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Below are a selection of environment and prop designs I completed for various personal, professional, and academic projects. To learn more about each individual project, click the links listed with my work.
Professor Pavlov & Me
"Professor Pavlov and Me" is a children's TV show concept about the adventures of Pavlov's Dog and Schrödinger's Cat. To see more of this project, click here.
The laboratory is the home base of the show, and would be featured at the beginning and end of every episode. It's a character in it's own way, and has tons of bright colors and detail to draw the audience into an episode.
Deer Season
"Deer Season" is a short film about two bounty hunters chasing a criminal through a post-apocalyptic city. To see more of this project, click here.
As the Art Director, I was in charge of mapping out the use of color and lighting throughout the film. This meant thinking about the environment, mood, and tone of each scene, and figuring out how each color palette impacted the narrative.
We didn't want our film to feel like it took place during a generic apocalypse; we wanted everything to feel intentional and real. So, I created a variety of props and posters that could be 3D modelled and placed throughout the environment.
While designing these props, I had to keep in mind our fictional city's backstory, which items could withstand an apocalypse, and how much weathering/damage each object would take. This led to the creation of the evil corporation "Fossoil": an oil rigging company that caused the apocalypse. So, I used many of the prop designs to foreshadow the company and the environmental destruction they caused.
When developing our fictional city, I did a lot of research on how buildings in real life have been impacted by pollution, destruction, and natural disasters. I also considered what kinds of stores, architecture, and advertisements would have been present before the apocalypse, and what would have become of them afterwards. This gave me a great opportunity for environmental storytelling and worldbuilding throughout my designs.
The very last shot of the film includes a giant oil rig looming over the city, revealing the extent of environmental destruction. Because this was such an important shot, we wanted full control of every little detail. So, instead of making a 3D model of the oil rig, I created and compositing a 2D matte painting into the shot. I had to match the exact art style and perspective of the shot to get it to blend just right. Then, in After Effects I applied principles of atmospheric perspective to make it seem huge and faraway.
Under The Bed
"Under The Bed" is a short film concept about a 12 year old girl and her best friend: the monster under her bed. To see more of this project, click here.
This is a layout of the main character, June's, bedroom. I wanted it to be a full reflection of her personality. I gave it a mismatched vibe that reflected changing interests over the course of her life, and also included a juxtaposition between very childish elements (stuffed animals, stickers, etc) and “tween” things (maxi pads, overstuffed backpack, training bra, etc).
Self Reflection
"Self Reflection" is an indie short film in development about a girl's struggle with her identity. To see more of this project, click here.
"Self Reflection" is a quirky film with a ton of personality. So, I tried to put humor into everything from the tiniest background details, to the main character's phone case. I hope that while people watch the film, they are able to catch the little jokes that the whole crew put into the props and backgrounds.
Market Mischief
"Market Mischief" is a short film about a mischievous little pixie's hunt for the perfect snack. To see more of this project, click here.
We had a big team of people working on background paintings, and we needed a way to keep the style consistent throughout. Since I was the Art Director, I created moodboards and style tests to help guide the team. Then, I was the first one to make a finished painting that the team could use as reference. We went with a watercolor background style with varying line weight/width to emphasize perspective.
(The lineart for the first two images was done by my teammate Penny Lance)
Our crew needed a way to populate our film's whimsical world! So, I created various sketches/tests of props for the film. The team took this artwork and used it as reference for their designs. I also painted over flat UV texture maps of a 3D jar prop that we used in the film, prominently showcasing a few of our cute market creatures. This was very useful when we had to composite a 3D object over a 2D watercolor background; the texture I created made it fit right in!
Carved In Stone
"Carved In Stone" is a live action short film about a woman's quest to return an ancient Arthurian artifact. To see more of this project, click here.
Developing these props for "Carved In Stone" was an interesting challenge that required many different iterations. Everything needed to be designed in a way that would make it possible to physically manufacture, which was difficult to keep in mind. Luckily, the team gave me lots of feedback and support to help me along the way. In the end, my bow and arrow design was produced into an actual prop used in the film!
The Forbidden Garden
"The Forbidden Garden" is a collaborative short film concept about a fantastical forest society and the creatures that live in it. To see more of this project, click here.
I was in charge of designing the bedroom of an average teenager in this forest society. I had to figure out how to make the room feel "lived-in". To do this, I thought about the objects in my own bedroom, and gave them each a whimsical twist.