In all of my illustrated works, I'm inspired by achieving impact through simplicity - making the most of every stroke. My art style highlights broad emotions and expressive characters, inspired greatly by 20th-century American comic strips.
Original Works
Character Design & Explorations
Personal Project: COSMIA
(Comedy, Action)
COSMIA is an animated short film I'm currently directing about an unlikely duo of space birds tasked with rescuing a planet of bunnies at risk of
annhiliation from a giant asteroid!
Storyboards - Scene 2 (Tuffy & Selsdon)
This establishing sequence showcases Tuffy and Selsdon in the midst of a routine planetary flyover. Because the scene is mainly conversational, I was primarily able to focus on establishing the characters' personalites via natural acting choices and distinct body language. Tuffy and Selsdon's expressions, their postures, and their proximities to one another establish their contrasting attitudes - Tuffy as the wide-eyed optimist, and Selsdon as the pessimistic sourpuss.
Animatic
Animatic timing by Tim Eterno
Character Turnarounds & Models
Personal Work/Thesis: GARAGE SALE
(Comedy)
My first animated short film, "GARAGE SALE," was completed as my senior capstone for Butler University's College of Communication. The short has screened and received awards across several festivals internationally, including CTNX, the Los Angeles Film Festival, WIA NYC, the Milano Indie Movie Awards, and ASIFA Hollywood's Student Animation Showcase.
Description: "An animal rock band breaks their guitar before their first big gig. Their search for a fast replacement leads them to a mysterious garage sale offering the instrument they seek - but they'll have to earn it with "a good song."
Storyboard/Animatic - Full Film
By Tim Eterno, Adam Bohorquez (@DeadlyComics), & Jeremy Pena (@jeremy_doofaw)
Concepts
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By Adam Bohorquez (@DeadlyComics)
Characters
Each member of the trio is distinct and complement each other's personalities. There are equal parts of me in Shen (ambitious and starry-eyed), Qat (artsy and introverted), and Cowbell (enigmatic and nonplussed) - seeing how these characters' ideologies played off of one another felt strangely natural.
Shen
A dynamo of frantic energy, Shen is a dog entranced by the glitz and glamor of rock-and-roll. He's also fairly impulsive, which brings the group to the short's conflict. The band's guitarist and lead singer.
Qat
Qat (the cat) is poetic, intrinsic, and believes in music as an extension of the soul. She's a bit self-involved and possesses a fiery temper that Shen often succeeds in provoking. The band's keyboardist.
Cowbell
Cowbell is an enigmatic goat. He never speaks (minus a quick "woo") and it's unclear how much is really going on upstairs. Nevertheless, his kind nature often places him as the mediator in many conflicts. The band's percussionist.
Animation Style
GARAGE SALE's unique look was heavily inspired by papercraft animation. Shen, Qat, and Cowbell each have distinct single-color palettes that allow them to pop. Hand-drawn in Toon Boom Harmony/TV Paint, the colored outlines are then applied. A texture layer is placed on top of the characters - achieving their paper quality. Finally, lighting and shadow is rendered in Adobe After Effects. The result is visually dynamic and incredibly fun to watch in motion.
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Backgrounds
The environment for the film has a distinct, dreamlike feel with its warm colors. It was important to me that the characters' outlines stood in stark contrast to their surroundings.
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Layouts by Tim Eterno
Final backgrounds by Cam MacConnell (@10bullz)
Storyboards
Creators Society - Creators Jam 2025
"Audience's Favorite" "Best Overall"
(Drama, Comedy)
A small kitten is overwhelmed by a cacaphony of noises on her commute to school. These sounds eventually manifest in the form of a terrifying demon, which Kit must confront head-on to assuage her fears.
Creators Society - 2026 Voices and
Songwriters Create
(Musical, Drama)
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A trio of eccentric birds bound for Birdywood sing about their destinies in the glitz and glamour of show business until a grisly storm threatens to destroy their dreams.
Animatic
Animatic timing by Tim Eterno
Book Illustration
by Garret Mathews
Plugger Publishing
(Front + back cover & interior illustrations)
So You Need to Kill Time on a Long Trip...
by Garret Mathews
Plugger Publishing
(Front + back cover & interior illustrations)
Since 2024, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with Garret Mathews - an accomplished author, playwright, interviewer, and retired Metro columnist for the Courier & Press in Evansville, IN on
a number of book projects.
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​ For his book, "Fractured Country Song Titles", Garret developed over 80 unique parody country songs and invited me to create accompanying illustrations for each one. Here's a few of my favorites:
And for "So You Need to Kill Time...", a collection of humorous short stories:
Event Illustration
Illustrations created for The Hearth's Warming Club - a My Little Pony convention
held in Ithica, NY in December 2025.
