The Project began as an attempt to create my own version of the ‘world-famous eccentric sleuth’ archetype. Roman Picante takes inspiration from classics of detective fiction such as Hercule Poirot, as well as animation classics like Porco Rosso, The Castle of Cagliostro and The Adventures of TinTin. Aesthetically the goal of the project was to capture the romantic tone of the 1930s Mediterranean often seen in these stories, especially in Porco Rosso and Poirot classics such as Evil Under The Sun. While I was drawing heavily on styles and imagery from the 1920s and 30s, I wanted to keep the era somewhat vague, to allow the character designs more freedom. In terms of tone, I wanted to strike a balance between comedy, mystery, drama and action. Something I have always felt was done very well in the likes of ‘The Castle of Cagliostro’. The Story should hopefully make you feel that there is a larger story that has already taken place with these characters, and much more story to follow, I wanted to capture the feeling of dropping into a long-running show a couple of episodes in. There are many more Picante stories to be told, hopefully, this is just the beginning.
Final Film
Showreel
Samples of my recent illustration work for ‘Legends and Wonder of Lough Neagh’
