Itraeus
Art Director- Jason Kernevich
Category- Publishing, Layout, Character Design, Illustration
This expansive project revolved around the creation of a concept art book for the fictional game, Itraeus. For years I’ve garnered a passion for character design and art that invokes story and emotion in viewers. To explore this, I chose to push this by designing several elements of this game’s world as well as crafting copy that would inject a story into the artwork. In total I designed thirteen characters, two environments, the typographic style and many other components. The challenge for me during this project was to develop several designs of both illustrative and typographic nature simultaneously and blend them together.
Itraeus is an open world fantasy action RPG that brings players to the breathtaking and immersive world of Itraeus. Taking place in the world of Oros on the continent of Itraeus, the player discovers a mysterious connection between ancient conspiracies, raging creatures, and deities worshiped. In order to protect the balance of the continent and keep it from falling to the chaotic Ithirius Cult, the player can create a custom party with several unique non-playable characters living within Itraeus. In this groundbreaking fantasy RPG several unique characters, weapons, environments, and monsters can be fully interacted with alongside countless quests and equipment.
The story
The protagonist is a villager in the mountain steppe village of Arun. One day while heading to the shrine dedicated to the legendary dragon, Azdaha, he/she is attacked by an extremely aggressive monster with unusual glowing red eyes. Before the protagonist is killed he/she is saved by an Azdaha.
This creature is known as a highly elusive, legendary dragon that protects the balance of life on the continent. The dragon chooses the protagonist to uncover the reason behind the recent accounts of red-eyed raging creatures as well as its mysterious connection to an ancient deity. If the protagonist fails to do so, the occurrence could wipe out the dragon’s species which, due to this recent turn of events, has been declining. If the Azdaha goes extinct, Itraeus would soon be in peril.
The protagonist begins his/her journey, meeting several characters that can join as allies. He/She unearths a dark connection revolving around the history of the Itraean deities, the nefarious Ithirius Cult, and the destructive monsters. Through fighting the various raging monsters, cult members, and joining with more allies, the protagonist and their party take on the final enemy in a fight that will decide the fate of the continent.
This stylized illustration of the Azdaha is utilized throughout the book on section starter pages, the back cover and the title page. Its design is based on illustrations that focus on the subject’s silhouette as well as stylizing the form. In breaking up the sihlouette, this illustration became a notable icon for the book.
Character Design
In order to craft compelling and interesting designs for each creature and character I went through various drafts. In doing these revisions, I was able to create pieces of the world of Itraeus that in turn make a more realized and perceivable setting. In everything from mannerisms, to clothing, to weaponry, each character is a clear representation and reflection of the world of the game.
The Dragon
When designing the Azdaha, I was driven to create a dragon that consisted of several features that would make it stand out from the typical fantasy type. My main inspiration while creating the Azdaha was the Aztec God, Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl being a feathered serpent inspired the feathered wings, body and mane as well as the serpentine form. Throughout the design process I honed the most unique aspects of the creature such as the skull, wings and tail in order to create a creature that radiates majesty and regality with its presence.
The Protagonists
When designing the protagonists for the game, I wanted to create two characters that looked similar but had their own unique attributes. In various video games, male and female protagonist characters accomplish this through subtle changes in appearance like clothing and height as opposed to the biggest difference of gender. In designing the two characters simultaneously, I was able to keep the designs consistent with each other while giving enough leeway to allow for uniqueness to show. The end result of this design being a pair of characters with separate yet similar designs that can still be viewed as interesting blank slates for players to explore the world as.
The Villain
For Ithirae’s design, I wanted to create a character that gave both a holy and prestigious impression while also displaying a darker persona fit for the main villain of the game. As the process continued, I utilized very long sharp hair in order to add more to her sihlouette as well as to make the form look larger and more imposing. The halo and floating Mana Javelins to the sides with sharp corners add to the dangerous appearance as well. Through usage of a near white and purple and reds, I was able to give her a darker more sinister look while not making her design read as stereotypically evil. The final result is a character that emits an ominous air of both danger and eminence.
Environments
A key aspect of designing the concept art for a game such as Itraeus is the environments. These illustrations help to bring structure to the world and make it more feasible as a place where otherworldy events could take place. With each illustration, it was my foremost goal to add in fantastical elements and to make the world that much more believable.
Illustrated Pages
