Brad Burkhalter

Project Overview Gronk is an original stylized character developed around an expressive personality, exaggerated physical reactions, and visual comedy. The goal was to create a character whose emotions and intentions could be communicated clearly through facial expressions, poses, and body language. Character Development Gronk's personality combines enthusiasm, physical confidence, simplicity, and loyalty. I explored how these traits could translate into recognizable expressions, distinct poses, and consistent character proportions using AI-assisted visual development. Design Deliverables Character turnaround references Facial expression variations Action and movement poses Hand gestures and prop references Character proportions and color palette Camera-angle and animation references Outcome A detailed character model sheet concept demonstrating expressive performance, personality-driven visual development, and design consistency. Creative Contributions: Character concept development, personality design, visual direction, expression planning, and AI-assisted visualization.

• Character Designer
• Concept Artist
• Content Designer
• +1

Project Overview Kai is an original character developed for ECHOES, a post-industrial storytelling concept centered on resilience, curiosity, and resourcefulness. The creative objective was to establish a recognizable protagonist whose visual identity communicates personality, background, and practical abilities. Character Development Kai is a determined young mechanic whose clothing, equipment, expressions, and body language reflect his environment and personality. I developed the character concept and visual direction, using AI-assisted visualization to explore a consistent design across multiple views and expressions. Design Deliverables Front, three-quarter, side, and back views Facial expressions and head-angle references Full-body poses and movement studies Accessories, equipment, and hand references Color palette and visual consistency notes Cinematic framing references Outcome A comprehensive character model-sheet concept demonstrating how a consistent visual identity can support storytelling and future animation development. Creative Contributions: Character concept development, visual direction, character identity, reference-sheet planning, and AI-assisted visualization.

• Character Designer
• Concept Artist
• Content Designer
• +1

Project Overview The Discovery of Food Science is an original animated comedy concept exploring the discovery of food through the questionable experiments of a group of prehistoric characters. I developed the creative concept, character identities, personality traits, comedic relationships, and visual direction, using AI-assisted visualization to explore the characters and their world. Character Development Gronk: Strong, optimistic, and enthusiastically misguided. His physical presence contrasts with his simplistic reasoning. Elda: Intelligent, observant, and sarcastic. Her analytical personality balances the group's chaos. Gary: An anxious, reluctant participant whose reactions bring humor and relatability to the story. Backup Gary: A cheerful, dangerously inexperienced addition whose optimism creates new comedic possibilities. Creative Process I developed the characters around contrasting personalities, recognizable expressions, distinct silhouettes, and their individual contributions to the narrative. The project includes character references, expression variations, visual storytelling concepts, and storyboard development for the first episode, Crab. Outcome An original character ensemble and story concept designed to support episodic animation, character-driven comedy, and continued creative development. Creative Contributions: Original concept development, character direction, narrative design, storyboarding, visual storytelling, and AI-assisted creative production.

• Character Designer
• Concept Artist
• Content Designer
• +1