DESIGN & CONCEPT ART

Characters | Environments | Buildings | Props | Backgrounds

Projects

The Missing Ingredient

Concept art | background design | 2D animation | clean-up

Death Swap: End As One

Character design | 3D modeling & sculpting | animation | promotional art

Song Birds

Character design | animation | background design | UI design

Digital Dog Shrine | AR app

Visual design | modeling | rigging | 3D animation | technical production

Ballerina | Game character

2D character animation | character design

El Retrato | Series teaser

Lead & key animator | 2D & 3D | character design | modeling

Stowaway

Animation | background design

A selection of my concept art from various projects.

Archibald Magnus

Design of the monster from Death Swap: End As One

I started by sketching out various different ideas. The monster had to have some kind of deformation caused by a lab accident, rather than for example a supernatural cause. Furthermore, the character had to have a "Swap-device" on him, which is connected to the game's main game mechanic.

I made a couple of variations in which I thought about a reason why the character would have ended up looking the way it does. I found much inspiration in body horror art from for example Junji Ito and H. R. Giger.

After a couple rounds of feedback and discussing the variations, we settled on a design we thought was iconic, and would both be able to invoke fear in players and convenient to execute: a long and deformed bipedal figure that was originally supposed to be around 4 meters long. I sketched out a couple of variations of the idea, in which I included elements that give hints about the backstory of the character, such as chains to signal he has been locked up, or a labcoat to show his profession.

In the end we decided the character to be Archibald Magnus: a mad scientist who accidentally deformed and merged with one of his inventions after an experiment gone wrong.

Witch house

Design of the house of the protagonist of The Missing Ingredient

Interior design

We liked the interior to have a cozy atmosphere and feel lived-in. I wanted it to reflect the interests and personality of the witch within her home: she likes plants, nature and working with magic, is a bit messy and has a collection of seashells. I took inspiration from the goblin-core aesthetic, where homely elements of cottage-core are mixed with elements from nature, including ones that are not typically considered to be beautiful, like mushrooms, animal skulls and snails. Next to that, I included a couple of obscure-looking elements within the room to create moral ambiguity. I didn’t want to portray the witch as evil, but I did want to give the viewer the option to continue looking at the protagonist through this lens, as we were aiming to let the viewer misjudge her within the first part of the film.

Backgrounds

Lay-outs:

Witches

Character designs for a triad of witches.

Player characters

Concept art of characters from Death Swap: End As One

The player characters of the game Death Swap would be interns on their first day at Voro Laboratories, the science facility where a monster has gone loose.

I made characters with distinct personalities in mind, which would help creating interesting combinations when choosing two player characters.

Dog Shrine

Design of the Dog Shrine for the AR Digital Dog Shrine project

I took inspiration from shrines and temples from several cultures as ancient Egypt, ancient Greek, China, and Japan. After that I sketched out multiple ideas and we chose a design from that.

Shrine design sketches

I tried out various concepts that differed a lot from each other to explore the possibilities and determine which direction would be the most fitting.

Pedestal sketches

As we wanted the dogs to stand on pedestals, I made some designs for this.

Arc design scetches

During doing visual research, we were inspired by the Torii. A Torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found In front of Shinto Shrines. They symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred, which fitted with our concept.
I made a couple of sketches for arcs to be placed in front of our shrine, some of them loosely based on Torii gates.

Arc wire sketches

As we liked the idea to have an arc with a rope at the top, I made multiple designs for this. We chose the design with the name tags of the dogs, as we thought this was the most honourable and personal.

Shrine colour tests

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Shrine colour tests

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Final design Shrine sketch

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Sketches from above

I made sketches of the scene from above to explore what the best size of the shrine and arc would be in relation to one another, and how the dog pedestals could be placed. I thought this was important as the size and placement of these objects would affect the experience of the viewer.

Shrine interior sketches

After reading about the touching life stories of the six dogs in front of the shrine, the visitor is encouraged to enter the shrine and upload a picture of their own animal friend. We wanted the interior to have a calm atmosphere, with the main focus on the picture-frame where the visitor could place the picture.

We chose the design on the top right. The two recesses on the sides are covered with flags similar to those placed on the outside, a decoration that communicates to the visitors that they're not supposed to enter these places, but doesn't close these rooms off so the feeling of a bigger space remains.

Shrine modelsheet

Turnaround of the shrine for modeling.

Gate modelsheet

Turnaround of the gate for modeling.

Shrine design sketches

I tried out various concepts that differed a lot from each other to explore the possibilities and determine which direction would be the most fitting.

Pedestal sketches

As we wanted the dogs to stand on pedestals, I made some designs for this.

Arc design scetches

During doing visual research, we were inspired by the Torii. A Torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found In front of Shinto Shrines. They symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred, which fitted with our concept.
I made a couple of sketches for arcs to be placed in front of our shrine, some of them loosely based on Torii gates.

Arc wire sketches

As we liked the idea to have an arc with a rope at the top, I made multiple designs for this. We chose the design with the name tags of the dogs, as we thought this was the most honourable and personal.

Shrine colour tests

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Shrine colour tests

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Final design Shrine sketch

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Shrine interior sketches

After reading about the touching life stories of the six dogs in front of the shrine, the visitor is encouraged to enter the shrine and upload a picture of their own animal friend. We wanted the interior to have a calm atmosphere, with the main focus on the picture-frame where the visitor could place the picture.

We chose the design on the top right. The two recesses on the sides are covered with flags similar to those placed on the outside, a decoration that communicates to the visitors that they're not supposed to enter these places, but doesn't close these rooms off so the feeling of a bigger space remains.

Shrine colour tests

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Shrine colour tests

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Final design Shrine sketch

For the final design, I took most inspiration from European Christian churches and dog houses. I derived the idea of an arc from Japanese Torii in front of Shinto Shrines.

I made several colour tests. In the end, we chose to have grey stone walls to give a feeling of a timeless temple. We included wooden elements to give the building a warm and homely appearance, and added blue banners in a warm hue for a calm atmosphere.

Shrine interior sketches

After reading about the touching life stories of the six dogs in front of the shrine, the visitor is encouraged to enter the shrine and upload a picture of their own animal friend. We wanted the interior to have a calm atmosphere, with the main focus on the picture-frame where the visitor could place the picture.

We chose the design on the top right. The two recesses on the sides are covered with flags similar to those placed on the outside, a decoration that communicates to the visitors that they're not supposed to enter these places, but doesn't close these rooms off so the feeling of a bigger space remains.

Ballerina

Character design for a game character.

background collage final with character - kopie.png

Horse & mule

Designs of the animals from El Retrato

Rocinante

Rocinante is the elderly horse of the protagonist. She has seen it all, being forced to join him on all his adventures.

Mule

When the protagonist and his squire go on adventures, the poor pack mule always has to drag their belongings and treasures with him.

Inkedmule sketch 2 bagage colour basket_LI2.jpg

Backgrounds

Background design from Stowaway

Within the film, we wanted to make use of a colour pallette with teal, purple and yellow hues. Next to that, we wanted the film to have a handmade feel. As the story starts off unfortunate, I tried to create a sinister atmosphere with the use of unsaturated, cold colours and rough brushstrokes. For the positive finale of the story, I wanted to convey a contrasting, peaceful and virtuous feel by using bright, warm colours with a paint-like brush.

Witch familiar

Concept art from The Missing Ingredient

The witch familiar is the pet of the protagonist of The Missing Ingredient. The creature is a mix of a cat and a dragon/wyvern. We envisioned the familiar to have wyvern-like anatomy instead of dragon-like: the wings would be attached to the forelegs of the cat instead of being separate limbs. I took inspiration from the “Nargacuca” creature from the game Monster Hunter: this creature had similar type of cat-wyvern anatomy we were looking for. I experimented with multiple types of horns, spikes and tails.

Song Birds

Character designs from Song Birds

Chico

Guava

Loki

Bolo

The mobile game Song Birds has four tropical birds as main characters. I have made several sketches and design tests of possible bird characters, from which we decided what our final birds were going to look like. The bird designs are imaginary mixed with elements from real birds.

Within an early stage of the project, we had decided that we wanted to make use of pixel art for our game. I didn’t have much experience with making pixel art, but it was fun to try it out. While establishing the style, I experimented with outlines, shadows, pixel size and colours. We ended up picking a bright colour palette to give the game a cheerful atmosphere. We used a pixel size big enough to emphasize the visual quality of the pixels, but small enough to show the right amount of detail. We also decided that we wanted an outline surrounding the birds and other important assets, to make them clearly visible for the player.

Song Birds | backgrounds