01. Professional Work - Mr. Grey's Gloves
In 2022, I worked as a colourist for the children's book, Mr. Gray's Gloves: A Story of Compassion versus Force (Fox Tales), a retelling of Aesop's fable, The North Wind and The Sun. Using a watercolour brush in Photoshop, I completed all 20 illustrations on time. If interested, you can purchase the book here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Grays-Gloves-compassion-versus-ebook/dp/B0B3V6472K
Written By Bradley James
Illustrated By Maria Hecher
Colouring by Annie Zhu
02. Professional Work - Illustrations for Business
A series of illustrations I created for my client Len to add colour and interest to his new website.The illustrations consist of four different themes:
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Family business - three casually dressed people sit at a table reviewing documents, with two sitting close together and one advising (Len).
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Partnership - two people sit at a table reviewing documents, with one person (Len) pointing to a paper and talking while the other listens.
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Len’s active approach - Len and a client stand together on-site looking at a project, with the client pointing to a detail while Len looks intently.
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Success - two people shake hands happily.
03. Professional Work - Illustrations for School Safety Product
As an illustrator for Raptor Technologies, I collaborated with the graphic designer to create visual content for the company's school safety blog. I produced consistent, inclusive, and color-matched visuals to complement written content, ensuring alignment with the company’s defined style. I also redesigned their mascot, Roary.
04. Personal Project - Tree City Cecile
Hades, the character I created for my third-year individual film, Double-Cross (viewable on the animation page), is a 20-year-old secret agent with an arrogant, edgy and “lone wolf” personality. To convey his imperturbable and apathetic nature, I chose the colour blue for his character design, which features modern and futuristic outfits suitable for his role. Despite being anthropomorphic, all characters still present fruit-like characteristics, such as Hades’ fruit stalk representing his emotional state and Selene’s sour tears due to her being a lime.
Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology, the characters are named after gods and goddesses, with further development needed for their backstories, the organization they work for, and the operation of the Tree City Cecile. This is an ongoing project.
Cyclops is the antagonist of my indie film, Double-Cross. He's a strawberry, designed to embody contrasting characteristics. Despite the common association of strawberries with sweetness and loveliness, Cyclops is designed to be violent, creating a stark contrast. His appearance is friendly, but he harbours an aggressive nature. The red jacket he wears is a direct opposition to the blue of Hades, emphasising his villainous role.
Meet Hermes, Hades' sidekick. Hermes is the quartermaster and technical field agent, taking his name from the messenger of Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. He wears office attire as he primarily works in the facility, with his sleeves rolled up to avoid appearing too formal. Hermes is the opposite of Hades, friendly, warmhearted, humorous, and carefree, and is in his mid-twenties. I drew inspiration for this character from Benjamin "Benji" Dunn of Mission: Impossible.
In my third-year film Double-Cross, Yolanda is a 21-year-old peach model with a strong sense of fashion. Despite her chic appearance, Yolanda is headstrong and can be stubborn. Her business casual outfits convey a smart and informal look, consisting of a black blazer with wide cuffs and a light-yellow bubble dress shaped like a petal to symbolise her connection to plants.
Selene is a 12-year-old lime girl from my thesis film, The Pearfect Team, a secret agent trainee whose outfits resemble Hades' modern and simple style. To emphasise her lively and boisterous personality, I designed her with contrasting green and pink colours. Selene is often a troublemaker, but can prove to be very helpful in critical moments. Her outfit includes two different stockings and a whip to showcase her naughty ambivalence. Her designs were inspired by the League of Legends character K/DA Akali.
In my thesis film The Pearfect Team, the Water Bear is a monster creature in Tree City Cecile inspired by real-life tardigrades. This creature undergoes three stages of transformation, growing from a small and cute appearance to a giant and terrifying one after consuming various objects. While its initial form resembles the real water bear with eight stubby legs, it transforms to develop toes, ears, and a tail, with its legs merging into four. The Water Bear's eyes turn dark and evil-looking, and it erupts with sharp teeth. It also has plant-like characteristics with leafy ears and tails.
05. Other Works
