For my thesis in Production Design, I created a series of concept illustrations for an animated adaptation of Erin Hunter's Warrior Cats: Into the Wild. The novel series follows the adventures of a former pet cat named Rusty who leaves his home to join the ranks of ThunderClan, one of the four great clans that reside in the Forest Territories, and is prophesized to be the Fire the will save ThunderClan.
Environment Designs
The first book series of Warrior Cats takes place in the Forest Territories, which is heavily based on New Forest in Hampshire, England. The area is known for it's lush forests, pasturelands, and heathlands. Village areas, on the other hand, tend to be made of brick and integrate into the environment.
Character Designs
Warrior Cat's has several characters, many of which may have similar appearances, based on the book's descriptions. To solve this problem, I designed them in a way that brings out their character traits and exaggerated their features. To make the designs more believable, I based their body types and patterns on real cat breeds.
Key Scene Illustrations
The color and lighting of these illustrations reflect the mood of the scene taking place, with softer lighting relaxed moments and harsher lighting for more intense ones. Night scenes are dominantly blue and violet to add a fantasy feel.
Creatures and Props Design
Similar to the character designs, the creatures were designed to look either harmless (round, soft) or menacing (sharp, angled). I also designed pet props and herbal medicine props by giving them geometric and organic silhouettes, respectively.
Graphic Design and Icons
My thesis also includes a redesign of the title and clan emblems
Trailer Storyboard
Art Book Mockup
Conceptual Website Mockup
Thank you!
