Het Andere Oor van Sok

a cosy digital children's book for all ages

Het Andere Oor van Sok (English: Sock's Other Ear) is a digital children’s book. The story explores various themes, such as insecurity, the uniqueness of every human being, and the power of connection. Sok’s Other Ear is for little people and big people who could use a little tenderness.

As a designer, my goal was to deliver the player a sweet message about self-love and the beauty of trying to connect with others authentically. Additionally, I wanted to provide a cosy, relaxing experience where players can feel connected to their inner child.

Trailer

The story follows Sock, a bunny with a very colorful ear. As winter comes, Sock wants to find a place to warm up. He goes door to door, asking the animals in town if he can warm up inside. However, connecting with others is more difficult than he thought.

Characters

Cat likes everything black and white. Though the orange fur on his ear suggests maybe he has not always been the neatly organized figure that he likes to present himself as?

Deer is a kind character who has an easier time taking care of others than she does herself. She really wants to make Sock feel at home, but she tries so hard it backfires...

Lion is another character who really wants to help Sock. Sock's ear isn't that sturdy, he says. But no fear! Lion has so many cool items, it would be no problem for Sock to use one of them as an ear! It's great that Lion wants to help, but does Sock really have a problem that needs fixing?

Capybara is a freespirited artist who likes doing her own thing. Sock meets her when he's feeling upset - he wasn't able to make friends with Cat, Deer and Lion. Because of this, he starts doubting himself: could his ear be the problem? Capybara sits down with Sock, makes him a cup of tea and asks: "Sock, what do you think about your ear?".

The Ending

After sleeping over at Capybara's house for the night, Sock has a dream about Cat, Deer and Lion. He wishes things had gone differently during his visits to their houses...

Having tea with Capybara and talking with her has helped the two of them become friends. This gives Sock an idea: what if he organizes a tea party where everybody can meet, talk and get to know each other?

It turns out this was just what they all needed.

Visual Art: Workflow

The game features a pre-rendered art style. Though it is a 2D game, all art was first created in Blender 3D. My challenge was to create a visual style that feels warm and tender.

The environments were modeled, rendered, and then imported into Photoshop. Using blending layers to combine the furniture with the background, I wanted to create a look that feels unique, but nostalgic.

Characters were fully modeled, textured, rigged and animated in Blender. 2D Renders were then exported directly to Unity. Opting for models instead of drawings allowed me to easily pose them in different ways. I used hand painting texturing techniques, compositing effects and grease pencil to give the characters a hand-made look.

Contact: silverklapwijk@gmail.com

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