Artwork
This contains most of my best drawings during my three years of education at the New England Institute of Art. The digital art was all created using Adobe Photoshop while the life drawings were done by hand using tools and materials purchased from Blick Art Materials at the Landmark Center in Boston. I'm also including post-college digital art made for practice and experience.
All artwork and drawings belong to Alexander Ratta.
Project Work
A cast of seven main characters from my Character Design final project, "Shaya's Island Tour". You can also view the entire project by clicking on the link below.
Bert the Giant, a.k.a. "Killbert" has stolen money from the peaceful Deforms. K, an easily nerve-wracked Deform, is asked to sneak into Killbert's maze and outsmart the giant bully by reclaiming the scattered bits of money.
Original characters created by me, used for a concept as a story to a simple programming-based game made with Unity.
O asks if K might be able to take back the money stolen from the Deforms by the evil Bert the Giant. O believes that K is good at sneaking around and snatching things while no one is looking, but K has doubts.
Original characters created by me. Protagonist K must swallow his fears and stand up to the big, bad bully, Bert the Giant, in order to reclaim the stolen money.
"I... I couldn't do it..."
K outsmarts Bert the Giant and exposes him as a big crybaby after taking back the stolen money.
Original characters created by me. The Star Ant team, consisting of Antonio "Ant" Green (green), his girlfriend Annabella Tiara (blue), Stan Halberd (yellow), and Anthony Horn (red). And let's not forget Ant's little sister, Angie (pink), who wants to stick by her big brother's side wherever he goes.
Artwork depicting the introduction to the first level of the Star Ant prototype game.
This artwork is used for the "Game Over" screen of my original prototype game, Star Ant.
The brother and sister of my original Star Ant characters.
The supporting characters of Star Ant.
The first of the Seven Alien Emperors.
Modified from simple Monotype Corsiva text in Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.
Japanese kanji copied from a translation page and then pasted and edited from MS Gothic font in Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. The English translation text is a Cambria font.
Artwork of the cover to my 2D game project.
A map drawing of my world, the island of Misla.
These are the original colors of this Photoshop drawing.
These are the original colors of this Photoshop drawing.
These are the original colors of this Photoshop drawing.
Artwork depicting the "Game Over" screen of my 2D game demo.
Artwork of Shaya from the "Game Over" screen of my 2D game demo, without the armor and battle attire.
Life Drawing
This is my very first drawing from my Drawing and Perspective class. Pine Manor College, Artist Village, West 3 Building, Room 212
Pine Manor College, Artist Village, West 3 Building, Room 212
A contour drawing of weekly clothes on a chair.
Pine Manor College, Artist Village, West 3 Building, Room 212
Pine Manor College, Artist Village, West 3 Building, Room 212
The former West Campus of NEiA, 303 Boylston Street, Brookline, MA
Pine Manor College, Artist Village, West 3 Building, Room 212
My personal best work from my Advanced Life/Anatomy class.
Character Digital Art
A kid CO who keeps the team in spirit. Possesses impressive leadership skills. Childhood friend of Bridgette.
The newest recruit to White Star and its youngest CO. Quiet and shy around others. She wears a mysterious amulet and has a crush on Brad.
The sheriff of Cobalt Town. Lives life in the old western style.
A top reconnaissance graduate student and a close friend of Brad and Bridgette.
Condor is rumored to be a war legend from Neo Land because of his unmatched skills. Often works alone in open areas.
A high-ranking Black Star officer who is sinister and devious.
The chief tactician of White Star and a rock musician. Works very well with his partner Racket.
A blind strongman of White Star and a second-to-none drummer. Never turns down an offer for grueling work.
Wolfe’s hotheaded wife and second-in-command of the White Star Army. Said to be unstoppable in combat.
Dogged and relentless leader of the White Star Army. It is said that Black Star has quaked before his mighty power.
Suffering from a terrible upbringing in his youth days, Phaleg willingly joined Mepher of Black Star, hoping that killing others will ease his pain.
Having given up on the good side of humanity, Bethor now serves the evil Black Star forces, preferring to give his enemies no quarter instead of taking any prisoners. No one knows anything about his walking rod.
The strongman of the commanding generals whose physical strength is brutal, Mammon takes pride in his job as an interrogator.
The meanest of the commanding generals with a face that spells animosity, Faust is cruel and relentless, willing to take as many lives as necessary to achieve Black Star’s goal. He does not tolerate resistance.
A savage young man with a blackened heart, Barbas was trained by Mepher to serve as an assassin.
Second to Mepher in rank, Beelzer looks up to Mepher as an internal leader of the commanding generals.
Elise is a school principal, a volunteer assistant working for Professor Stansky, her longtime childhood friend, and a mother of two children, her son Yudai and her daughter Chiaki. It may be hard work, but she always has help from other people.
Project Misla
A very young and beautiful girl raised by fairies, Shaya learned the art of swordplay and magic at a young age. She loves swimming and adventuring, and when she is chosen by destiny to save her island home, she is thrust into the greatest adventure of her life!
Despite his age, Magis is one of the best warriors on the island having advanced quickly in his swordsman skills as a child. Even though he has nearly unmatched strength in battle as a master swordsman and possessing shadowy magic, he shows compassion towards others, especially Shaya, and when she embarks on a quest, he accompanies her to help discover her enigmatic past and defeat the Ten Spirits. He and Shaya love each other very much and do their best to protect each other.
A baby dragon that was raised at Dragon Sanctuary on Mt. Mantle, Magmoss has a desire to become the most powerful dragon in the land. He trains in the Dragon Colosseum whenever the chance to bulk up his strength. When Shaya arrives in search of loyal companions to help her defeat the Ten Spirits, Magmoss is eager to prove his worth to her. As a team member, he grows in size as he levels up throughout the quest.
A young native girl, Kiri was once entangled in a recent conflict between the Catas Tribe and the Darkna islanders and soon rescued by Magis shortly before he put an end to the war. With a desire to become strong enough to protect herself, Kiri went exploring outside of her village several times, but more often than not has found herself in trouble with the native warriors. Like Shaya, much of her past is unknown, but by joining Shaya in her quest, she will soon discover all of her secrets...
A young harpy from the Wastelands, Aldia and her people live in constant strife and poverty, as much of their food and essentials are being stolen by land pirates. One day, Aldia snuck into their fortress to reclaim some healing medicines and succeeded, only to be captured the very next day. When Magis arrives and learns of the maltreatment, he leads a daring assault against the land pirates. Inspired, Aldia decides to join him and aid Shaya in her quest.
A young fairy residing in the Jewel Forest where the fairies live, Kiaka is the daughter of Luvrinnia, the Fairy Queen, and claims to have known Shaya as a sister since she was a baby. She also reveals that the queen made Shaya’s necklace especially for her. Sadly, Shaya has no memory of her life prior to becoming a princess. Kiaka tries to help Shaya remember her past life and who took care of her when she was little.
A young, cheerful, and energetic mermaid from the Pink Mermaid tribe, Lana is Shaya’s intimate best friend. The Pink Mermaids are the friendliest race of mermaids in the ocean and Shaya has visited Lana and the mermaids on several occasions. She is the daughter of the Pink Mermaid Queen and she and Shaya have spent time together each day since their first meeting.
To survive on land, Lana's mother uses magic to transform her daughter into a human girl. In this form, Lana is slightly frail as a result of inexperience with legs and relies heavily on her best friend Shaya to help her out. She also has little to no knowledge of how to behave as a human and despite her love for Shaya, she becomes dangerously flirty when it comes to boys.
A young unicorn that once rescued Shaya and became her personal steed and dear friend, Staria was given her name by the young princess for her glittering skin. Unicorns are very rare and mythical creatures with legendary powers, making Shaya lucky to have one of her own.
The last survivor of the Order of the Star Knights, the highest order of warriors of the Darkna Empire, Rendaxela was chosen to become the advisor to Sarion after he became the king of Misla. When Shaya became the princess of Misla, he became her advisor and helped her gain much needed wisdom. Since Shaya was very young, Rendaxela has allowed her to leave the palace frequently so she can explore the island freely out of his respect and unwavering trust. He acts as a father figure to Shaya.
Once a warrior of the Order of the Moon Knights from Darkna, Layla was captured by the evil Catas Tribe at the age of 18 and was soon tortured into fatigue, becoming an unwilling native herself. She is Kiri's mother and suffers a hellish life knowing that the Catas Tribe is always looking for ways to hunt down and punish her daughter for her feeble escape attempts. She dreams for a peaceful family life in Rune Town and even longs to regain her strength to help defeat the Catas Tribe one day.
The daughter of the evil Black Mermaid Queen, Anvera Sadistas, Reena turned against the wicked natures of the Black Mermaids and was banished from her kingdom. Now she wants to help unite all 100 mermaid tribes living in the Mermaid Ocean.
The twin sister of Magmoss, Magmia was raised with Magmoss when they first hatched and were inseparable. But after Wyvern, the Spirit of Fire, invaded the Dragon Sanctuary and took over Mt. Mantle, Magmia seemingly vanished. It is then revealed why Magmoss wishes to become the strongest dragon, so he could search the island, and maybe even the world, to find her.
A mysterious young girl, Nara appears out of nowhere usually to help out Shaya when she is in a dangerous situation. Because of her frequent reappearances, it is in question whether she may actually be a guiding spirit who only appears at the right time.
Tiamat leads a race of powerful yet laid-back dragons living on the summit of Mt. Mantle. She does not welcome the evil Catas Tribe natives, yet she knows that as dangerously bloodthirsty as they are, they would not dare ascend the fiery mountain for the chance to destroy the dragons. So perhaps it's not so simple to consider the dragons powerful allies of any human...
Luvrinnia is the ruler of the fairies in Jewel Forest. The fairies prefer to exist as a secretive race and they are known for using beautiful jewels to make necklaces that contain mysterious magic. Shaya has a necklace very similar to the ones that fairies make. Maybe Luvrinnia can reveal everything about Shaya’s hidden past...
Renarya is the peace-loving queen of the Pink Mermaid Tribe. She dislikes war and strife, but resolves to taking to arms when necessary, like when the Black Mermaids first invaded. She also has the mystical power to transform any mermaid into a human girl. She worries about using this power on her own daughter, Lana, when the time would eventually come, but believes that if she sticks with Shaya, she will be in capable hands even in human form. She is like a mother to Shaya.
A soft and light dress that Shaya wears at night to sleep easier, especially with warm weather all year long. Shaya is usually able to sleep for 9 to 10 hours.
A bright blue lightweight bikini that Shaya wears when she goes swimming. Trained by her best friend, Lana, Shaya's strong arms and legs allow her to swim hundreds of feet per minute and her breath-holding can surpass four minutes while underwater.
Shaya isn't just a pretty face - she's a fighter! Mentored by her adviser, Lord Rendaxela, Shaya is a well-trained warrior and skilled with casting magic spells. She chooses to defend her island home from the wicked Catas Tribe and other forces of evil.
When Shaya is exposed to the colder weather in the Mt. Tundra area, her arms and legs become more clothed, but she cannot completely endure freezing temperatures.
Magis wears black swim trunks when he goes for a swim. He enjoys swimming and diving with Shaya. Despite being nowhere nearly as strong as Shaya, he's still a remarkable swimmer for his age.
Accompanying Shaya on her quest is her romantic friend Magis, armed and ready for battle. Having defeated the Catas Tribe once before, he becomes a powerful ally. Like Shaya, he can also cast magic, but his element is Shadow, the opposite of Shaya's Light element. He does not know why this is.
When Magis is exposed to the colder weather in the Mt. Tundra area, his arms and legs become more clothed, but he cannot completely endure freezing temperatures.
With self-training, Kiri has become a skilled archer and is surprisingly quite the ruthless warrior for her age. Having been born in the captivity of the Catas Tribe, Kiri is ready to take down the evil warriors and help her mother, Layla, start a new family life in Rune Town.
When Kiri is exposed to the colder weather in the Mt. Tundra area, her arms, legs, and chest become more clothed, but she cannot completely endure freezing temperatures.
The daughter of the Fairy Queen Luvrinnia is ready to battle and defend the fairy race from the evil Spirit of Wood, Trojan! Donning protective armor, wielding a crossbow, and moving with exhilarating speed, Kiaka is a moving target aided by the wind itself!
Despite the pacifism of the Pink Mermaid Tribe, Lana is quite good with a spear. She may be inexperienced on land, but she'll have to learn fast when she partners up with her best friend Shaya on her quest to save the island of Misla.
When Lana is exposed to the colder weather in the Mt. Tundra area, her arms, legs, and chest become more clothed, but she cannot completely endure freezing temperatures.
Like Shaya, Magis, and other islanders, Rendaxela uses magic through force of will to summon his armor and sword when needed. When not battling, Rendaxela conserves his strength due to being middle-aged, only fighting when needed.
Rendaxela tends to sleep for longer hours than Shaya, but when he is fully rested, he is able to be at his best in combat.
Wielding an axe as her choice of weapon, Layla proves to be a powerful young woman and a fierce ally to Shaya, Kiri, and their friends.
An enigmatic shadowy entity that has tormented Shaya's nightmares, Darkscream is an instigator of darkness. He is persistent in the belief of darkness overpowering the light and threatens to engulf the island of Misla in everlasting shadow. Darkscream is also said to be connected to the darkness inside the hearts of mankind.
Chieftain of the vile Catas Tribe natives, Kan'aan and his men persistently fight against the peaceful islanders from Darkna believing that the island of Misla belongs only to them. With no thoughts of providing hospitality or making amends, the darkness inside Kan'aan's heart, as well the hearts of his men, continues to strengthen, making no room for light and goodness.
An evil young woman from the Wastelands, the Captainess leads the nefarious Land Pirates in deadly raids, stealing booty and murdering anyone who opposes them. The wild harpies have suffered at their hands, losing rations to the pirates' thievery. With a mighty fortress impervious to lightning storms for a base, the Captainess is secretly out for world domination starting with the island of Misla.
The elder of the Chaos Tribe, a rival clan of the Catas Tribe, Uru resides in an underground village and sees to it that his entire tribe is a secret and that no one must speak of it nor mention it. So anyone who discovers them is captured and left to rot in moldy prison cells for life. It is likely that Uru and the Chaos Tribe stay a secret so that the Catas Tribe does not seek them out and destroy them, but in that case, why do they have to be bad?
The evil Black Mermaid Queen, Nephverya is a polar opposite of Queen Renarya of the Pink Mermaids. Her palace contains a mighty spell that seals all mermaid magic except for the Black Mermaids. It is said that Nephverya's wickedness began when she discovered and embraced the corrupted powers of the Spirit of Water and it spread to her tribe. But her daughter Reena kept her good heart, mostly likely due to her innocent nature.
Sovereign of the Mythos of Misla, the Beastking Dragon was once an undefeated being until it was subdued by the Ten Spirits summoned by Queen Sarla. Kan'aan of the Catas Tribe is delusional under the impression that he controls this mighty beast, but in actuality, the Beastking Dragon is a killer machine capable of mass destruction and laying waste and ruin to anything in its path. If the Catas Tribe succeeds in resurrecting it, surely the island of Misla will be doomed...
Originally created as the element guardians of Misla, the Ten Spirits became corrupted by the darkness of human nature and their summoner, Queen Sarla, was forced to defeat them and seal their powers away, but they were released from their seals years laters and regained their powers. Under the same dark influence, they seek to eliminate humankind on the island of Misla, starting by oppressing the islanders and the natives.
The island guardian of the element of Fire, Wyvern is the most dangerous of the Ten Spirits. He harbors thoughts of treachery and plots to strike out on his own by burning down the entire island of Misla.
The island guardian of the element of Light, Archangel is the most hallowed of the Ten Spirits, but believes that the human race is a mistake that must be purified. He abuses his power by repressing the race of angels that visit Misla to spread peace, joy, and love.
The island guardian of the element of Ice, Fenrir is cold and ruthless, his body snow-capped and coated in icicles. It is said that whoever touches his fur is frozen solid instantly and his powers get as cold as absolute zero.
The island guardian of the element of Wind, Beastia is the most seductive yet charming of the Ten Spirits. Her vigorous belly-dancing can not only tempt men, but create vicious tornadoes once their guards are down.
The island guardian of the element of Thunder, Thunderbird is capable of creating unnaturally powerful thunderstorms. He also has no limits to how much power he can charge, making him almost virtually unstoppable.
The island guardian of the element of Earth, Mole is physically the strongest of the Ten Spirits and impervious to all forms of heat, including magma, lava, and lightning. With his brutal strength, he can bring down an entire mountain and grind it down to rubble.
The island guardian of the element of Wood, Trojan abides by his own code of honor despite being against humankind, making him more honorable among the Ten Spirits. His two katanas are named Surtr and JÓ§rmungandr and can also summon the Norse Mythos to his aid.
The island guardian of the element of Steel, Prometheus can create shadow copies of his opponents, which can take on their physical appearances. His takeover of Water City caused the elite forces of the evil Catas Tribe to perish.
The island guardian of the element of Water, Calamarine inhabits the bottom of the ocean near the island of Misla. With her powerful magic, there is little to no squeezing pressure even in the deepest depths. But her powers corrupted the Black Mermaid tribe, turning them evil.
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Shaya and Magis first met at Candela Beach, the shores of Misla, one day after she turned 10 years old. Feeling destined for each other, they agree to go on one date just hours later and under the night's full moon, they realize that they love each other.
Shaya was believed to be raised by fairies during her unknown past because she appeared in Rune Town with a Fairy's Necklace. Although she cannot remember, the necklace holds a sentimental value to her and its magic is said to protect her from harm.
A year had passed since Shaya's arrival in Rune Town and after a few adventures exploring the island of Misla, the little girl was used to her new life as princess of her island home. It is at this young age that Shaya meets the Pink Mermaid princess Lana for the first time and they become best friends.
A year had passed since Shaya's arrival in Rune Town and after a few adventures exploring the island of Misla, the little girl was used to her new life as princess of her island home. Although Shaya sleeps in a palace and has her own room, the palace is also considered a refuge building, so several townswarriors reside within the larger walls.
Lana and Shaya first met when they were both five years old and bonded over their wanting to see each others' species for the first time. Over the next five years, Lana helped improve Shaya's swimming and breath-holding skills and their friendship strengthened even more, to the point where Lana loves and cares for Shaya as her best friend.
As a little filly, Staria has had many adventures with Shaya. Back then, she still had powerful magic, as she was able to miraculously save Shaya's life when she was a little girl. The two remained close ever since. No one knows where Staria came from, as unicorns are very rare on the island of Misla and even less is known about their species.
At her young age, Shaya has been around most of the island of Misla, but after an incident, she goes on less adventuring until she turns 10 and her quest to save her island home begins.
Shaya goes through a wardrobe change between the ages of four and ten.
Shaya goes through a wardrobe change between the ages of four and ten.
The oldest of the seven Island Girls, Rya acts like the older sister of their group and comes across as more sensible and mature. She is smart and very pretty, but can be sassy at times.
*Original adoptable character, currently in my ownership.* The most mysterious of the Island Girls, Halla hails from the Nevah Tribe, one of the seven tribes on the island of Misla. It was initially believed that the Catas Tribe fought and wiped out the Nevah Tribe, Doma Tribe, and Alfar Tribe as a result of their own greed and darkness in their hearts, as told by Halla, but she is a survivor along with her parents and helps out extend vacancies for refugees in Rune Town and Water City.
Tall for her age, Luna is mostly quiet and doesn't outwardly show her feelings too often, but she loves her closest friends.
The youngest of the seven Island Girls, Saka may seem to be charming and ditzy at times, but she's also soft and gentle. Despite being energetic, she's a very weak swimmer.
One of the seven Island Girls, Mia hails from the Nordica family, fierce and hardy warriors of the Darkna Empire turned to hunters and pearl divers after the island of Darkna became battle-ravaged. Mia may not be a strong swimmer, but she doesn't let it stop her from pearl diving and helping out her family name. Her younger twin sister is Mimi Nordica.
One of the seven Island Girls, Mimi is also from the Nordica family, survivors of the Darkna Empire that became pearl divers in hopes that riches can help establish safe homes for Rune Town refugees. Mimi can be slightly fragile at times, but she's a solid swimmer and when push comes to shove, she can be a very strong girl both physically and mentally. Her older twin sister is Mia Nordica. The two are never far from each other and nigh inseparable.
10-year-old Mira is princess of the Violet Mermaid Tribe, known for living peacefully alongside humans on the island of Tropa. While the humans dwell on an island, the Violet Mermaids live below, beneath the waves. Mira forms a strong and close friendship with Shaya and Lana when they first meet as six-year-old little girls. She helps towards Shaya finding a second home in the deep ocean blue.
Queen Zarya is the compassionate leader of the Violet Mermaid Tribe and an old friend of Queen Renarya. Their tribes are among the first to agree to unite after all 100 tribes separated when the Spirit of Water took over the Mermaid Ocean. She is Mira's mother, but she also comes to love Shaya like another daughter.