Interstellar Adventures - Adrián Iglesias: Art in Board Games #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.
I grew up in a small village of around 150 people and no shops. After moving to a city, I quickly fell in love with my local comic book store (shout-out to Page 45) thanks to its wonderful array of incredible graphic novels. Interstellar Adventures, an escape room-style board game, combines game mechanics with wonderful illustrations by comic artist Adrián Iglesias. 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.