Art Studio Kai is a studio specializing in art direction, background design, and color design for animation.

With many years of experience in the animation industry, we have contributed to numerous projects through our expertise in background art and color design, helping shape the visual worlds of each work.

Art Direction

In animation, the art director plays a vital role in defining the overall visual direction, including atmosphere, mood, and color, shaping the entire world of a production.

Working closely with directors and production teams, the art director establishes the visual concept and leads the background art team through production management and detailed creative direction.

Color Design

Color design defines all colors within an animation, including characters, backgrounds, lighting, and environmental elements.

By translating the vision of directors and production staff into detailed color specifications shared across the team, color design ensures visual consistency while enhancing the storytelling and emotional impact of each scene.

Our Team

Masatoshi Kai  

Art Director / President

After beginning his career in background art, Masatoshi Kai has served as art director on numerous animation projects.  
He is known for his pursuit of texture and realism, creating expansive and detailed backgrounds ranging from natural landscapes to mechanical environments.

Selected Works:

• Howl’s Moving Castle  
• Innocence  
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam(Film)

Keiko Kai  

Color Designer / Vice President

After working in animation finishing, Keiko Kai has contributed as a freelance color designer to numerous projects.  
As a specialist in animation color since the cel animation era, she brings depth and precision to each work through carefully structured color design.

She also served as a Special Visiting Lecturer at Kaishi Professional University (2021–2022).

Selected Works:

• Golgo 13  
• FAIRY TALE the First  
• Kingdom 2

Our Products

On this site, we offer cel animation paints and original cel artworks developed based on techniques refined in professional production environments.

Maintaining the same quality used in actual animation production, our materials are designed for a wide range of creators, from professionals to individual artists.

We also offer original cel artworks, allowing you to experience unique, one-of-a-kind expressions created using authentic production techniques.