From Pen to Plane to Projects

An interview with an Australian concept artist living in Japan

Stephanie Lee (Tokyo) | Natalie Andrews (Tokyo)

Recently, I had the chance to chat with Stephanie Lee, an Australian who now lives and works in Japan as a concept artist for a gaming company! Have a glimpse into her background and find out how she got where she is now in the following interview.

When did your interest in concept designing begin?

My interest began in my childhood because I loved drawing and playing games, especially Pokemon! I loved drawing different Pokemon and even creating my own. As I grew older, my interest in games expanded to other genres and titles and I found out there’s a job position in game development called “Concept Artist” where you get to draw and design characters for different games! I thought this sounded like the perfect job for me!

How did you find a job in Japan?

After I graduated university, I was introduced to the people at IGDA (International Game Developers Association) Japan, where they let me tour a few game studios in Tokyo. One of these studios was interested in my portfolio, told me to apply and thankfully they decided to hire me!

What kind of games does your company create? Is their aesthetic different from your personal style; if so, how have you had to adapt your style to their requirements?

My current company specialises in action games, but I can’t say any more than that.

I did most of my training and studying based on what Western companies would be looking for in a portfolio, so coming to Japan I did have to adapt and change my style and colour palette. For example, currently, the trend in Western AAA games (high-end consumer games) is focusing on hyperrealism, with popular genres being post-apocalyptic and open-world. This tends to create a more dull and dark colour palette. Whereas on the other hand, I think Japan has its own unique aesthetic and focuses more on stylistic beauty rather than realism, so Japanese companies are also open to a more variety of styles (like anime or using cell-shading).

I like to think my specialty is being able to adapt to a lot of styles fairly easily, so I think it’s a fun challenge.

How do you approach your projects? What comes first in your design process?

It depends on the task. Whether it’s illustration or concept design, my approach will be slightly different but generally speaking, either way, I’ll start with doing a ton of research and collecting my visual references. Once I’ve collected enough information, I start to put my ideas down. I would have to do a few variations and this is usually when I would get my process checked by a superior, who would guide me to the most suitable iteration.

Any difficulties you’ve faced that you think are unique to the Japanese entertainment/game design industry?

I’ve actually never worked outside of the Japanese industry, though I am interested in experiencing what it would like working in other countries. The most obvious difficulties for me would be overcoming the language barrier and cultural differences. The very beginning was hard for me as people here would act and react quite differently to the way I am used to back home in Australia. I would say it took me a full year to finally be comfortable with working in Japan and understand the cultural differences.

Which out of all of your projects are you most proud of?

I’m proud of most of the projects I’ve worked on, some pretty big titles! However, unfortunately, due to NDA I can’t disclose what projects I’ve worked on.

Has your perspective on your work changed during your time here in Japan?

It made me realise how much harder game development and design actually is, and a lot of the job heavily relies on your communication skills. But I think that’s what everyone learns at their first real job in the industry!

So, you’ve done freelance projects in the past! How did you source these?

When I did freelance, most of the jobs I found were through personal and professional connections and maintaining an online presence. With connections, for example, some of my artist friends would be too busy or had been offered a gig that didn’t really suit their style. Sometimes they would pass it on to me, and I also do the same when it happens to me.

What advice would you have for anyone looking to explore concept designing for the game industry in Japan?

Nowadays, entering the game industry seems to be becoming more accessible since the industry is growing bigger. Nonetheless, I would prioritise polishing your portfolio, understanding what your desired company is looking for, and making yourself known amongst the game developer circles by networking!

Stephanie Lee is an Australian illustrator and concept artist currently working at a game studio in Tokyo. Her specialty is being able to flexibly adapt to a wide range of art styles and she is currently enjoying the challenge of creating work for realism-based to anime-style projects.

Instagram | *All images owned and provided by Stephanie Lee