Treasure Conquest: From Pencil to Pixel
Have you ever wondered how those captivating game characters come to life? As a digital artist and lifelong fan of appealing cartoons, I enjoy turning sparks of imagination into vivid digital realities for games, books and other media. Here's a glimpse into a recent project where I transformed a client’s rough pen scribble into a game character which I truly love.
Magic sometimes begins with a DM kind of email. My recent collaboration with Robert, a game developer at Akky Gaming, kicked off like this:
Robert: "Hi, I saw your profile online and I am very interested in hiring you for a job. I want to create a cartoon character for my game app. Think you can handle that?"
Me: "Absolutely! But...what kind of personality are we talking about? Sour? Cheerful? Somewhere in the middle?"
Robert: “I’ll send you a sketch I made.”
Unearthing Creative Treasures
This is where the real excitement begins. While clients often have a smoggy idea in mind, the true joy lies in discovering their needs and enlightening them about the creative design decisions, step by step. Robert and I explored various color palettes, artistic styles, and, most importantly, the personality of our cartoon character. Its Raymanian limbs, those invisible arms and legs, give it a distinctive and memorable look. They also allow for more flexibility and expressiveness in its movements and poses, as well as the ability to do things that are impossible for characters with limbs (e.g., exaggerated stretching).
Of course, alongside the fantastical aspects, practical considerations like timelines and budgets come into play. That’s the not-so-colorful part of the whole art-making business. Luckily, Robert and I found a usage rights agreement and a fee that worked for both of us.
“It will have a diamond-like shape, a red color for the character, a white glove for the hand, and a blue shoe,” Robert said.
From Concept to Reality
This is where my Apple pencil meets the virtual canvas. Rough sketches flow as I experiment with line work, shape language, and dynamic angles to capture the character’s essence. Caffeine becomes my constant companion, and after defeating my gloomy procrastination goblins (while my children attempt to drive me crazy), the "Eureka!" moment finally arrives.
Refining the vision: My initial concept sketch with shape and personality notes for the Treasure Conquest character
A blueprint for boldness: Design guidelines ensuring consistency and impact for the Treasure Conquest character.
After finalizing the design, we started to sketch some poses and facial expressions to explore the character's personality.
Capturing personality: Exploring a playful laugh for the Treasure Conquest character
Pure energy! Designing an excited pose for the Treasure Conquest character
Overflowing with joy: A thrilled pose for the Treasure Conquest character
Joy in the Creative Journey
Remember those initial rough sketches? The evolution of this character – it was a journey! Yet, amidst the imperfections, there was undeniable charm. Through tweaks, revisions, and experimenting, that initial spark transformed into the final design: an appealing red hexagon with a playful character, expressive eyes, and.. hidden limbs – a fitting representation of the game's spirit!
The final design found its way into the game, ‘Treasure Conquest,’ which you can download on the app stores. This makes me pretty proud!
Ready for adventure! The final, polished design of the Treasure Conquest character
That's what I appreciate about being an artist – each project is an adventure in itself. Chaotic, exciting, and immensely fulfilling. Whether you have a game character waiting to be brought to life, need custom digital art commissions for games, TV, prints, or stories, or want to explore your own creative potential with a digital art tutor, I invite you to visit my website – www.alhyari.art – and start a conversation.
From concept to game! See the character in action within the Treasure Conquest app
