These eight images were my final project for Kelly's Illusion of Life class. I chose the Concept Design assignment, and therefore had to create four characters and four environments for an original story.
My story takes place at a mysterious new desert amusement park called Mount Dondeleigh. Most people don't realize this, but Mount Dondeleigh only has one ride. Perched atop this enormous pinnacle of rock in the desert, the ride consists of a ski-lift-like seat which carries you out over the expansive desert. What at first seems like a bit of a let-down soon proves itself to be technologically revolutionary as the environment around you shifts and changes into snowy mountains, tropical rainforests, windy grasslands, and the like.
The park was founded by and named after Mr. Dondeleigh, who created it to show the world the new technology he had invented as well as the new species he had engineered. But not all of his creations are as harmless as he makes them out to be, which is why Dondeleigh is also the villain of the story.
Carved into the imposing front gates of the park is a mural intended to portray some of the magical environments you are promised to encounter inside.
This is the main character, Cait. Cait is on her way to visit Mount Dondeleigh with her family. Initially, she was excited to go, but was soon disappointed when she found out that her sister, Jessica, was also coming.
Jessica is the older, prettier, and more popular one in the family. She's been away at college for the past two years, which Cait has greatly appreciated, but now that she's accompanying her family on their vacation, the two sisters will have to tolerate one another again.
Behind the massive front gates of the park, there is a courtyard where Dondeleigh has had a statue of himself constructed in the center of a fountain.
Noah, the love interest of the story, works at Mount Dondeleigh tending the greenhouses. He meets Cait and her family at the park and does what he can to make sure they're comfortable throughout their stay. And though they don't know it at first, he is actually Mr. Dondeleigh's son.
The greenhouses where Noah works at Mount Dondeleigh contain many of the plants and creatures used to create the idyllic and seemingly magical environments visitors encounter on The Ride.
So that's that. Now on to the research sketches!
Most of these are charicatures of real people, including two of my sisters and some of you.
