Gabriela "Gabriel" Sao
Character Design. Illustration. Storytelling.
Character Design
Aran and Little Shadow
Ideation/Studies
Forward, Towards the Sun
Character Line Up
Character Sheets
Children of the Suns: Character
Character Illustration
Pancho, The Monster of Lost Things
A creature that collects objects and stores them, thus making them go missing or lost.
Design and illustration commissioned for a story
Cries in the Rain
There is a storm outside. There are horrible sounds outside. You can't go outside.
Cover illustration for my story, Cries in the Rain, inspired by 70's and 80's horror comic covers.
Hellbound
The path to hell is paved with good intentions. Or maybe you are forced into this path, destiny at the hands of someone more monstrous than what you've become.
Personal horror illustration
Something Wicked
Who is evil? Who is good? That is only determined by who tells the story.
Concept illustration for a personal story, Monarch's Sonata
The Snow Queen
She with ice-cold judgment. The bringer of death. The Snow Queen.
Horror cover illustration for a re-telling of the fairy tale, the Snow Queen.
Towards the Sun: Starting the Journey
Brought together by chance. Friends through adversity
Concept illustration for my upcoming comic, Towards the Sun.
Comics
Rue.
A black and white comic about two explorers going into a cave and finding something surprising. Created in 2022
Game concept design
Tsukiyama
Akira Saito hoped to follow his ancestors' path and become an Onmyoji, but with the changing landscape, that title is on the verge of becoming obsolete. So when he receives a message asking for his help getting rid of hostile yokai and finding a missing deity, he sees it as an opportunity to prove his career's worth and himself.
Logo
Environment Design
Asset Design
Character Design
Splash Illustration/Key Art
Graphic design
Logos
Patterns
About & Contact
From fantasy to science fiction to horror and everything in between, Gabriel creates work not limited by any genre and instead, focused on character and narrative. They create dynamic compositions with strong color stories as a way to enhance the storytelling of a piece.When they are not drawing, they are writing. Always engaging in some form of storytelling. And when they are not doing those things, they are playing mobile games, watching anime, or reading.
Education
Virginia Commonwealth University (Graduating, Fall 2023)
Communication Arts (Illustration & Comics)
Creative Writing
Kookmin University (Fall Studies Abroad, 2022)
South Korean Culture
Marketing
CIEE with Sofia University (Summer Studies Abroad, 2023)
Pop Culture
Japanese Art History
Software
Clip Studio Paint
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Resume
Have work? Questions?Contact: [email protected]