El Salvador based artist Enrique Figueroa "Gate to the Other Side" is a visual development illustration that involves character design and environment design in one scene. This is the story of a little girl who has a terminal disease and spent her last 10 months in the bed of a depressing hospital. Within that period, she feels the urge of creating a fantasy world to go after she passes away. This is a scene of the entrance to that world.

This was a personal work to show my shot design skills to an animation studio. I've always been heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki's worlds, so in a way this is a homage to its imaginative visual storytelling. However, it is not based on any particular story.

- Enrique Figueroa

All started with a simple sketch I made in the iPad with the Paper app. Then I exported the sketch to Photoshop, my usual tool of the trade for this particular style of illustration. I have a traditional background with gouache and watercolors, so I always try to recreate the feeling of painting with real media in my digital works. This one was made with one or two Photoshop brushes that I made myself.

- Enrique Figueroa

I like how people can tell different stories when they see the picture, it evokes a wide range of feelings, from uplifting, to nostalgic ones. I think I learned how to balance a very complex color palette and how to use color to help the visual storytelling flow.

- Enrique Figueroa

About Enrique Figueroa

Enrique Figueroa is an illustrator and graphic designer from El Salvador. He's 31-years-old and has been drawing since he have memory. Currently he is working as Art Director at Ogilvy El Salvador. This year he started an online character design mini school, focused on vector art.

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