Alvaen and the Brumarbor Forest
This project brings together two assignments developed during the Digital Illustration class in the undergraduate Design program at UCDB. The goal was to explore both character design and environment concept art, forming the foundations of a larger fictional universe.
Assignment 1 – Character Design
We were assigned a character by random selection. My character was:
"Unicorn, healer, compassionate, with a glowing horn and a bag of herbs."
"Unicorn, healer, compassionate, with a glowing horn and a bag of herbs."
From this brief, I created Alvaen — a half-human, half-unicorn healer, inspired by medieval depictions of unicorns as goat-like creatures with a single spiral horn. Her design emphasizes her gentle, empathetic nature: she carries healing herbs, wears soft fabrics, and uses a staff adorned with white feathers. Her horn glows gently when she uses her healing abilities, and her presence evokes calm and trust.
moodboard
Alvaen
Assignment 2 – Concept Art / Worldbuilding
For the second assignment, we were asked to create a scenario based on storytelling, exploring lighting, mood, and atmosphere. Although the brief didn’t require characters, I chose to design a setting that would feel like a natural extension of Alvaen’s world.
That’s how the Brumarbor Forest was born — a fog-covered woodland of pale white trees, sacred silence, and gentle light. A large tree with an opening at its base serves as Alvaen’s home, marked by white feathers that echo her staff. This forest is not only her refuge, but also a place of healing and ancient wisdom. The use of cold tones, misty atmosphere, and soft lighting supports the emotional world she inhabits.
moodboard
About Brumarbor:
Brumarbor Forest is an ancient and enchanted woodland, known for its pale, smooth-trunked trees that rise like ivory columns amidst the ever-present mist. Their tall branches form a sparse canopy that filters daylight, creating a soft and gentle twilight where sounds feel muffled and time seems to slow down. There is a deep silence — not of absence, but of listening — as if the forest were always alert, alive, and aware.
The undergrowth is blanketed in green mosses, shrubs in pinkish hues, and tufts of medicinal plants that grow freely, drawn to the region’s latent magic. The mist that covers the forest floor never fully lifts; it moves slowly between the trunks, as if breathing with the forest itself.
At the heart of Brumarbor stands a thicker tree with a pale bark, adorned with strands of white feathers tied around it — signs of protection, healing, and passage. A hollow at its base serves as the entrance to a dwelling, simple on the outside but deeply connected to the spirit of the woods. It is said that the tree is alive and chooses who may live within it.
The forest carries a feeling of silent welcome and reverence. It is not threatening, but it demands respect.
