Sketchbook: Genevieve Tsai

Flip through thw pages of this character designer's sketchbook and you'll find mutants, rockabillies and Pomeranians with attitude!

Mutants, rockabillies and Pomeranians with attitude inhabit the pages of this character designer’s sketchbook.

WOLF SKETCHES

“I love wolves and dogs and they’ve always been one of my favourite creatures to draw ever since I was a kid.”

GEARHEAD GOBBOS

“I have an unhealthy obsession with goblins, no joke. These are early concepts from my personal project, Cherry Hijinx, of the goblin inventor Fyzzleglitch.”

CHERRY HIJINX – SQUID

“Squid is another character from my Cherry Hijinx project. A graffiti artist born from a long history of hardcore Mafia members, Squid loves to pick a fight and her weapon of choice is a chain attached to her sentient demon-skull padlock. I have a penchant for pompadours and Bosozoku¯¯ characters, and was inspired by the Tokyo Rockabilly Club, who sport crazy greaser hairstyles and dance to Rockabilly music in Yoyogi Park. I love their passion and spirit!”

POMERANIANS

“I adore Pomeranians! When I found out that two Pomeranians is called a puff while a group of them is called a tuft, I had to make a bunch of sassy, huffy puffs – one for every day of the week!”

I was inspired by the Tokyo Rockabilly Club, who sport crazy greaser hairstyles

TIMBERSAW’S TI 6 REHEARSALS – DIRECTOR’S CUT

“These animation frames are from a short I animated for the Dota 2 Short Film Contest. It was done in Flash and was one of the top 10 finalists in the contest. It’s a small homage to my favourite Dota 2 hero, Timbersaw, and the talented voice work of TJ Ramini.”

ODD DOG

“These are character designs done for the upcoming animated short Odd Dog by Keika Lee. It’s about a cat who thinks he’s a dog. I had a lot of fun playing with the cat’s quirky personality and organic shapes.”

HEARTHSTONE – EVOLVED KOBOLD

“This was my Evolved Kobold card for Blizzard’s Hearthstone in the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion. The aim was to imagine the normal kobold being corrupted into a monstrous form. I started with some rough thumbnail concepts, and liked the idea of melding the pickaxe into his cursed tendrils. The original kobold had a candle on its head and I kept that aspect, but thought it’d be neat if a horn grew straight through it. My final black and white illustration was coloured by Nutchapol Thitinunthakorn.”

The aim was to imagine the normal kobold being corrupted into a monstrous form