Illustration
Blood Syrup
BloodSyrup is an original universe inspired by the slasher movie genre, but with a fun twist centered around girl love (yes, we’re getting authentic lesbian representation) and gender identities. At its core, BloodSyrup is a creative form of media where I get to experiment with worldbuilding and shaping a unique franchise identity.
This passion project has been growing since 2021. What started as simple digital illustrations and character designs has slowly evolved into something much bigger. My long-term dream is to expand it into a full animated series, inspired by the style and entertaining storytelling spirit of Elliott Animation.
Inspiration Behind Bloodsyrup
A bunch of inspirations for BloodSyrup came to life from the love of intriguing character designs and the yearning of nostalgia. Being inspired by iconic masked slashers like Ghostface, I thought it would be exciting to create a character of my own (…and their tragic backstories).
Some characters are also inspired by my favorite fictional characters and musicians, whose influence helps shape the original creations entirely. But most importantly, some elements are tied to nostalgia and growing up in Canada around the 2010s, which is the time period the story is set in.
A Familiar Artstyle
As mentioned before, I wanted to emulate the nostalgic look of animated Canadian TV shows you can find airing on Teletoon or YTV …so technically, it could be sort of a Total Drama & Clone High hybrid in terms of the style. After all, the artstyle was meant to be simple, nostalgic, and geometric.
I went for a style that includes heavy use of shapes and minimal colors to keep its simplicity, while still preserving details such as the facial structure. However, some of the artstyle elements aren’t consistent as I’m still figuring out what to do creatively, but it’s always about experimenting!
animation sample
My first BloodSyrup animation test focuses on Oliver, the skater of the BloodSyrup cast. Using flash animation with Adobe Animate, was the ideal move for this animation. By rigging a 2D puppet with interchangeable assets for the hands and face, I was able to translate his personality into motion. This clip, featuring audio spoken by Dylan Harper (played by Justin Timberlake) from Friends with Benefits, serves as a proof-of-concept for how Oliver speaks, moves, and inhabits his role in the story.
bloodsyrup as playing cards
Using my original character designs from BloodSyrup as inspiration, I developed a conceptual playing card series for my third Illustration course. For this project, I was tasked with creating two distinct card sets: one red and one black, each visually representing the characters and more or less slasher vibe of BloodSyrup.
I drew inspiration from collectible cards featuring established franchise characters, aiming for a look that feels iconic, stylized, and simplified. The ripped paper detail comes from the scrapbook aesthetic I’ve developed throughout BloodSyrup, making it a natural extension of the universe. The red and black palette and card suits already fit the brand’s vibe, so the concept felt like a perfect match.