Earth Myths follows Atticus Silk, a moth-human who sails the globe meeting legendary creatures and discovering chosen family.

DISCIPLINES

Narrative Design
Character Design
Environment Design
World-Building

TIMELINE

Fall 2025
3 weeks

TEAM

Samantha Heintz
Corrie Holman-Evans
Aidan Ream

ROLE

Environment Designer
Illustrator

PROJECT BRIEF

My team and I developed the concept art for a hypothetical animated film. We created 1 character turnaround sheet, 1 vehicle sheet, 1 environment sheet, and 6 fully illustrated pitch boards. These deliverables offered a comprehensive summary of the story.

STORY OVERVIEW

Androgynous moth-human, Atticus, grows up as an outsider. As they get older, they decide to travel the world to find others like them. At each of the 7 continents, they meet creatures that appear frightening at first but are actually very kind. Atticus returns home with a greater sense of belonging and a found family of friends spanning continents

Process

CONCEPT
SKETCHES
CHARACTER
DESIGN
BY CORRIE HOLMAN
EVANS

I sketched the Camaztoz (Mayan bat - human hybrid) and conceptualized some aspects that made him unique. Ultimately, we decided to fully develop Atticus Silk since he was a more important character.

Sketches of mythical creature features, including a bipedal creature with fur, large ears, and fierce expression, a pair of talons, a folded wing, a translucent wing, and a spread open wing.

Narrative World-Building

Drawing showcasing various monkey expressions, labeled 'Expressions-Mothman', with mothman-like figure in the center wearing a blue hoodie and standing with arms crossed.
Concept art sketch of a humanoid bird creature with bat-like wings, featuring four different angles: front, back, side, and three-quarters view, labeled 'Camaztoz' in the top right corner.

Atticus Silk is an androgynous moth-human hybrid raised by humans on a farm in North Carolina. They covers up their wings with baggy clothing, growing up sheltered and curious about why they are this way. Most humans are alarmed by their appearance, making them feel misunderstood.

A cartoon moth with an anthropomorphic body wearing a blue hoodie and beige shorts in four different positions, from left to right: front view, side view, three-quarter view, and back view, labeled as 'Turnaround - Mothman'.

Final Product

I did the first and last pitch boards. The first features Atticus working tirelessly in their office, plotting points for their next travel. As a hybrid legend born from overlapping eras, folklore, earth myths, and sightings, he cannot rely on a single origin story. Instead, he tracks fragments and pieces of them together. They hang a steering wheel in their office as a daily reminder to chase these myths and sail the seas.

In the final pitch board, we see a reverse of the shot where Atticus first leaves and is standing at the dock, looking back remorsefully at home. This time, Atticus rests serenely on his porch as the sun sets behind them. They toss their sweatshirt aside and spreads their wings fully, finally feeling a sense of belonging and peace in a world that never seemed to understand them.

VEHICLE
DESIGN
BY AIDAN REAM
Sketches of three different sailboats viewed from different angles, with handwritten notes saying 'turnaround'.

Atticus crafts a ship made from salvaged wood planks and moth-eaten fabric, designed to mirror their hidden wings and highlight their resourcefulness and nomadic search for belonging.

Drawing of two sailing ships with purple sails and lanterns, one viewed from the side and one from above. 
ENVIRONMENT
DESIGN
BY SAMANTHA HEINTZ
OUR 6 PITCHBOARDS
A cozy living room with a gray wall, wooden ceiling beams, and a beige carpet. It features a brown sofa with a black wireframe pattern, a wooden coffee table with a glass vase and plant, a tall floor lamp, a wooden side table with a lamp, a window showing a night sky with stars, a bookshelf with books and a globe, a desk with a chair and green folder, and artwork on the wall including a map and a ship's wheel.

This warm, cozy, slightly industrial-looking room gives the audience insight as to where Atticus spends their time. A researcher and explorer, they read up on the world and plan to travel all around it. They have their conspiracy board hung nearby, where they can track and trace the other hybrid myth creatures back to themself.

A humanoid animal wearing a hoodie, holding a paper lantern, standing on a porch at night under a full moon with trees, houses, and water in the background.
Animated scene with a green-skinned, muscular man holding a small object, a crying child, and a large insect-like creature with wings, set against ancient ruins and greenery.
An anthropomorphic goat wearing a red shirt sitting peacefully on a rocking chair on a porch at sunset, with a blue cat lying on the wooden floor nearby, overlooking a scenic view of houses, trees, water, and a setting sun.
Anthropomorphic mouse with glasses and hoodie sitting at a desk, studying a world map labeled 'Legend', in a room with bulletin board, lantern, diary, and ship wheel decoration.
Cartoon scene of a monkey and a talking animal sitting on a red carpet outdoors near a traditional Chinese gate with mountains in the background.
Illustration of a close-up of a dragon with big eyes and sharp teeth in the foreground, with a butterfly and small humanoid figures with wings flying and walking in a forested area in the background.
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For next time…

DĀT 
TAKEAWAYS

I loved getting the opportunity to showcase my culture and background through this project. One of the main challenges was this Chinese pagoda label shape, especially adhering it to the bottle, but it also turned out to be a fun constraint to work with. I would love to create many more bottle labels this summer when I have a bit of spare time.

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