Current Projects
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Current Projects *
PICKPOCKET
A page dedicated to the design process behind Pickpocket. Check out the breakdown and inspirations behind things like character designs, logo designs, worldbuilding, and animation. Updated weekly.
Currently writing an animated series targeting teens and young adults. PICKPOCKET follows protagonists Mia and Indusa as they discover themselves while navigating a dystopian near future ruled by gambling and consumerism.
synopsis
In a society stratified by social credit and powerful abilities, every year the annual Roulette designates a Pickpocket to participate in a bloodsport designed to bar access into the best high school in the nation. After a tragedy frames two girls from opposing social castes as fugitives, Mia and Indusa have to outwit Nexia as the unwavering police force pursues them.
CHARACTER ART
mia
A former Pickpocket who was successful and now goes to Legacy Academy free of cost. Born and raised in Los Suenos, Mia wants to use the opportunity given to her by winning the Roulette in order to game the system and help out her Mom. After helping the current Pickpocket, Indusa, brandishes her a fugitive, Mia finds agency within a found community and strives to dismantle the system instead of work within it.
Apathetic, cynical, rebellious, good natured
indusa
A member of the Founding Families who was disowned after being marked. After being disowned Indusa is named the current Pickpocket and has to learn how to survive the ruthless city life. After learning more about the real Nexia, Indusa becomes radicalized and begins to use her family name to help those wronged by the system.
Optimistic, naive, stubborn, hard working
Carrion
The leader of the Debt Collectors’ Special Division who is sent after the girls for the duration of the series. As the girls continue to evade capture, he becomes more and more ruthless until he eventually goes rogue and hunts the girls on his own terms. Everyone who is captured or killed by Carrion is scarred on half of their face.
Vengeful, perfectionist, sadistic, obsessive
Carrion version 2
Debt Collectors
The Debt Collectors are a militarized police force who man inspection stations across Nexia as well as perform regular police duties. These stations monitor one’s credit and if that amount reaches zero, a bounty is placed that the Debt Collectors come to collect. Those who are zeroed often end up disappeared. Who knows where they end up?
Debt Collectors camo version
LOGO DESIGN
The design process for Pickpocket’s logo was challenging because I wanted to incorporate two opposing aesthetics to the design. Since Pickpocket is set in a dystopian future and the series has sci-fi elements, I needed to hint at that within the title. Sci-fi typefaces are usually sleek, uniform, and segmented and often evoke technology like alarm clocks, digital interfaces, or industrialized factories. On the other hand, the heart of these characters is a punk attitude which determines the tone of the series. Punk typefaces are usually jagged and sharp or extremely inconsistent. They evoke band logos and concert promotion posters. The only thing uniform is that nothing is uniform.
In order to bring these two contrasting aesthetics together I decided to focus on the sharpness of both styles and the idea of distorting the technological aesthetic.
STORYBOARD
CONCEPT ART
MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES
Starring: Mazen Alsafi, Andre Meddar JR, Anique Edwards
After seeing the latest superhero blockbuster, Maz, an aspiring artist, questions the modern state of Black representation. Seeing a void, Maz takes it upon himself to create a Black superhero; however, through investigating past tropes and clashing with peer opinions, Maz has to discover what it means to be a “hero” within the Black community.
MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES is a multi-media short film which combines live action and 2D animation. I wanted to use the different media to follow Maz’s story while also transporting the audience into different eras and superhero genre tropes. The Blaxploitation film era (1970s) was a major inspiration and a time period I wanted to focus on specifically as it also questions the nature of “good representation.” The early 70s was a time period when Black filmmakers were able to curate Black films for Black audiences and achieve success.
Animated segment from MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES