Food of Empire

Co-Created with Danna Galeano for Adult Swim Smalls
Animated by Caballo Loco Studio

Food of Empire began as my graduation thesis at the Coco School México in 2017. After several years in development, the project was revived alongside my co-creator, Danna Galeano, and eventually became an original animated short for Adult Swim Smalls.

As Co-Creator and Art Director, I helped define the project's visual identity from concept to final production. My work included character design, visual development, environment design, background painting, and establishing the artistic direction that shaped the overall look of the episode.

CHARACTER DESIGN

By the time I completed the original pitch bible, I had already designed the entire royal family, establishing the visual foundation for the world of Food of Empire.

Once Adult Swim decided to produce the project and the script was finalized, Frank and Sir Loin were redesigned to appear younger, since the pilot tells the beginning of their adventure.

During this stage, I worked closely with Daniel Corzo, who designed the new characters introduced in the script. Together, we expanded the cast while maintaining a consistent visual language throughout the project.

CHARACTER layout

To ensure the animation team at Caballo Loco had clear visual references for every scene, we created detailed character layouts throughout the production.

These drawings served as a guide for each shot, defining the characters' poses, expressions, proportions, and acting while maintaining consistency with the project's visual style.

Daniel Hincapié played a key role during this stage, helping produce many of these layouts throughout production.

Background Painting

Working with Steph Decuir and Reich Ruiz, we developed the backgrounds for Food of Empire, aiming for a style that felt rich and atmospheric without becoming overly detailed.

The painted backgrounds, combined with the posed characters, gave the compositing team a clear guide for how each scene should look in the final film.