Portfolio – Ricarda Wegmann

About

I want games to look pretty and framerates and workflows to remain smooth.

Hi! I am Ricarda, a freshly graduated media designer with a focus on games based in Germany.

I started creating digital 2D character art at age 15. After a few years of doing commission work I shifted my focus towards the gaming space. My studies at HS Hannover allowed me to expand my skills in 3D, game development, sound design and animation. These new skills have helped me gain a deeper understanding of game creation pipelines, which in turn has allowed me to create better concept/promo art, textures, models and tools.

Through my Bachelor’s project I have also become increasingly interested in tech art, as creating and implementing pleasing game art while keeping assets optimized and creation pipelines efficient was a necessary and rewarding process.

Experience

HS Hannover / Media Design Bachelor (2020-2024)

During my studies I was able to gain experience in 3D modeling, texturing, animation principles, sound design and creating game prototypes in Unity.

Two of my game projects were exhibited in our university’s annual Motion Cube.

As a “Semestersprecher” I handled communication between students and teachers.

Envision Entertainment / Pioneers of Pagonia (09/22 - 01/23)

I was able to secure an awesome concept art internship @Envision Entertainment, where I was working on Pioneers of Pagonia. I was responsible for character design and illustration related tasks and learned a lot through the team’s regular feedback!

View Pioneers of Pagonia Gallery

This was a compulsory internship for my degree.

Filmmuseum Düsseldorf Collaboration (2022)

During my time at HS Hannover I contributed to a collaboration with Filmmuseum Düsseldorf. Along with a a handful of students I worked on their interactive Animal Actors exhibition.

I was in charge of creating and implementing a behavior tree for a VR Cat, including the interactions between player and cat.
Furthermore, I helped research and testing in mapping a virtual deer’s face onto the observer’s face.

Freelance Work (2019, 2020)

Even before my studies I pursued a professional career in concept art and illustration. At the same time I was taking online courses to improve my skills.

During that time I did regular commission work through Fiverr, Reddit, Instagram and word of mouth.

Game Projects

Quackaneers

Pioneers of Pagonia

3D

Hydra Arena

In 4th semester, I focused on designing an ancient combat arena where a player is set to battle a Hydra named Azrael, which resides in a seemingly peaceful water basin at the center of the arena.* The arena has been abandoned for several decades and has not been maintained, allowing nature to reclaim it. The structure is inspired by ancient Greek architecture, though not historically accurate, and is blended with original concepts.

The player begins in a small ruin within a forest. In front of this ruin, a path stretches toward the arena’s entrance. Along the path and within the arena, vases can be found, which may contain potential items or health points for the player. Additionally, a large, walkable, arch-shaped tree grows through the arena floor, allowing the player to shoot at the Hydra from above or reach the upper levels of the surrounding arches. Columns are scattered around the water basin, offering protection during the battle.

*Gameplay aspects such as fighting the Hydra are not implemented. This is merely a concept.

Ivy made using Blender's Ivy Generator; wraps around geometry

Grass Shader Graph based on a talk by Horizon Zero Dawn's Principal Artist, Gilbert Sanders.
Makes grass appear denser from above by tilting grass blades backward when viewed from a high camera angle. — Grass Shader Graph based on a talk by Horizon Zero Dawn's Principal Artist, Gilbert Sanders. Makes grass appear denser from above by tilting grass blades backward when viewed from a high camera angle.

Vegetation Texture | Photography, Speedtree & Blender

Space Gallery

This was my first 3D project from 2nd semester, but I’ll keep it here until I remake it, as I still enjoy the overall concept and atmosphere.

The goal of this Unity project was to familiarize myself with 3D modeling. It does not involve a traditional video game scene, but rather a journey inside a small space probe with windows that each offer views into different worlds. I wanted to create a surreal effect as you look into different worlds through adjacent windows — something not possible in the physical world. The scenes are based on some of my paintings.