Interview With Jon Reinfurt, Illustrator of the Yo-kai Watch TCG

8/31/16

I recently had the chance to interview the talented Jon Reinfurt, who singlehandedly made the illustrations for the Yo-kai Watch Trading Card Game cards. He was more than happy to share his thoughts on his experience working with Hasbro.



Q: How did you begin working on the Yo-kai Watch TCG? Did Hasbro approach you, or did you apply to Hasbro?



A: I had worked with Hasbro before so I think that put me on their radar for the Yo-kai Watch TCG, but they were looking into several artist in the very beginning. We were all given a picture of Jibanyan and asked to create a sample illustration of him in our own personal style.



Q: Were you familiar with the Yo-kai Watch franchise before working on the TCG?



A: Well, only the first episode of the animated series had aired in the US around the time I started, so it was all pretty new. I've been a huge fan of anime, video games and TCG's for years though, it really didn't take long for me to completely fall in love with the whole Yo-kai Watch world. I was playing the 3DS game, watching the show and researching what they were doing with the franchise in Japan throughout the whole project.



Q: What did your general process for working on a card illustration look like? How much freedom did you have in choosing how each card's drawing would look?



A: Both Level 5 and Hasbro had a very specific game plan for the first wave of cards, my role was mostly to translate the characters into my style.



Q: Will you be continuing to work on the Yo-kai Watch TCG in the future? If nothing is concrete yet, do you have interest in doing so?



A: Nothing is set in stone right now, but if Hasbro asks I would jump on board in a heartbeat!



Q: Were your drawings influenced at all by the art for Inspirit Card Battle, the Japanese Yo-kai Watch TCG?



A: Absolutely, the idea was to give the US version a distinct new look but it was very important that it still stayed true to the preexisting Yo-kai Watch universe that the fans all love.



Q: What is your favorite card drawing that you made? (Mine is Samurai Don't Sleep.)



A: Good pick, that's one of my favorites too! I have to admit I could draw Shogunyan all day, although I also had a lot of fun working on “Terror Time”. I'm going to say that it's a toss up between those two.



Q: What is your favorite Yo-kai? Is there any Yo-kai without a card that you would have liked to make an illustration for?



A: Siro, hands down! I'm a reeeeally big Siro fan, he's a character I've been dying to draw ever since I saw him in the DS game!



Q: Any final remarks about your experience working on the TCG?



A: This was such an amazing experience from beginning to end. It was a massive undertaking for sure, but the team that Hasbro assembled for the TCG had some of the most talented, energetic, dedicated creatives I've ever had the pleasure to work with and the enthusiasm they brought to the table every day was incredible. It's really exciting to be a part of this!



Q: Finally, is there anything you would like to say to the Yo-kai Watch community?



A: I hope you all enjoy the game, have fun playing everyone!

Jon Reinfurt can be found on Twitter and Tumblr. Give him a follow if you enjoy his art!