Meet the Artist: Rikichi!
The Pocket Dragon Pub is made up of a backstage team of ttrpg lovers and creatives that enjoy telling a good story and making a good show. The artists at the Pub have been creating stellar work for the show since we started, and now its the Pub's turn to let them shine! Our tavern keeper sat down for a little chit chat with the artists at the Pocket Dragon, Rikichi and Bookish. Here's what they said, along with their personal favorite peice that they've made for the Pub!
First up, our wonderful guest artist, Rikichi. She's an incredible individual who's very focused on her art career! Her favorite piece actually comes from our new show, Weal or Woe: A TTRPG Review- specifically, the mouse victory party from The Pocket Dragon's play through of Mausritter!
TK: How did you get into art? Tell us a little about your story as an artist.
Rikichi: I’ve been drawing art since I was very little but didn’t dedicate fully until I was in middle school. The art I did was directionless until I was introduced to anime (specifically, Bleach haha!) at 13 years old and had the “a-ha!” moment of: “I want to write stories like that!” I started doing digital art in 2017 (two years out of high school) and I feel like I’m really behind in my progress compared to others since I’ve been working full time since I was 18 and never had time to fully commit to my hobby/dream. I’ve also never received any formal art training outside of middle and high school but I’m hoping to go to art college someday. I came to the realization that life is short and it’s better late than never! Despite my severe ADHD, I’m now fully dedicating myself to fulfill my dream of writing and publishing my own work of fiction.
TK: What was the most challenging part of illustrating the Mausritter victory party piece?
Rikichi: Making sure the background didn’t distract from the foreground, while also making the background still intelligible.
TK: What would you say is the most challenging part of creating commission based work?
Rikichi: The most challenging part of creating commission work is constantly wanting to go back and make sure the piece is “perfect”. Artists are their own worst critics. You will always find things that you’ll want to fix even when you should be finished!
TK: What would you say was the most interesting part of creating the Mouse Victory Party?
RIkichi: I wanted to have a “the heroes ride into the sunset” vibe without losing all lighting in the shot, so I thought adding fireflies hanging onto blades of grass to work as “string lights” for the festival would be cute!
TK: Which show/episode of the Pocket Dragon Pub would you recommend watching?
Rikichi: You should watch Weal or Woe, specifically the play throughs of Mausritter and Candela Obscura!!
TK: Are there any personal projects that people should be looking out for? Where can the find you to get updates about your art?
Rikichi: I’m continuing to hone my craft and one day release a D&D fantasy comic and a Sci-Fi Fantasy comic in the future! You can get updates on Tik Tok, YouTube, and Twitch at my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/rikichi
TK: Is there anything else you want to add to this interview?
Rikichi: Thank you for having me!! I’m looking forward to seeing you all again next time~!