Wanderlust: The Art of Yoichi Nishikawa

Yoichi Nishikawa is an artist who is best known for his work as a background painter for Japanese animation, most notably Studio Ghibli. He is famous in the animation world for his beautifully-rendered landscapes and skies, which are on display in Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, and The Wind Rises. Most recently, he worked on Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron and Amazon’s The Legend of Vox Machina.

When pitching the book to him, the direction became clear: we wanted to create a monograph that focused on his personal paintings, while evoking the aesthetics of the Ghibli films he worked on in the 90s and 2000s. Together with designer Patrick Crotty (best known for PEOW2), I worked with Yoichi to develop this book into something that fit both his and Gallery Nucleus’ brands.

Wanderlust was originally sold through a crowdfunding campaign on the Gallery Nucleus website (check out an archived version of the page here), and would go on to become one of Gallery Nucleus’ best selling titles.

Developmental Editorial

The leading word for developing Yoichi’s artbook was “nostalgia”. We wanted to tap into the comfortable nostalgia Studio Ghibli is known for, while not making the book feel dated. I worked with Patrick to narrow in on this vision, which was best encapsulated through the cover iterations.

Select Iterations

Final

Design by Patrick Crotty, art by Yoichi Nishikawa

Translation

Maintaining Yoichi’s voice in the book was something that was very important to me, and so we chose to have Yoichi’s commentary in the book be presented in the original Japanese. I then took all the commentary he provided and translated it into English, which was printed in the book alongside the Japanese text.

Design by Patrick Crotty, art by Yoichi Nishikawa

Original Japanese Text

ここはスタジオジブリの裏口です。日が差すと木漏れ日がとても綺麗で。本当はバラの花が咲くのですが、藤の花が好きなので、置き換えました。そこに主人を待っていたであろう、他の場所で見かけた犬を配置しました。

Translated English Text

This is the Studio Ghibli’s back door. When the sun is shining, the sunlight filters through the trees and it’s very beautiful. In reality, rose flowers bloom here, but I like wisteria flowers, so I replaced them. The dog I painted here is one that I saw elsewhere, that I thought may have been waiting for his master.

Copywriting

The goal of the copy for this title was to establish Yoichi’s role in making Studio Ghibli films, without claiming this title as a Studio Ghibli art book. With this in mind, I wrote all the copy for this title, including the book’s introduction, author biography, back cover copy, and title copy.

In-Book Copy

“What makes a Miyazaki film look like a Miyazaki film?

A Miyazaki landscape is instantly recognizable. The vivid lighting, the subtle details, and the texture of the paint all harmonize to evoke a sense of nostalgia for places most of us have never seen. The painted backgrounds seem photo-realistic, and yet the level to which they are lovingly crafted elevates them above everyday life and gives Miyazaki films their signature appeal. It’s fitting, then, that background painters are trusted to realize the director’s vision, and to set the tone for scenes that will continue to linger in our minds, even long after the credits roll.”

“Yoichi Nishikawa

Born August 7, 1978, and raised in Saitama, Japan, artist Yoichi Nishikawa has been one of the premier Studio Ghibli background artists for over fifteen years. Though he originally planned to become a ceramics artist, Nishikawa applied to Studio Ghibli during his last year of college and was hired as a background painter immediately after graduation. What he has achieved since then is a testament to his mastery of his craft - over the course of his career, Nishikawa has painted backgrounds for over 30 animated films and TV shows, including Love Live! Superstar, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Wolf Children.

For his personal work, nearly all of the locations Nishikawa paints are ones he has visited. Even fictitious settings are inspired by real life; whether it is a temple in Cambodia or an alleyway in Tokyo, Nishikawa chooses to pull from his own experiences in order to capture the sense of familiarity and comfort that can be felt through each one of his pieces. Aside from this, however, Nishikawa’s most well-known subject matter is his clouds. Known to his peers as the “The Painter of Clouds”, Nishikawa is widely sought after for his talent in painting skies.

Nishikawa’s preferred tools and materials - badger hair Japanese painting brushes, ceramic paint palettes, specially-made paper, and Japanese poster paints - have all been used for decades, long before Nishikawa entered the animation industry. And yet Nishikawa’s keen eye allows him to utilize these tools as few others can, capturing not only the physicality of an environment, but also its emotion and spirituality.

Nishikawa’s work gives us a glimpse at a world that we long to escape into. We want to stroll in the garden to pick freshly-bloomed flowers, feel the summer breeze dance across our skin, watch clouds drift through a crystal blue sky. It is easy to recognize that Nishikawa is a modern master, and although his craft may be slowly disappearing - replaced by its faster, cleaner digital counterpart - it is only masters like YoichiNishikawa who can encapsulate the soul of the original.”

Design by Patrick Crotty, art by Yoichi Nishikawa

Back Cover Copy

“Yoichi Nishikawa is a renowned background painter, best known for his work on Studio Ghibli films such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, and The Wind Rises. Wanderlust / 旅心 is his first art book, and compiles some of his personal work from 2018 to 2022. Each of the paintings shown in this book were featured in exhibitions held at Gallery Nucleus. Established in 2004, Nucleus is an animation, illustration, and narrative art-focused gallery located in Alhambra, California.”

Design by Patrick Crotty, art by Yoichi Nishikawa

Title Copy

“Escape into a world of lovingly painted landscapes in Wanderlust: The Art of Yoichi Nishikawa

Artist Yoichi Nishikawa has been one of the premier Studio Ghibli background artists for over fifteen years, painting backgrounds for over 30 animated films and TV shows including Love Live!!, Howl's Moving Castle, and Wolf Children. Wanderlust: The Art of Yoichi Nishikawa chronicles the bulk of Nishikawa's personal work, compiling his exhibition pieces from 2020-2023. Featuring some of Nishikawa's most beautiful landscapes - both real and imagined - alongside Yoichi's process and reference images, this book is a must-have for fans of Japanese animation and Studio Ghibli.”

via gallerynucleus.com

Production / Managing Editorial

While it is perhaps the most undocumented part of this project, the production and managing editorial aspects of Wanderlust were perhaps my favorites.

Part of the goal of Yoichi’s book was to evoke the feel of the traditional Japanese background cels, which are painted with poster paint on handmade paper. While it’s hard to see on a computer screen, this is incredibly evident when you hold the book in your hands: the thick uncoated paper feels substantial and luxurious, and gives it a texture that makes it feel almost handmade. The slight yellow tone also compliments the vibrant greens Yoichi loves to use in his art.

See More Editorial

nicole collins

Home

More Projects

About

Contact