Illustrated Adventures: Bringing Your Board and Card Games to Life
As an illustrator and game designer, I’m passionate about transforming ideas into memorable visual experiences. My projects for board and card games go beyond simple illustration; they involve creating entire visual universes that enrich gameplay and captivate players. Every project is a creative journey, from initial concept to final delivery, with a focus on the details that truly make a difference.
My Creative Process for ‘Ataque Pirata’ (Pirate Attack):
For the card game Ataque Pirata, I created a complete visual identity. The game is about competing pirates collecting treasure, and my work began with conceptual sketches to capture that adventurous spirit. I then developed the main characters, designed and illustrated all the game cards, and finalized the project with the box and manual design. Although the artwork was created digitally, I aimed for the rich, textured look of acrylicpainting to give the game a vibrant, handcrafted feel.
De Galho em Galho (From branch to branch)
My challenge was to create a visual experience that combined fun and learning about ecology. The project began with conceptual sketches, but the main task was developing a 3D tree-shaped board, which required thinking in three dimensions to ensure the assembly and functionality were perfect. I also created the illustrations for the cards, which represent ecological decisions. This game is an example of how you can combine elements of a card game and a board game in one visually unique project.
Tapa Pizza: A Fast-Paced Chef Challenge
For the action game Tapa Pizza, the challenge was to create a design as fun and fast as the gameplay. In it, three of the world’s greatest pizza makers challenge players to be the quickest to grab the right ingredients and collect the most cards.
Besides creating and illustrating all the art for the box and manual, I had the pleasure of developing the visual design for the gloves the children use during the game. This project demonstrates my ability to craft a complete visual identity for games, ensuring every component is a fun part of the experience.
The game was even nominated for the Ludopedia Children’s Game of the Year (National Designer) Award in 2017, a recognition that reinforces the quality and impact of the project.
World Map Puzzle: The World in Illustrated Detail
For this puzzle, the challenge was to turn a traditional world map into a visual adventure. I created dozens of tiny illustrations to represent the world’s landmarks and wonders, from the Taj Mahal to the Eiffel Tower, and scattered them across the map. The result is a project that’s not just a puzzle, but a fun and detailed way to explore the continents and cultures of our planet, with each piece revealing a new discovery.
Digital Card Game: Art Direction and Conceptual Design
For this digital card game, my role was the art director, responsible for building the entire visual universe of the game. I created dozens of robots, arenas, and cards. To ensure the highest resolution, all the robot and card art was created in a vector format. A core design challenge was making the robot parts—arms, legs, torso, and head—interchangeable. I had to develop a visual design that would seamlessly adapt to part-swapping, allowing players to create a completely new machine.
The project was reoriented to 3D due to a purely technical decision by the development team. However, the strength of my art direction was so clear that my 2D art became the solid and indispensable conceptual foundation for all the final modeling, proving that the visuals I created can be translated and adapted to any format without losing their original essence.
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