ALEX CAMELIO: PORTFOLIO SAMPLES


Artist's self-portrait: A man with mid-length brown hair and a small goatee.

   Illustration   Animation and Game Design


ANIMATION AND GAME DESIGN

The following animations were created for an independent action/role playing game that is currently in development and nearing completion. On this project, I am serving as scenario writer, artist/animator, and level designer. The concept is a modified version of an unsold pitch I developed in 2009.

A short man with a pink scarf and asymmetrical futuristic glasses, fleeing with a worried look on his face.     A strawberry-blonde woman in a brown bodysuit sips from a coffee cup, smirks, then loses her balance. She sighs with relief, casts an angry glare off-panel, then catches her coffee cup.     A run cycle for the game's protagonist: a young woman with long black hair wearing black boots, jeans, and a blue athletic t-shirt.     A young woman with long black hair, black boots, jeans, and a blue athletic t-shirt, slamming a sledgehammer against the floor and shaking the frame slightly.
A man with a purple tie and spiky blue hair in a ponytail checks his watch on his robotic third arm. He taps the watch with his human hand on the same side. An amorphous red monster transforms into a sharp, toothy mouth and bites the air.     An amorphous red monster transforms from a flat sheet into a solid, shiny board game marker.     A young woman with long black hair straightens her posture and smiles.
A glass door cracks as it is hit three times, then shatters. A sign above the door reading 'LOCKED', changes to 'ERROR' as the glass breaks.

The following animations and icons were created for an unfinished game development project that was put on indefinite hiatus in 2021. The black-and-white style is evocative of classic Macintosh software--especially HyperCard, which inspired me at a young age. On this project, I served as co-creator, scenario writer, and artist/animator. A few character designs from this game have been repurposed for the preceding project.



A left-facing run cycle for the game's protagonist: A young woman with long black hair, a white coat with fur lining, and tall black boots.     A downward-facing run cycle for the game's protagonist: A young woman with long black hair, a white coat with fur lining, and tall black boots.     A girl in a heavy parka types on her smartphone, then holds it up so as to check its reception.     A young man in a light jacket winces as he rubs his arms.     A bald, bearded man in a coat looks bored: he scratches the back of his head, then checks his watch.     An old man with a white moustache, wearing a striped scarf and snow boots, holds a snow shovel over his shoulder as he wipes his brow with his other forearm. As he does, the ushanka on his head is jostled slightly.

A downward-facing walk cycle for a flaming, ape-like monster, propelling itself by walking on its knuckles. Each time its fists hit the ground, a puff of smoke appears.     A flaming, ape-like monster makes a biting motion to its left, then downward. It then tilts its head back and howls.     The flames of a fiery, ape-like monster are extinguished in a cloud of smoke. Without its flames, the monster is revealed to have smooth, stony features before crumbling apart.     A gaunt zombie with a long neck and noodly arms rises from beneath the snow on all fours, then arches its back to shake away the snow.     A creature made of black cloth, featuring a white diamond in its center, bobs up and down in the air.     A spherical white blob bounces on the ground before shrinking out of existence.

A white sedan with rounded features.     A signpost is hit, causing snow to fly off of the blank sign as it shakes back and forth.     Snow flies off of a crude statue. Its eyes twinkle, then it breaks into pieces.

Row 1: Bottled water, bubble tea, unspecified bottled drink, coffee/tea with paper ring holder, drink can with an up arrow insignia, drink can with an exclamation point insignia, drink can with a question mark insignia, small energy drink can, medicine bottle, two crossed bandages, aloe leaf, large medicine bottle, tube of ointment, small medicine bottle. Row 2: Apple, persimmon, pear, banana, spotted banana, plum, French fries, onion rings, hamburger, pita pocket, slice of mushroom pizza, three slices of kimbap, Chinese food takeaway carton with chopsticks, muffin, frosted cinnamon bun, hard candy, pastry box. Row 3: Charger cables, jumper cables, drum of salt, smartphone, gas canister, duct tape, portable fan, fire extinguisher, lantern, large flashlight, metal detector, whistle, airhorn, hatchet, axe, fire axe. Row 4: Tree branch, broken bottle, firecracker, lighter, small flashlight, flare gun, tire iron, snowball, pocket knife, crowbar, rock, ice scraper, umbrella, icicle, shovel, trash pick. Row 5: Fork-and-knife 'restaurant' icon, gas canister icon, gas pump nozzle icon, person in bed 'lodging' icon, pine tree icon, letter-'H' hospital icon, tent icon, toilet icon, wrench icon, shopping bag icon, deer crossing icon, suitcase icon. Row 6: Cat keychain, gemstone keychain, glass cube keychain, electronic noisemaker keychain, USB flash drive keychain, necklace, fuzzy dice, citrus air freshener, map, bumper sticker, sealed box, zither pick, foam bat, book, key, fishing rod. Row 7: Wallet, pillow, ski mask, ski hat with pom pom, earmuffs, motorcycle helmet, spiked wristband, pocketed vest, coat, hooded parka, thick gloves, thin gloves, mittens, hiking boots, rubber boots, small sunglasses, large sunglasses, striped scarf, goggles, silly boots with fins on their backs and exclamation points on their fronts.

These animations were developed as a training exercise, the goal of which was to create flashy movesets for fighting game characters. Inspirations for these sequences include such video game series as Guilty Gear, Darkstalkers, King of Fighters, and Metal Slug.



A middle-aged woman with gray hair and star-shaped costume antenna on her head stands with one hand in her pocket. Her other hand sports a sock puppet, which bursts into flames and screams independently while she waves it around in an attempt to put it out. As she does, the antennae on her head stand straight up.     A cylindrical purple robot, resembling a satellite, launches itself into the air with solar panel 'wings' and a puff of green exhaust. At the height of its second jump, the LCD screen wrapping around its body displays a growing heart icon that shifts from yellow to green.     A bipedal green lizard with bloodshot eyes is foaming at the mouth. It drags its hands down its face, stretching its lower eyelids.

A translucent blue jelly creature changes its form from a humanoid shape: it slams a spiked ball against the ground, then coils itself into a poop icon. Finally, it reverts to its humanoid form as we see the silhouette of a fish swimming inside its body.

A black-and-white gentleman in an antiquated suit and fedora grins as he waves his hands, summoning a fake bolt of lightning suspended from the ceiling by wires. As the lightning bolt scooches forward, the man looks away in embarrassment.

The shadow of a sock puppet rises from the floor. It grows into a demonic head with glowing red features, then disappears back into the floor.     A large bag of money, bearing a coin symbol instead of the typical dollar sign, falls to the floor, shaking the panel a bit.

I contributed the following 9 x 17 pixel animations for the 30th anniversary celebration of GNU/Linux, held at Boston's MIT campus in 2013.
Each pixel corresponds to a window of MIT's Green Building: these were displayed using colored lights in the building's windows such that the animation was visible across Boston. A sample of what this looked like can be seen here.
Fittingly, these were also designed and animated in the GNU Image Manipulation Program.


The number '30' written out horizontally in blue. Though not as dynamic as the other designs I made, this was the one that appeared most often in news coverage.     A gnu smiles at the audience, then leaps over a grassy field. The title 'GNU' blinks into frame, then disappears.    The blocky letters G, N, and U slide into frame from opposite sides. When they slide away, a barn door effect opens on the winking GNU mascot, then closes on it.     A green fish blows a few bubbles, then swims up from the dark depths towards the surface of the water. It leaps out of the water for an instant, basking in a purple sunset.    The letters G, N, and U pile on top of one another, bouncing and compressing as they do so. After a few seconds, they dissolve.

The following designs are a sampling of those created for the 2011 iOS video game Clyde vs. the Maze. On this project I served as co-creator, as well as the game's sole artist, animator, and level designer.
Everything here was drawn and animated in the GNU Image Manipulation Program, though I animated the game's cutscenes in Adobe Flash.

A blue doll, representing a ballerina with pink pigtails, spins on one leg.     An antiquated green potion bottle rocks back and forth, then a sinister-looking face appears on the glass and laughs.     A left-facing run cycle for a blue gremlin-like creature.     A green blob creature inches along the floor, then is splattered when a spiked iron ball falls from above.     A strawberry-blond young man wearing a dark green jacket yawns, covering his mouth.

Row 1: Military water canteen, unshelled peanut, piece of candy corn, juice box with orange icon, loaf of bread, candy cane. Row 2: Yellow apple, slice of toast with grape jelly, ice cream sandwich, toasted marshmallow on a stick, gingerbread man, slice of cantaloupe. Row 3: Glass of cola with lime wedge and straw, bowl of miso soup, cup of tea, green gummy bear, pink-and-blue cotton candy in a paper cone, chocolate Easter bunny. Row 4: Pistachio ice cream in a cone, clam, croissant, chicken tandoori drumstick, slice of pepperoni pizza, Japanese rice ball. Row 5: Slice of blueberry pie, bowl of tomato soup with spoon and crackers, Belgian waffle with whipped cream and fruit syrup, demitasse of espresso with saucer, half of a papaya, skewer with meat and vegetables. Row 6: T-bone steak, bacon and fried egg on a plain bagel, hamburger with lettuce and tomato, beef taco with lettuce and salsa, piece of lasagna, drink served in half of a coconut with straw and parasol. Row 7: Serving glass of shrimp cocktail with lemon wedge, cooked lobster with rubber bands on its claws, Jack O'Lantern pail filled with candy, pitcher of pink lemonade, potato, biscotto. Row 8: Caramel cube, plum, cauldron of cider with apple icon and ladle, cranberry muffin in foil, plate of Japanese curry over rice with spoon, hardboiled egg in egg cup. Row 9: Green olive with pimento, piece of flying fish roe sushi, durian cracked open, pepper shaker, ice cube, orange creme popsicle. Bottom: Large red gumball machine.


ILLUSTRATION


I drew the following comics from scratch using the GNU Image Manipulation Program.


Panel 1: A 16-bit horizontal shooter video game in side view. HUD text: 'PLAYER 1', 'SCORE 001275590' Panel 2: Interior of ship. A young Ensign in simple uniform stands among map screens, while an older and more decorated Captain stands in the foreground. Ensign: 'CAPTAIN! WE'RE READING AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT AHEAD.' Captain: 'PUT IT ON SCREEN.' Panel 3: A massive powerup floats in the void, bearing only the letter 'P'. Panel 4: Captain stares ahead with excessive severity. Captain: '...RAM IT.'

Panel 1: In a brightly lit establishment, a woman in a red dress holds a glass of white wine, while a man in a blue shirt with coiffed hair leans on a bar table opposite her. Man: 'Oh, well, I love all kinds of music. But my favorite song, I'd have to think about that...' Panel 2: Time freezes for Man. A pink, barefoot humanoid with a barrister wig and sunglasses floats next to him, the word 'REASON' emblazoned on its robe. Reason: 'You're gonna scare her off if you tell her right away, man.' Panel 3: 'Reason' has been replaced by a childlike blue humanoid with curly shoes and antenna growing out of its head, wearing the word 'TRUTH' on its shirt. Truth: 'If she's really the one, she'll respect your answer no matter what!' Panel 4: 'Truth' has been replaced by black-and-white characters from a political cartoon: A fat man in a suit and top hat, and a scrawny dog. The fat man's shirt reads 'USA', while his briefcase says 'DEFICIT SPENDING'. The fat man offers a bone to the dog, who has the word 'EDUCATION' written on its side. Fat Man: 'This will have to hold you until Friday.'

Panel 1: In a high-rise office, a young assistant in a yellow polka-dotted dress stands nervously before a desk, holding a bundle of letters. Behind the desk is the boss, a middle-aged woman who scowls off-panel as she smokes a cigarette. Assistant: 'More letters, ma'am. All from...her. What should I do with them?' Boss: 'Ugh. Fine. If it'll shut her up, I'll print it.' Panel 2: Closeup of an open magazine. Magazine text: 'Issue 77 - March 1968 | RECIPE CORNER | *Out-of-this-World Party Platter | Prep. time: 15 min. | INGREDIENTS | 1 cup green grapes | 1 brick cream cheese | Toothpicks | Using the toothpicks, affix grapes to cream cheese. Serve at room temperature (serves 4-6).'

Panel 1: A shaggy-haired young man reacts with surprise as cloth-covered spring 'snakes' fly out of a can he has opened. To his left, two of his peers laugh at him. Panel 2: The young man looks around nervously, one of the springs resting on his shoulder while another hangs out of the empty peanut can in his hand. A crowd has gathered in the background as the young man's two peers continue laughing. Panel 3: The two peers stop laughing as the young man awkwardly begins chewing on one of the springs.

Simplistic bird features have been drawn on the face of an unlit traffic walk sign. A green symbol of a person walking fades into view, then fades out. A forbidding, orange-red 'stop' hand fades into view beneath the bird features, making the hand resemble a grade-school drawing of a turkey.

The illustration below was drawn by hand with Micron ink pens, then scanned, colored, and retouched in the GNU Image Manipulation Program.


A fuzzy blue monster with three horns, messily devouring an apple.

The following comic was drawn from scratch in Inkscape, and is a Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG).


Title: 'SAMEY MODERN CARTOON THEATER' Panel 1: Two cupcakes with cutesy, simplified faces are situated opposite one another: On the left is a smiling pink cupcake with multicolored sprinkles and a cherry, on the right is a chocolate mint cupcake with a neutral expression, wearing a green-and-pink macaron and sunglasses. Cherry Cupcake: 'Oh my god, you're my favorite celebrity! I'm literally in love with you.' Panel 2: Closeup on chocolate mint cupcake. Chocolate Mint Cupcake: 'It must be difficult for you to see me with my spouse.' Panel 3: Closeup on cherry cupcake, shedding a tear without changing its facial expression. Cherry Cupcake: 'It is. It really is.'