Angry Birds: Mystery Island - Colour Key Designer
Amazon Prime
StuGo - Colour Supervisor
Disney Television Animation
My Dad The Bounty Hunter - Lead Background Painter
Netflix
Arlo The Alligator Boy - Background Painter
Netflix
The Midnight Gospel - Background Painter
Netflix
Q-Force - Lead Background Painter
Netflix
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 - Background Painter
Paramount+
Archibald's Next Big Thing - Background Painter
Dreamworks Animation
In 2024, I was a scholarship recipient for the inaugural Future Art Director’s program- a 20-week course developed by Warrior Art Camp and the Titmouse Foundation focused on cultivating and training future Art Directors in all facets of the role.Utilizing assets from the popular Amazon show The Legend of Vox Machina, the course delivered in-depth lessons covering style guide creation, script/animatic breakdowns, asset packaging, as well as ‘soft skills’ such as effective communication and problem-solving within a team.The following was created for educational purposes only and is not official materials/artwork.Style GuideAs part of the course, we were tasked with assuming the role of art director for a single episode of TLVM in our own imagined version of the series. Choosing an episode from the hit series’ second season - The Tales of Vasselheim- my vision was heavily inspired by the early visual language of Dungeons & Dragons and aimed to capture an ‘old-school’ RPG aesthetic through the vibrant use of color, bizarre creature designs, and classic medieval locations.
Location DesignVasselheim
In the series, Vasselheim is described as an ancient city that has survived many conflicts, and as a holy place with temples to all different deities. In my design of the city exterior, I chose to reflect these key features through the use of a shield motif. This shape language is both symbolic of the city’s defensive nature and functions as a unifying element for the various places of worship with their use of the pointed arch.
Vasselheim’s isolation is also underscored by the intimidating, monolithic stone wall that has clearly been weathered from time and battle. It’s steep cliff and drawbridge emphasizes the dedicated pilgrimage required by those who wish to enter.As a point in the story with low tension/conflict, the painting of this location emphasizes color harmony by using a very limited gamut and low minor key. The use of an analogous color palette also helps to give the environment a strong color identity.
The Slayer’s Take
The Slayer’s Take is a hangout for a shady guild of hunters in Vasselheim. Modelled after a quintessential, medieval D&D tavern, Vasselheim’s shield motif is carried through here with the vaulted ceilings, trophy mounts, and surface details on the tables and chandeliers. Adding to the feeling like a fight could break out at any moment, there are benches overturned, drinks have been spilled, and there are several weapons at the ready. Large trophy heads adorning the walls pay homage to some of the creature designs from the first D&D Monster Manual.The use of bold, saturated color, a complementary palette, and high minor key contribute to the high tension of the environment.
Character Design
Matching the same design language of the backgrounds, the character design of the series emphasizes simple shapes with interesting size relationships. In addition to their silhouette, each main character is also identifiable by color - occupying a unique space on the color wheel with a mostly analogous palette.
The Deep Season 3 - Character & Environment Modeling/Surfacing
Netflix
Spy Kids: Mission Critical - Environment Modeling
Netflix
Barbie Dolphin Magic - Vehicle & Environment Modeling
Netflix
Barbie Video Game Hero - Environment Modeling
Netflix
Timbertown Tales: Chester Gets a Pet! is a fully-illustrated 36-page children's book in collaboration with author Joanna Karaplis and late furniture designer, Judson Beaumont.
It was published by McKeller & Martin Publishing.
Order here.
Breanna Cheek is a Vancouver-based digital artist with over a decade of experience in the animation industry. She holds a Bachelor of Media Arts in Animation from Emily Carr University and has worked professionally as a Background Paint Artist, Colour Designer, 3D Modeling/Surfacing Artist, and Children’s Book Illustrator. When she's not pushing pixels, she can be found at her sewing machine, on long nature walks, or watching British panel shows.
WORK EXPERIENCEBackground Paint Supervisor | Titmouse Animation | March 2021 - February 2023 ; September 2024 - June 2025
- Supervised teams of background artists working remotely while also managing outsourced work sent overseas.
- Completed episode breakdowns, working closely with directors, department leads, and production teams to ensure assets were coherent with the work of other departments.
- Reviewed work daily to ensure a consistent paint style throughout the project, providing individual feedback through notes and paint-overs.
- Provided support to artists and helped to troubleshoot both technical and creative issues.
- Credits include: The Harper House Season 1 (2021), Agent Elvis Season 1 (2023), Frog and Toad Season 1 (2023), and an unannounced Nickelodeon projectColour Supervisor | Titmouse Animation | February 2024 - February 2025
- Responsible for overseeing the background paint and colour design teams for Disney series, StuGo.
- Worked closely with the art director and supervising directors to develop colour scripts, identify design needs for each episode, and provide support to artists
- Reviewed work from the overseas team, providing feedback in the form of notes and referenceColour Key Designer | Titmouse Animation | April 2023 - November 2023
- Designed colour scripts and colour keys for the children’s comedy-adventure series, Angry Birds Mystery IslandBackground Painter | Titmouse Animation | March 2019 - February 2021
- Delivered consistent, high-quality backgrounds accurately matching the style and artistic direction of each project.
- Ensured backgrounds followed continuity and fulfilled the creative and technical demands of each episode.
- Created and efficiently translated colour keys, demonstrating a solid knowledge of perspective, colour-theory, and lighting.
- Credits include: Archibald’s Next Big Thing Season 2 (2020), The Midnight Gospel Season 1 (2020), Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 (2020), Arlo The Alligator Boy (2021), Q-Force Season 1 (2021), My Dad The Bounty Hunter (2023)Environment Modeling Artist | Mainframe Studios | October 2015 - December 2017 ; September 2018 - February 2019
- Utilized a solid understanding of form, proportion, and scale to create clean, high-quality prop and environment models.
- Collaborated creatively with art directors to develop and maintain a cohesive visual language for all environment elements on various film and episodic productions.
- Offered mentoring and support to less-experienced artists.
- Credits include: Barbie Video Game Hero (2017), Spy Kids: Mission Critical Season 1 (2018), Octonauts Season 5 (2020)Modeling/Surfacing Artist | WildBrain Studios | January - August 2018
- Balanced aesthetic standards and technical requirements in the creation of props, sets, and characters for the adventure series, The Deep Season 3 (2019).
- Applied digital painting techniques to translate 2D designs into functional 3D models that accurately reflected the overall creative vision of the project.
- Implemented strong problem-solving and organizational skills to ensure timely delivery of assets, responding to feedback and revising models as necessary.EDUCATIONFuture Art Directors Program | Titmouse Foundation x Warrior Art Camp | 2024
- Completed a 20-week course designed to cultivate and train future Art Directors in all facets of the roleEmily Carr University of Art + Design | Bachelor of Media Arts, Animation | 2014
- John C. Kerr Chancellor's Award for Best Academic Standing in Media Arts
- President's Media Award for Best Animation