In this board game art interview, I’m speaking to Javi de Castro, a Spanish comic artist whose work on the Onada artwork elevates the game beyond its mechanics.

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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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.

Asturias: The Origin of a Flag - Web Comic - Javi de Castro

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.

Onoda board game cover art work in progress

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.

The Battle of the Divas board game - Illustrated by Javi de Castro - Published by Salt & Pepper Games

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.

Onoda - Javi de Castro: Art in Board Games #74