Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyo Tagawa.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I ended up in WA state in late spring/ early summer of 2024 after deciding that it was time to take a leap of faith– fully commiting to working full time as a concept artist. I’ve always wanted to work in the Game Industry, complete with the titles and studios I wanted to end up at. While in Colorado many signs pointed towards relocating, but moving away from friends and family wasn’t an easy choice.
Once I moved it seemed as if the universe nodded and suddenly things started to happen. Ironically, I landed my first formal (remote) position at an indie studio in Colorado called WiLDKiND, and served as the Art Director of our small four person team; eventually helping ship the studio’s first game, Doomsday Doorman. I also became a regular at local events hosted by Seattle Indies, relishing in opportunities to talk to fellow developers from all walks of life! And since late 2024 I’ve been a member of the Concept Art Association and found a cozy online community of artists.
Presently, I work freelance doing a mix of Game Industry work as a Concept Artist, illustrator, and some comic work!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It certainty has not been a smooth road.
One struggle has been finding work. Unfortunately I took my leap when the Game Industry has been seeing record levels of unemployment/layoffs, there’s still jobs but there are a lot more applicants! I had to come to terms that there were key skills I needed to train up and figure out how to do that, all the while balancing job applications, commissions, and daily life.
Another issue is that I moved to place where I knew virtually no one.
I understood that I needed to establish a good reputation, show up at events, interact with people, and tell them who I am, what I like to do and why. I’ve taken full advantage of the public transit system, what I do now would be impossible without it.
Perhaps the biggest challenge.
Asking myself, who am I? Why did I chose this path? What do I want to create, and why?
An artist’s work can be technically sound (meaning well rendered and pretty) but it can lack ‘soul’ and intent; and there were times my work felt like it fell into that category. For me, it comes down to knowing yourself, being confident, and the bravery to show the world who you are.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I juggle a few different job roles! They are:
Game Industry/ Freelance: This is my primary focus, as my title is Concept Artist and Creature Designer! A concept artist is the one who takes an idea and turns it into something tangible. I specialize in Creature Design which is imagining and creating unique critters based on nature. It takes a lot of study in various types of animal anatomy (birds, reptiles, insects, mammals, fish, etc); and I also do Prop Design. Props are anything from a lamp in a game to a weapon. In either case, I sketch out a bunch of ideas on a page, narrowing down which I want to go with for a final design. From there I’ll break it down into a ‘model sheet’ so 3D artist(s) can step in and make an accurate 3D model based on the design.
Convention Scene: I frequently table multiple events here in WA state and go back once a year to ayA Con in Colorado. This is where you’ll find my business name in the Artist Alley section of an event if I’m vending there. I pride myself in taking my inspirations, melding them together, and coupling it with my own twists. Personally, I’m not sure what I’m known for but I think my Destiny inspired artwork is a safe bet!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
A few words of advice:
Don’t give up and keep going. Life as a professional artist is very difficult, and it’ll get harder before it gets better. But persistence, dedication, and understanding the ever evolving picture of who you are will help you tremendously.
Learn. Your. Artistic. Foundations.
I can’t stress this enough. Learning the Fundamentals of art (art vegetables) is super important. I didn’t understand WHY they were important early on; and if I had known I would have been more driven to learn. Foundations are the rules of art, once you learn those, you can break them at will and make some really cool stuff. At the same time, it’s a lifelong pursuit to master those fundamentals. So take it in stride.
When I took things more seriously I focused on: Lighting/ Values (lights and darks) , Anatomy, and Color.
These days I’ve been focusing Perspective and how to render materials (I still experiment with the others).
Don’t rush, and please use good posture, don’t have a death grip on your pencil/stylus, and eat well. You can’t draw at your best if you’re not taking care of yourself. I haven’t had a hand or wrist injury since 2018. Healthy habits are key to establish early on, you’ll thank yourself later.
Pricing:
- Portrait (Blk & Wht) – $80
- Portrait (Full Render) – $180
- Fully Body (Character or Creature) Illustration (Blk & Wht) – $275+
- Character/ Creature Illustration (Full Render) $450+
- Concept Art, starts @ $250 a day
Contact Info:
- Website: https://80.lv/talent/p/kyo-tagawa
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/paladin_maar
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kyo-tagawa/
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/paladinmaar.bsky.social
