Several years ago one of my main clients was a well known urban toyline. There was studio interest from MTV among other production houses to develop an animated series on the Southern California "Lowriding" culture. My interest and knowledge in the culture at the time gave me the open opportunity to lead production on a concept for the musically infused, culturally diverse, groundbreaking series.
I came up with the property from beginning to end by creating the characters, their environment and relationship plus wrote the pilot screenplay that sets the story and "world" in motion. The series is still in development but I am pleased to be able to share some elements of this exciting property known as California Sueños.
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CONCEPT COVER ART
Conceptualization • Creative Direction
Logo Design • Graphic Design
California Sueños is the story of a young poverty stricken teenager as he finds his way through the streets of East Los Angeles to fulfill his destiny and become the artist his late father knew he could be. The series is full of Southern California culture, from the tough streets to the beautiful sunsets. The cover art I created had to reflect all of those aspects and sell the hip-urban nature of what the series embodies. From quirky characters, to the street art inspired
cars and clothing, this world had to look hip, vibrant and engaging.
Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator
WEBSITE AND CONCEPT ART
Web Design • Copy Writing • Graphic Design
A website needed to be created so I could pitch the concept and sell the idea of this urban world and it's rich characters. The website features biographies of each character, production notes, synopsis of episodes and concept art. This website really helped sell the series.
Below are examples of the concept art featured on the website. Everything from storyboard elements to promotional concepts. Depicted below, our protagonist "Cali" tragically loses his role model/father and it sets off Cali's journey to find his way and fulfill his father's dream of restoring his father's classic dream car, winning the car show competition, and opening up a custom car shop in this touching and street smart adventure.
Tools: Photoshop, XD, Sketch
CHARACTER DESIGN, DIGITAL PAINTING
Art Direction • Production Art • Shading
After I wrote the character bios and synopsis I needed to show what these characters and their world would look like. I hired a talented character artist to create multiple sketches of what this animation style would look like.
After going back and forth refining the characters to match what I was after, we finally came up with the right look which was a blend of urban style and cartoon appeal. As soon as his sketches were finalized I took on the task of digitizing, outlining, inking and shading the characters and backgrounds.
Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator
PILOT SCRIPT
Script Writing • Copy Writing
The whole concept started from a story that needed to be told: an underdog-heroes journey set in an urban setting. I had to develop the lead character's motivation, his struggle and final redemption. Along the way he meets his loyal supporting characters that help him find his way, an inspirational and slightly lost love interest, and mean spirited antagonists that want to destroy his chances to succeed. In the end it all works out in a funny, action packed and heartwarming way.
Tools: Final Draft, Acrobat Pro
Contact: vicsagadesign@gmail.com