Pablander
I worked as a concept artist with Archetype Entertainment on Exodus, designing creatures, characters, and other bits for the game. Working closely with Art Director Jeremy Cook, I explored visual ideas guided by strong world building and clear artistic direction, while still having plenty of room to experiment. A particularly inspiring part of the process was receiving short descriptive excerpts from Peter F Hamilton, which provided a rich narrative foundation for imagining the beings that inhabit this universe. It was a deeply creative experience where storytelling and design went hand in hand.
I explored a number of early sketch variations to figure out how the Ovars could feel heavy, protected, and grounded without becoming visually stiff. A lot of the exploration was about how the shell, limbs, and body mass could work together to support their role as living carriers.
Originally I tried something that was just a huge beetle, but it didn’t feel right. I kept the rough idea of an insect with six legs and started making weirder changes, leaning on references from toads and other creepy crawlers to move away from a straight insect read.
The biggest challenge was wrapping my head around a part of the brief that mentioned these creatures could actually carry crew inside. There was also mention that they could fly or somehow levitate, so I had to think of ways this massive, heavily armored beetle transport could still feel believable as something that might become lighter. That’s where I started exploring the sacks around the body that could be filled with a lighter gas produced by the Ovar itself to help alleviate the weight. For this, I pulled references from the gular vocal sac of certain frogs.
Much of the thinking went into how the armored shell could feel biological rather than mechanical, using references from beetles, crustaceans, and burrowing animals to inform how surfaces overlap and protect the softer body underneath.
“Meet the Ovars, also called Carriers. Massive, beetle-like Changelings, bioengineered by the Celestials to serve, carry, and protect at all costs… They’re living, breathing transports, built from armored flesh, raw muscle, and something dangerously close to unconditional love.”
— From Exodus
If you’re interested in learning more about my workflow and creature design process, check out The Extra Mile.
