Bob Popcorn: Megagroei Warboel
Currently I'm working on a very exciting school project with a team of five students. We have been commissioned by the writer and the illustrator of the children's book series 'Bob Popcorn' to make a mobile game for their IP. The game is aimed at children between ages 6 to 11 and is meant to make even more kids excited about Bob Popcorn and reading books. My main role on this project is that of concept and 2D artist, but when needed I jump in to help with 3D assets as well.
Screen recording of our current prototype
Concepting Phase
Our first objective was to come up with a lot of wacky, fun, varied ideas for a Bob Popcorn game. We wanted to explore a lot of different angles before choosing a direction for the game. We all came up with a few concepts and pitched them to each other. I made some quick sketches to illustrate my ideas to the rest of the team. Megagroei Warboel was the concept I had the most fun with, because it sparked a lot of visual and funny scenario ideas and it made me laugh.
Client Pitches
We voted and chose our three favorite game concepts to develop a bit further and pitch to our clients. We prepared a pitch deck in a week using Figma. As the only 2D concept artist on our team I was responsible for making illustrations that clearly communicate our ideas to the client and give an idea of what the final product might look like. I illustrated a couple of gameplay scenarios and had a lot of fun making a short comic to pitch my story idea for the Megagroei Warboel concept.
Production Concept Art
Our clients chose Megagroei Warboel, so we started developing this concept into a mobile game. My main task has been to make concepts for the environments, props and characters to inspire the 3D art and level design of the game. I have to work fast, because we don't have time for a pre-production phase, which means concepting and production take place simultaneously. This can be a bit stressful, but it's also quite fun and effective because we can iterate quickly and build upon each others ideas.
I put together a Figma document where I would add new concept art and the most important reference images so the rest of the team could see my thought process and use my references if needed (for example when making materials).
UI Design
I also worked on concept art and assets for the user interface and developed a visual identity for the game.
Cutscenes: Storyboards
We really want to make the game feel like going on an adventure and playing a story. I came up with the idea to have an interactive intro cutscene to introduce kids to Bobs character and the premise of our story in a style that fits our visual identity: a cardboard cutout puppet show. I started by making storyboards for this sequi