Concept Art Feature: Castle Gilded

I've been having a lot of fun concepting the appearance of Gildedguy's castle. We've had surface level looks into his new home (from the ending of Story 8 and the trailer for Violet vs Dummy), but nothing really set in stone.

Since Story #9 will take place mostly in the castle, I put my foot down and really tried to imagine what life would be like in a medieval castle, mixed in with some animation fantasy. I settled on a classic 'keep' with a moat, since Gildedguy's old house was situated at the top of a hill. I wanted the layout to feel practical, but also pretty, with strong pentagonal shapes. I made the three main towers pen-shaped, inspired by Mar's tower.

Since I plan to depict this castle over multiple animations, I did not shy away from asymmetrical features, which gives background artists some 'wiggle room' in case there are inconsistencies.

Here are some cool features of the castle!

• Fresh mountain water aqueduct from the mountains beyond the Dead Forest

• Centralized plumbing & water-wheel energy distributed to all parts of the castle

• Two Front guard towers, with three observation spires in the rear

• Great hall, outdoor deck, and dozens of guest rooms for hosting parties

• Self-sustaining farm-lands and animal stables

• (Coming soon) Dueling grounds

• Direct route to town for importing & exporting goods

It's a big upgrade from his previous little abode for sure - but that's what you get when you slay a dragon. And for those of you curious, there will a little photo in Story #9 that'll show how the castle was constructed so quickly (hint: money and magic).

Designing the castle was not only for the animation, but for my plans to host another multiplayer gala at a virtual version of the castle for the premiere. My hope is that it'll be a more permanent space (unlike Dummy's 3-day Circus Tent).

I'm doing A LOT of technical research into the feasibility of an Always On game server. I can't make any promises yet though.

As a person who is pretty introverted, I've always imagined of cozy spaces where I can recharge. I'm attracted to nature, but from the safety of an abode. Think, thunderstorms at night just on the other side of a bedroom window. For me, even creating these spaces (in an imaginary sense) through digital art brings me comfort.

What my 16 year old self imagined as a perfect house of freedom. (from one of my old flash games). Note the important inclusion of wireless internet and videogames.

A castle of this sort would've been my ideal if I were a lord in the medieval era. It's fun and relaxing to dream up of such domains, and to bring a little bit of it to life.