Arassas

Splash Art

This illustration expresses the core idea that inspired my project. It is a very festive scene in which all the villagers in my story come together to bring a new tradition to life. It marks the beginning of an annual festival in which the villagers dress up as the 'Guardian of the Alps'. As a result, they drive out evil winter spirits and reintroduce spring to the mountains. This tradition is based on a real festivity from Austria called 'Perchtenlauf'.

I made four versions: early morning, midday, sunset and night.

Thumbnail Exploration

With these thumbnails, I explored the environment and language of my project. My story is set in an alpine village that is plagued by evil spirits who cause winter to never end. Naturally, snowy landscapes are the main theme of the environments.

Prop Design

For both the exterior and interior props I took reference from traditional Austrian architecture. It uses a very decorative method of timber and is adorned with folk art carved into the lumber. 

The first prop explores a design that fits into the alpine village my story is set in. It is a typical farmhouse that features a cozy little kitchen as its interior.

The second prop shows a run-down police station that will be the place of residence for one of my main characters. The interior gives an insight into the holding cells, which are slowly being taken over by wildlife.

Character Design

In this next big chapter, I tackled the challenge of designing two main- and three secondary characters. 

My first main character is a young police officer called PJ. As a stranger to the village, his design is underlined with modern elements - complementary to the rest of the villagers, who lean towards a traditional style.

My second main character is a young woodcarver called Bertha. The concept for Bertha is inspired by an alpine pagan goddess called Perchta, who has the role of 'Guardian of the Beasts'. Bertha carves masks in the image of a legendary creature called the 'Arassas' to drive out winter spirits and bring balance back to the mountains.

As for my secondary characters, I designed the Arassas, a villager, and a Winter Sprite. The Arassas is a creature appearing in Austrian folklore called the 'Tatzelwurm'. It is also what I named my project after, as it plays the role of the 'Guardian of the Alps'.

Ernst is one of the villagers who works as a shepherd. His design is inspired by traditional Austrian attire. 

And lastly, the Winter Sprite. They are mischievous by nature and act as the villains of my story, as they plague the mountains with their mayhem.

Key Shots

Finally, with these backgrounds, I want to express the atmosphere of my story. I explored different moods of each of my designs by changing various factors like light sources, seasons and time of day.

The first image shows the interior of the police station either in harsh sunlight for a dramatic effect or lit by candlelight for a homely feeling.

The second frame shows the village in the mountains, both on a warm spring evening and in the middle of winter.

And lastly, the third frame shows a perilous mountain route. Bells, markings, and candles help travellers stay on the right path, no matter the time of day.

That's it for my project. Thank you!