Shinkai's artwork is ultimately drawn as if it were just another step in an image's production. To that end, computer applications are used in a very different way from how typical illustrators would use them. In order to understand his drawing technique, we'll first want to learn about director Shinkai's work environment through screenshots of the Adobe Photoshop image editing tool.

Input devices include a Wacom pen tablet and an infrared mouse. Because the pen tablet is used as the primary device, it's placed at the center of the desk. In addition, keyboard shortcuts are often used to increase working speed.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 screenshot

Layer selection palette

line foreground wire mesh stopper miscellaneous layer 10 tree trunks cherry blossoms white layer 7 sky layout background — Select Layers of Same Type

Brush palette

Color swatch palette

Layer palette

Tool palette

Because work involves frequent layer switching, a Layer Selection window that opens at the cursor location is used in order to achieve a smooth workflow. One piece of art can easily contain tens of layers (and sometimes over a hundred), so the ability to select a layer from within the image display is indispensable.

Previously customized brushes that have been tailored for drawing are used. The one you see displayed in a larger size at the bottom of the window (the selected brush) was made during the production of The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and has become central to work in subsequent artistic productions, to the point that it's shared among the entire staff.

For color control, HSB (hue, saturation, and brightness) is used instead of RGB. The color palette is Photoshop's default, with no custom colors or other special settings entered; it's well-understood how to select necessary colors through the HSB controls. HSB is also commonly referred to as HSV, where the "V" stands for value."

This palette displays the layers present in the art being drawn. Ultimately, according to Shinkai's directorial plan, the image is collapsed into just a few layers; while drawing, however, objects are grouped into many distinguishable layers, resulting in a high layer count.

Brushes frequently used during drawing work are placed here in advance so that those necessary to Shinkai's work can be selected with one click, without needing to re-enter their settings each time they are needed. The art staff all share these presets, ensuring a unified work environment.