Nandri — The Lotus Ward Companion
Over the past month, I worked on Nandri, a companion creature concept from my personal IP, Aryavarta. What began as a generic base design evolved through a focused redesign process removing visual noise, clarifying the silhouette, and shaping Nandri as an emotional and narrative extension of her bonded companion, Kashrija. Inspired by South Asian aesthetics and storytelling, this project explores how companion creatures can communicate protection, healing, and presence through form, movement, and transformation-based abilities. The focus of this work lies in iteration, gameplay-driven thinking, and visual storytelling through anatomy, expression, and system-oriented design.
Nandri The Lotus Ward Companion Cover Illustration
Nandri - Mood Board
Nandri - This early version leaned too heavily on surface detail, making the design feel noisy and less readable in gameplay. I chose to step back, simplify the forms, and preserve this direction as a potential festive skin rather than a core base design.
Nandri - Early Exploration Concepts
Early exploration focused on testing a wide range of horn silhouettes and shapes to establish Nandri’s primary visual and functional identity.
Nandri - Movement Explorations
Nandri - More Focused Explorations
Nandri - Colour Keys
Nandri - Main Concept sheet
Nandri - Expressions sheet
Nandri - Turnarounds
Nandri - Ability concepts & VFX