September 02, 2009

Background Design: Chuck Full of Nuts

One of the newer sections that 2A! created for Sifaka World was the American Northwest. This area struck a personal cord with me, because unlike the Island Treetops or South America, I spent a good chunk of my childhood growing up there. I was familiar with the terrain and the stereotypes (hello old west!), and was tickled by the opportunity to render the area with my own hand.

There were many backgrounds 2A! worked on for this new area of Sifaka World, but one of the first I started on was the background for the game "Chuck Full of Nuts." The premise was to play as Chuck, a hungry little chipmunk who is racing to collect acorns. I immediately remembered all the beautiful oak tree forests I had in my backyard and felt that would be the perfect setting for this game.



Above is the approved sketch of the layout for the oak tree forest. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I think I conveyed the twisty and sometimes strange shapes of the tree trunks pretty well.



The final colors of this background gave it a very dark and mysterious feel with lots of lush dark green and limited sunlight.



In the game, the background really helps set that wonderful rustic feel many associate with western America. It also really lets the character and elements pop from their surroundings. I am terribly pleased with how it turned out!

Why not go help Chuck find some acorns at www.sifakaworld.com? I feel bad for the poor little guy!


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