Donate
alumni directory

Livia Skidmore

Illustrated portrait of a stylized bird-like character with white hair, purple eyes, and teal horns drawing on a digital tablet while seated at a desk.

VCD – Illustration & Character Design

Mistress of Mischief · BDes · Class of 2023

www.birdandblade.com/

Livia is a multidisciplinary artist - a fancy term which here means "has tried a lot of different things". In the olden times, we once knew this type of individual as a "Renaissance Man", but Livia is trying very hard to not be a man, and her tastes skew more towards the late Gothic period anyhow. When she isn't being forced to write about herself in the third person, she's working on any number of projects such as illustration, comics, animation, tabletop game design, 3d modelling, and graphic design. She is also probably listening to rock songs about wizards, which is a bigger niche than you might initially assume.

The Shifting City Cyberpunk's fascination with Japan is a persistent bugbear to me. While it's easy to understand where it came from (orientalist sentiment in the 1980s and fears around Japan "dominating" the U.S. as an economic superpower), I think modern creators are all-too-eager to just slap some kanji on their neon signs and give their protagonist a laser-powered katana without a second thought. It got me thinking - what if we let another country be our North star for all things sci-fi?
Waterfront You wouldn't know just from looking at it, but this is meant to be fanart, in a roundabout way. See, I have a terrible disease that makes me like Shadowrun, a tabletop game system from the 80s that's basically a combination of fantasy tropes in a cyberpunk or sci-fi setting. It's bad - don't play it. However, in and amidst charts and probability tables and snippets about elves with cyberdecks running around guns-blazing, the game also establishes the existence of the Native American Nations.
Fae King Trickster It was an honour to be selected as a finalist for the 2024 Community Cosmetic contest for one of my favourite games, Dead by Daylight, with a design for one of my favourite characters, the Trickster. My submission was inspired by 1800s European menswear, Art Nouveau motifs, and the Earth-rocking performance of David Bowie in the 1986 filmic oevure Labyrinth, which to date stands as perhaps the most attractive any person has been on film, ever.
Act 3 Scene 3 Page 3 You wouldn't believe the context for this even if I told it to you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride

Livia Skidmore's Work

Livia Skidmore's Work Cyberpunk-inspired digital illustration of a futuristic street featuring Nepalese, Tibetan, and Bhutanese cultural influences, with neon signage, mythical figures, and atmospheric lighting.
The Shifting City Cyberpunk's fascination with Japan is a persistent bugbear to me. While it's easy to understand where it came from (orientalist sentiment in the 1980s and fears around Japan "dominating" the U.S. as an economic superpower), I think modern creators are all-too-eager to just slap some kanji on their neon signs and give their protagonist a laser-powered katana without a second thought. It got me thinking - what if we let another country be our North star for all things sci-fi?
Livia Skidmore's Work Atmospheric concept art of a futuristic Vancouver skyline in heavy rain, with towering skyscrapers, Indigenous-inspired architecture, and a lone figure overlooking the city.
Waterfront You wouldn't know just from looking at it, but this is meant to be fanart, in a roundabout way. See, I have a terrible disease that makes me like Shadowrun, a tabletop game system from the 80s that's basically a combination of fantasy tropes in a cyberpunk or sci-fi setting. It's bad - don't play it. However, in and amidst charts and probability tables and snippets about elves with cyberdecks running around guns-blazing, the game also establishes the existence of the Native American Nations.
Livia Skidmore's Work Character concept sheet showing front and back views of a fantasy-inspired costume design for The Trickster from Dead by Daylight, featuring peacock-inspired details and ornate blue garments.
Fae King Trickster It was an honour to be selected as a finalist for the 2024 Community Cosmetic contest for one of my favourite games, Dead by Daylight, with a design for one of my favourite characters, the Trickster. My submission was inspired by 1800s European menswear, Art Nouveau motifs, and the Earth-rocking performance of David Bowie in the 1986 filmic oevure Labyrinth, which to date stands as perhaps the most attractive any person has been on film, ever.
Livia Skidmore's Work Colour comic page featuring a robot gradually recovering fragmented memories through a surreal basketball game and nostalgic musical references.
Act 3 Scene 3 Page 3 You wouldn't believe the context for this even if I told it to you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride

This site may contain artworks with provocative content that some viewers may find uncomfortable or upsetting. AUArts supports a culture of non-censorship and ongoing conversations about contemporary art.