Bloom

Nature vs. Inner Demons

Character Design · World-Building · Creative Direction

Quick Facts

Role: Creator · Art Director · Lead Designer

Client: Personal IP

Timeline: 2023 – Present

Deliverables: Character design, world-building, apparel artwork, social content, brand identity, story development

Overview

Bloom is a narrative-driven art universe exploring the battle between personal growth and inner demons. The goal of the project is to bring mental health themes to life through cinematic characters, emotional storytelling, and highly stylized artwork inspired by Stranger Things, Norman Rockwell, and hand-painted illustration techniques.

The Bloom Universe captures the tension between darkness and transformation, using nature as the symbol of resilience. Every character, demon, and season represents a real emotional struggle — and a path toward becoming something stronger.

Outcomes

Built a fully realized IP including heroes, demons, seasons, and interconnected story arcs

  1. Developed a consistent visual identity with earth-tone gradients and vine-based motifs

  2. Created a large collection of artwork for apparel, prints, reels, and social storytelling

  3. Designed scenes that blend realism, emotion, and fantasy to support deeper narrative engagement

  4. Established Bloom as a long-term brand platform with expansion into comics, merchandise, and character spotlights

Process

A. Concept & Direction

Bloom began through simple sketches exploring how nature could visually overpower fear, pain, and self-doubt. Early moodboards focused on vine symbolism, glowing hearts, and dark atmospheric environments.
Character themes were developed around mental battles — anxiety, overthinking,
self-isolation, anger, and healing.

B. Design & Development

Each character evolved through iterative pencil sketches, line art, silhouette studies, and dramatic lighting tests.
I refined visual consistency across:

  • Vine textures

  • Color palettes (earth tones + glowing elements)

  • Demon shapes and emotional silhouettes

  • Hero compositions and posture symbolism

C. Final Execution

The universe expanded into:

  • Illustration sets for social media

  • Apparel designs

  • Character spotlights

  • Reels using Pika and MidJourney

  • Hero/demon battle scenes

  • Power cards and future comic layouts

All final assets were delivered in clean, high-resolution artwork ready for both print and digital.

SERENA – THE STILL SPIRIT

Serena is the calm within the chaos. Cloaked in mist and moonlight, she brings clarity through stillness and presence. Her gift is silence—not emptiness, but the deep, restorative pause that resets the soul. Serena teaches that peace isn’t passive—it’s power rooted in breath.

Bloom Character Design:

Nature vs Inner Demons

ANXION – THE PANIC WRATH

Anxion is a twisting storm of fear, noise, and worst-case scenarios. Cloaked in smoke and sirens, he floods the mind with racing thoughts and shallow breath. He thrives on urgency and spirals. His grip tightens through imagined futures that never come but always feel close.

NOVA – THE SPARK OF PURPOSE

Nova is the embodiment of rediscovered meaning. With a radiant compass in their chest and a cloak of stardust, Nova guides the lost out of depression and back into motion. They awaken purpose in paused hearts and remind the forgotten that direction can be found again.

ADDICTOR – THE NEEDLER KING

Addictor is the velvet-coated tyrant of unhealthy coping. He lures with quick fixes—screens, substances, habits—and traps with shame. Covered in needles and false promises, he feeds on dependency and numbs identity, making escape feel impossible even while offering the illusion of control.

FLORIN – THE CONNECTION GARDENER

Florin cultivates healing through human connection. Wreathed in blooming vines and surrounded by hummingbirds, she restores what loneliness erodes. Her roots reach deep into empathy and trust. Florin helps others feel seen, held, and reminded that no one heals alone.

LONELITH – THE ISOLATION WRAITH

Lonelith is the cold, creeping shadow that convinces you to pull away. Towering and silent, he wraps his victims in fog and disconnection, whispering that they’re too much—or not enough—to be loved. His isolation grows like rot, feeding on the belief that nobody would understand.

VALORA – THE BOUNDARIES WARRIOR

Valora is a radiant sentinel forged from self-respect and inner fire. Her golden armor bears marks of every hard-earned “No.” With sword and shield made of truth, she helps others protect their time, energy, and worth. Valora turns self-abandonment into self-honor.

EGOS – THE MIRROR FIEND

Egos wears a thousand faces—but none of them are his. Made of broken mirrors and stolen identities, he twists perception through comparison and shame. Every reflection he offers is warped to weaken self-worth. He is the voice that says, “Be someone else.”

Vine Character Development