Send Me a Message!
Character Design
True Grit Character Design + Dev (2024)
Medieval Court Development (2024)
Valkyrie Character Styling (2024)
Rubberhose Character Development (2024)
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
"The Universe is Going to Catch You," Character Animatic
Eden: At the End of the World Opening Scene Animatic
Storyboards
Eden: At the End of the World, "Chapter 1: Revelations"
Story Development
Jack and the Beanstalk
Story Development
Breaking Bad Opening Scene, Class Assignment.
Original Character Storyboard, Class Assignment.
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
Personal Work
EDEN: What happens after the end of the world?
Humans keep living. After climate change, after rising oceans, after fallen cities, they refuse to die.
Above the scorched land flies a centuries-old legend: EDEN, the safe haven in the sky.
One girl, mysteriously cast down to Earth, sets out on a journey to go home.This independent project has been in development since 2021.
To see more about this project, please see my page titled "EDEN (2024 Capstone)" for character designs and pre-production materials.
Protagonists
Antagonists
Concept Sketches.
Misc. Artwork
ReWritten: Fall in love with reading all over again!
A lighthearted dating sim.
This collaborative indie project combined ideas from five friends, culminating in a love-filled dating sim.My role in this project was a generalist: I assisted in cleaning up some sketches
and sprites, as well as revising scripts and dialogue.My largest contribution was composing five original music tracks using GarageBand.View the project on itch.io here: Rewritten by Weird Little Beasties.This image was done by another member of the team.
Key Art.
Art that is shown directly in the game, which I illustrated.
These illustrations below are shown during the culmination of Dr. Nightshade's route.
Preproduction Art.
I was in charge of designing this member of the cast, Dr. Nightshade. He's a sarcastic, eccentric mad scientist from a classic sci-fi paperback novel.
Art Revision.
I produced the lineart for the first slideshow, and the sketch for the second. Final renders were made by other members of the team.
Illustrations
A snapshot of my sketchbook.
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
My 2024 Capstone project at the University of Texas at Dallas focused on this story, aiming to redesign outdated characters with a fresher perspective on design. I have redesigned these characters with the intention of using them in future animated projects.I aim to answer the question:
What happens after the apocalypse?
Humans keep living. After climate change, after rising oceans, after fallen cities, they refuse to die.
Above the scorched land flies a centuries-old legend: EDEN, the safe haven in the sky.
One girl, mysteriously cast down to Earth, sets out on a journey to go home.
You can also download a PDF version of my work using this link! It will take you to a Google Drive page where you can view it.
Click on these info sheets to see concept sketches,
turnarounds, expression sheets, and more!
MARIE
The main antagonist, once Cain's friend.
GENERAL WORK
Lineups, Comparisons, and Poster thumbnails.
ABEL
The secondary antagonist, and Cain's brother.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
To complete my capstone within a semester (14 weeks), I planned out the work I needed to do before the class began. Each week, I completed a portion of the entire project, devoting time to each character and their designs.For example, I would finish their turnaround, costume changes, and gesture sketches in one week. Then for the next week, I focused on their expressions and compiled character information sheets, which is what you see on the page here.I hope to continue refining these skills and transferring my knowledge to new projects in the future! I also have more characters from this series that I would like to create reference materials for.This has been an eye-opening experience for me, and I can't wait to apply my skills in the industry.
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
CAIN
New Cain design (2024)
Old Cain design (2021)
Cain is the main character of EDEN: At the End of the World.She is a kind, empathetic girl who claims she is from the city of Eden, but does not remember anything about it. Her design is heavily influenced by traditional clothing, and is meant to make her stand out from the rest of the cast.
New and Old Designs
I didn't change much between the two designs, but I did refine details such as the size of her necklace and removed her light underskirt. This would make it easier to animate. Finally, I refined and standardized my art style among the characters.Overall, I was happy with her design!
Turntables
Turntables allow animators to view a character from multiple angles, and are an important resource to keep the character design consistent between shots.Flip through the slideshows to see the linework, as well as a value lineup of each turntable pose.
Character Description
"A young woman who claims to be from the city of Eden, but does not remember anything about it. Her only wish is to return home. With nothing but a cross necklace, Cain sets out to find Eden. However, her time on Earth begins to change her, and also restore some of her memories...Will she discover the city of myth?
Or will she uncover something else entirely...?"
Costume Designs
All costumes were designed in context of the world, which is one affected by climate change. Temperatures are extreme and unpredictable, so characters must adapt.Cain, having woken up on Earth with no memories, had to borrow or find leftover clothes. In my ideation process, I looked towards traditional pajama styles, round shapes, and colors that highlighted Cain's unnatural red hair.
Gesture Sketches
Gesture sketches are used to convey the emotion of a character through various poses.Cain experiences a wide variety of feelings during her time on Earth. I wanted to give her strong curves within her design, so I made her skirt flow whenever I could to extend the line of action. She's very curious about the world, and rarely cautious.
Info Sheet and Expressions Sheet
| These information sheets are meant to be a quick snapshot into each character, showing references such as expressions, color palette, eye callouts, and front and back views. | Cain is the most emotional of the group, so it makes sense that her expressions span a wide range of feelings. She cares deeply about others, and that's her downfall. |
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
AARON CROWE
New Aaron design (2024)
Old Aaron design (2021)
Aaron Crowe is the secondary protagonist in
EDEN: At the End of the World.Aaron is also seeking for the city of Eden, but has grown apathetic to the struggles of others on Earth. Though he hopes in vain to find it, he toils day after day in a world where nothing seems to change.
New and Old Designs
One issue I had with Aaron's design was its lack of color. Its overwhelmingly brown tones made his blue hair seem out of place and incohesive with the rest of his design. On top of this, his values hovered too often in the gray area and misguided the eye within the design.Because of how much his cloak covers his body, I decided to make a turn reference of him without it on.
Turntables
Turntables allow animators to view a character from multiple angles, and are an important resource to keep the character design consistent between shots.Flip through the slideshows to see the linework, as well as a value lineup of each turntable pose.
Character Description
"An ex-assassin on the hunt for Eden, hoping for a better life. He wanders among various settlements on a supply train, now working as a goods distributor. By a stroke of fate, he meets Cain. Though he comes off as cold and tough, Aaron has a soft heart.And it may take him a while to admit, but he thinks of Cain as his closest (and only) friend. There aren't many people you can trust these days."
Costume Designs
All costumes were designed in context of the world, which is one affected by climate change. Temperatures are extreme and unpredictable, so characters must adapt.Aaron is accustomed to life on this new world, so his clothes are mostly simple and practical. He is not extravagant and for the most part tries to blend in with the crowd. He doesn't enjoy standing out.
Gesture Sketches
Gesture sketches are used to convey the emotion of a character through various poses.Aaron's general demeanor is standoffish yet calm. He is aware of his surroundings, but only because he is untrustworthy of others. He spends most of his days waiting on others, working as a glorified deliveryman.
Info Sheet and Expressions Sheet
| These information sheets are meant to be a quick snapshot into each character, showing references such as expressions, color palette, eye callouts, and front and back views. | Aaron's expressions are mainly intimidating and serious. He tends to take charge of situations, but he still has a soft heart buried in there somewhere. |
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
MARIE HUXLEY
New Marie design (2024)
Old Marie design (2021)
Marie is the main antagonist of
EDEN: At the End of the World.Dr. Marie Huxley resides in the fabled city of Eden, where life is a paradise. Once a revered and praised scientist, she now seems hellbent on one thing, and one thing only: returning Cain to Eden.
New and Old Designs
Marie's design was so striking to me, but it still had its flaws. I tried to accentuate her sharp shape language, and I adjusted the hues so that her overall tone was cold instead of warm. The pockets were changed to let the design of the coat flow more naturally, and her skirt was lengthened so that less attention was drawn to it.
Turntables
Turntables allow animators to view a character from multiple angles, and are an important resource to keep the character design consistent between shots.Flip through the slideshows to see the linework, as well as a value lineup of each turntable pose.
Character Description
"The leading scientist of the floating city, Eden. She is a secretive person, working from the shadowy depths of her laboratory. Rumors say that she was born without a heart. Lacking empathy and strictly believing in facts and figures, Marie watches from her high tower, viewing the people of Earth as mere ants for her experiments.Some say that Marie was once from Earth. But this is just another rumor... isn't it?"
Redesign Concepts
Because of her role as a scientist, I wanted to research different lab coat styles. However, since most lab coats were very square and didn't have the taper silhouette I was looking for, I decided to refine my original design without changing too much.
Gesture Sketches
Gesture sketches are used to convey the emotion of a character through various poses.Marie is a character with an intentionally hard to read expression. Though she appears content nearly all the time, there is a strange, apathetic personality hiding beneath the surface.
Info Sheet and Expressions Sheet
| These information sheets are meant to be a quick snapshot into each character, showing references such as expressions, color palette, eye callouts, and front and back views. | Marie's smiling exterior hides a complex interior. She keeps up appearances around the lab, but when she is alone, her mask slips. To everyone else, she is a pristine, perfect leader. |
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
ABEL
New Abel design (2024)
Old Abel design (2021)
Abel is the secondary antagonist in
EDEN: At the End of the World.Residing in Eden with Dr. Marie Huxley, Abel has been left behind by his sister, Cain. All they know is that she has escaped to Earth, but where on Earth? Standing by Marie's side like a guard dog, he assists her in her mission.
New and Old Designs
Abel received quite a few changes compared to the other characters. His hair, jacket, and shoes were all redesigned. The buttoned jacket helps him feel more formal and tidy, while also contributing to a sharper shape language. I also simplified his hair to the same color that Cain's is, and enlarged the cross necklace.
Turntables
Turntables allow animators to view a character from multiple angles, and are an important resource to keep the character design consistent between shots.Flip through the slideshows to see the linework, as well as a value lineup of each turntable pose.
Character Description
"The one left behind. Abel is the half of a whole, the core of the apple, the cage without a bird. Having lived a life of luxury in Eden, Abel can barely fathom why Cain wanted to leave. Despite this, he sets off on a mission in order to bring her back home. He is level-headed, vain, and a little awkward.When they were young, Abel was always the more reserved of the two. Even now, he feels that he's missing a part of himself without her. Betrayed, maybe?"
Redesign Concepts
The main goal I wanted to achieve with Abel's design was contrast and cohesion with Cain's. Where she is heart, he is brains. Abel has the same color palette as hers, but inverse. His cuffs are black where hers are white, and his undershirt is black where hers is white, too.Nailing down his silhouette action pose was also tough. I wanted him to feel reserved, but not afraid.
Gesture Sketches
Gesture sketches are used to convey the emotion of a character through various poses.Abel is appearance-oriented, quite like his friend Marie. I wanted his gesture sketches to reflect that. He is easily frustrated as well as a perfectionist, yet not a narcissist. I was walking a thin line with this one.
Info Sheet and Expressions Sheet
| These information sheets are meant to be a quick snapshot into each character, showing references such as expressions, color palette, eye callouts, and front and back views. | Unlike Marie, Abel shares an emotional streak with his sister, Cain. Though it is mostly hidden, he has moments of outburst where he is frustrated or surprised. |
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
GENERAL WORK
These lineups are essential to seeing that each character works design-wise in context with everyone else. This ensures that no one character sticks out oddly or breaks the audience's immersion in the world.
Costume Lineups
These lineups allow us to see the characters in context with each other, and see if their designs work side by side.In the end, I decided to only give the protagonists costume changes, since we are following their story on Earth, not the antagonists'.Click on the images to enlarge them!
Poster
This poster took a while to conceptualize! I wanted it to feel hopeful and apocalyptic at the same time. Roads and highways are a recurring theme in my project.
Poster Thumbnails
Various ideations of a "movie-style" poster. Looks good as a Netflix card, too.
Misc. Thumbnails
Various environment sketches and concepts for the city of Eden. I would like to take these sketches and flesh them out in the future. I would make illustrations similar to the one I did for the poster.
Action Poses
These action poses are meant to communicate the personality and demeanor of each character. I feel that they represent them the best and capture their personalities well.
Send inquiries to: info@dominiquenanquil.com
About Me
Dominique "Dom" Nanquil is, as evidenced by the top of this page, a junior 2D and 3D animator, storyboard artist, and character artist. She has spent the better half of her life drawing, singing, and taking care of plants. She plans to spend the next half working in the industry that inspires and animates her.When not doing any of those things, one can find her watching cartoons, bad movies, or obscure YouTube video essays. Dominique has not been chasing her dream for very long, but she's not stopping any time soon.
Assorted Self-Portraits.