Madeline Nicely
Illustrator & concept Artist
Cuphead Level Ideation
Cuphead is a game (and now show!) that I've been quite obsessed with for awhile. This project was for a concept class I was enrolled in. The prompt was broad, letting people do whatever they wanted to, so I created my own Cuphead level!
Title Card
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Artist's Arsenal was themed to be an art student's room during finals. It features bosses such as Ollie Octopus, Matchbox Mitch, and Bonnie Bong!
The Background
This was one of the most important aspects to me. It had to feel like it could actually exist in the game, so I kept it watercolor adjacent. I modeled it after my own desk, using objects from modern day while mixing in specialty items like the lightbulb in the lamp and the polaroid on the corkboard!
Character Creation
Playable Character
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For the playable character, it was really important for me to keep the essence of the existing characters. I experimented with several different object head ideations, but it always came back to the charm of a cup. I chose a more teacup based cup, balancing the associated class with a silly straw.
Boss Designs
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One of the most important aspects of Cuphead are the boss designs and their unique attacks. I really wanted to push these characters in how their gameplay could possibly look, exaggerating their poses throughout the action.
