Character design for the Versus Evil Trading Card Game

"Rowin Rascal is a cute and sneaky thief with an incredible intellect. Rowin steals treasures that he hides in his secret lair, and due to his impeccable stealth, he has never been caught. Creeping into homes, abandoned buildings and super secure museums, no trinket is safe from his sticky paws."

The illustration is part of the Versus Evil Trading card game, a concept designed by Hireillo. A group of more then 50 illustrators contributed to the project. Hireillo's briefing:

“The theme of the trading card deck is Versus Evil, and we are expecting you to create a character that evokes strong negative connotations, such as a baddie, a henchman, an evil nemesis or a creature of the dark arts. We don’t want antiheroes or false protagonists at this point. We want you to do what you do best; this is not an opportunity to experiment. If you have an established style; stay true to yourself and don't attempt to be what you're not.”

I wanted to create a somewhat cute looking, comic-style raccoon character who could be the little bad guy in a children book or series. He is drawn in an action pose, while he just robbed an international museum of it’s most precious diamond.

The goal of the Art Cards is to grant exposure and income to the artists. For every card sold, another one is send to art directors, publishers, advertising agencies and other specially selected parties who hire illustrators and other creatives. You can buy the cards at the webshop of Hireillo.

The Trading Card game was officially launched in November 2021 at Thought Bubble, Yorkshire's premier Comic Art Festival.