Portfolio

A look behind the finished art: how my characters and stories came to life, from the very first sketches to the final pages.

Koi and Dan together in the Grove

Koi

Showing the concept from early sketches, to a small sketch for Inktober 2020, to fully stepping back and concepting the character all over again, from outfits to what makes them a Koi-inspired character.

I wanted to redesign Koi, based on this new setting of a swamp. He is more playful and fun, a carer for the wildlife of the Grove.

1 Where it started

Early sketchbook page with koi-inspired character notes
Ink sketches of koi fish and an early Koi character

2 First design

Line-up of early Koi design variations
First Koi design with an expression sheet

3 Back to the sketchbook

Pencil sketchbook spread exploring a new Koi
Green pencil sketches of the swamp redesign
Green pencil sketches refining Koi's outfit
Sketches of Koi beside Dan

4 Final design

The final redesign of Koi

See the whole Koi of the Grove project →

Pango's Odyssey front cover

Pango's Odyssey

A fantasy world following the journeys of a cute pangolin called Pango Lo, who meets new friends along the way and discovers the importance of travel and companionship.

From the concept stage to the final stage of my MA Illustration project at AUB (Arts University Bournemouth).

1 Pango Lo

Early green sketches of Pango Lo with design notes
Pango Lo face and shell sketches
Pangolin scale and anatomy studies
Three numbered Pango Lo concepts
Six colour variations of Pango Lo
Pango Lo expression and pose sheet
Pango Lo face studies

2 Bo

Early dugong sketches for Bo
Five outfit and colour variations of Bo
Bo redesign study with colour notes
Bo and Pango Lo expression sheet

3 Bundok

Bundok outfit sketches with design notes
Three colour variations of Bundok

4 Lang Soong

Four early colour versions of Lang Soong
Three outfit variations of Lang Soong
Lang Soong hat and outfit tests
Bundok and Lang Soong expression sheet

5 Bringing the gang together

An early scene of Bo, Pango Lo and Lang Soong together
The final look of the gang together

6 Revisited after my MA

A year after finishing my MA, I came back to the cast with everything I’d learned, refining their shapes, textures and outfits.

Pango Lo, final design
Pango Lo
Bo, final design
Bo
Bundok, final design
Bundok
Lang Soong, final design
Lang Soong
Sunsaam, final design
Sunsaam
Yaansuu, final design
Yaansuu

See the whole Pango’s Odyssey project →

Tauru, the Emerald Taurus, dancing among the stars

Tauru, the Emerald Taurus

From concept to final, showing the origin to the expressions and many poses of the colourful and artistic Taurus.

From concept and textures to a finished zine, exploring a Taurus in space.

1 The original concept

Original line sketch of a little wizard with a star staff
Early sketch of a small bull with large horns

2 Finding the Taurus

Pink exploration of the Taurus under its zodiac sign
Green exploration of the Taurus holding a glowing emerald

3 Expressions and poses

Sheet of the Emerald Taurus in different expressions and poses

4 Textures and decoration

Red watercolour texture painting
Green and red watercolour texture painting
Blue and green watercolour texture painting
Watercolour star sketches
Coloured pencil planet and star sketches
Painted planet decoration sketch

5 Planning the zine

Line art for the zine cover
Pencil thumbnails for zine pages 1 and 2
Pencil thumbnails for zine pages 5 and 6

6 The finished zine

The Emerald Taurus zine cover
The Emerald Taurus zine, page 3
The Emerald Taurus zine, page 4
The Emerald Taurus zine, page 7

See Tauru with the rest of the Zodiacs →

Floop and Stilt together in the caves of Dunderdull

Floop and Stilt

A storybook delving into the caves of an unusual place called Dunderdull. One creature called Floop must find their path and find light for the townsfolk in the darkness.

From the concept stage to the finished pages of my personal storybook project.

1 Designing Floop and Stilt

Sketchbook spread exploring Floop's outfit, with notes
Sketchbook spread exploring Stilt's design, with notes
Floop, final character design
Stilt, final character design

2 Storyboarding

Pencil storyboard spread for Caves of Dunderdull with notes

3 Painted textures

Painted texture of a bright burst of light
Painted texture of two dark circles
Painted texture study of the glowing tower
Painted green grass texture
Painted blue water texture
Painted cobblestone texture

4 Exploring the caves

Pencil and ink tree root sketch
Coloured pencil crystal sketches
Ink sketch of a cave opening
Ink sketch of glowing eyes in a dark cave

5 The finished pages

Finished page: the tower that lights the city
Finished page: Floop at work inside the tower
Finished page: the townsfolk blame Floop as she cries
Finished page: Floop runs to the light's edge

See the whole Caves of Dunderdull project →