu art team?
Yan Guo: After graduating from university, I joined the art team of Tales of Seikyu through campus recruitment.
Liz: I learned about the project through a friend’s introduction. The concept of yokai and the overall art style deeply attracted me, so I decided to join the team.
Do you have a favourite character or scene to draw? Which character would you romance?
Yan Guo: My favorite scene is the casino in the small town — it was the first time I designed such a large-scale scene. While some parts weren’t perfect, I’ve been constantly learning and hoping to gain more scene design experience from senior colleagues, so I can deliver even better designs for everyone.
Liz: My favorite character to draw is Shuten. The dual-colored hair is stunning, and her yokai form is incredibly cool. For romance, I would choose Sasaki. It’s impossible to refuse someone so warm.
Can you tell us about some of the influences or inspirations behind your art style?
Yan Guo: The overall art direction of Tales of Seikyu draws strong inspiration from Granblue Fantasy and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. Our world-building takes cues from Spirited Away—we envisioned a yokai city rooted in the atmosphere of Japan’s Shōwa era. The seaside town setting was influenced by Kamakura and, in early development, we even planned to have a train line running through the city, just like Kamakura’s Enoden. Although that idea was eventually cut due to time and budget constraints, traces of it remain! You can still see power lines crisscrossing the skyline, hinting at the original vision. I’m particularly fond of Kazuo Oga’s art style—having grown up watching Hayao Miyazaki’s films since childhood—and I hope I can create works as outstanding as theirs someday.
Liz: Art style is a process of constant change and growth. I’ve been influenced by many teachers and Japanese artists such as Ask-sensei, Mai Yoneyama-sensei, and Kana-sensei; later, more realistic masters like Huang Guangjian and Ruan Jia. Recently, I’ve been especially inspired by Rebel Xing. All of these influences combine in complex ways. Anime and games I love are also sources of inspiration, as are daily life and art itself.
What other projects have you worked on besides Tales of Seikyu?
Yan Guo: In addition to Tales of Seikyu, I have also participated in the background painting for the first season of the film Yao-Chinese Folktales and To the Bright Side. I have also worked on illustrations for Yuanfudao, as well as several children's illustration projects.
Liz: Outside of Tales of Seikyu, I worked on Hot-Blooded Yakuza and Figure Fantasy, contributing to design and illustration. Tales of Seikyu has been the most complete project experience of my career so far.
What does the process of drawing scenes or a character portrait look like for you?
Yan Guo: First, align with the planner on the scene’s general direction, including necessary interactive elements, animation performance positions, scene dimensions, and style. Second, unleash your creativity to visualize the scene: gather plenty of references, then combine them to sketch a rough draft. Third, share your ideas and sketches with the planner to get feedback. Fourth, build a simple 3D model based on the sketch, set up appropriate lighting, and render it. Fifth, create the scene illustration using the model as a reference. Finally, refine the details to complete the final work.
Liz: Usually, the first step is to establish the character’s background and personality, then quickly explore expressions like joy, anger, sadness, and happiness. After that, I look for dynamic and rendering references before entering the drawing phase. The process typically starts with a rough sketch, then line art, flat colors, and lighting. Once that’s set, I merge layers and move into detailed rendering.
What programs or tools do you use to create artwork for Tales of Seikyu?
Yan Guo: I use Photoshop, 3ds Max, and KeyShot to complete scene creation.
Liz: I mainly use SAI and Photoshop for character creation.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists looking to work in the games industry?
Yan Guo: Keep your curiosity alive—you’ll draw plenty of inspiration from life. And keep doing what you love.
Liz: Just keep doing what you love. There will always be people who are both incredibly talented and hardworking shining ahead of you, and at times you may start doubting or denying yourself. When that happens, just lower your head and ask yourself — did I draw today?
What’s your favourite piece of artwork that you’ve drawn? Can we see it?
Liz: This is one of my favorite concept designs from the past two years, though the full character illustration hasn’t been produced yet. Why is it my favorite? Because male characters have always been a weak spot for me, and I’ve been training hard to improve. This design feels like a milestone, proof of progress during a difficult period.
Yan Guo: This one!
Finally, where can we see more of your work / follow you online?
Yan Guo: GUOYAN000创作者主页_杭州概念设计师-站酷ZCOOL
Liz: You’ll be able to see more of my work in the other projects I’ve worked on like Hot-Blooded Yakuza and Figure Fantasy, but I’d really love to set up some kind of online space where I can show off my portfolio in the future!