creator NOLAN ZACHOS

Nolan is a Freshman at Mira Costa in Manhattan Beach,
California. He has been accepted to the Gnomon College
Arts Program for Summer 2025 and is a freelancing artist.

creator

NOLAN ZACHOS

CREATOR

OVERVIEW

ILLUSTRATOR

ANIMATOR

creator

NOLAN ZACHOS

portfolio

This portfolio is a reflection of my artist's journey,
showcasing not only my technical skills but also my
creative evolution and personal style.

It serves as a curated collection of my best work,
demonstrating versatility across different mediums,
themes, and concepts. I hope to communicate my
strengths, approach to problem-solving, and ability
to adapt & evolve my skills.

It also gives potential clients or employers insight
into my process, from initial ideas to final execution,
illustrating the full scope of my artistic abilities.

LEON

ILLUSTRATION

CHARACTER DESIGN

LEON, ORIGNAL CHARACTER

MY PROCESS

EYES

HANDS

I have been working to master key character design illustration elements for over seven years. I
tend to obsess over the smallest details, such as eyes, hands and expressions. My tactic is to
draw each element over and over again in order to master it. Each trait is still evolving into
what I want my personal style to reflect, and I am focused on perfecting each detail.

Leon is the main protagonist in a story I am is currently fleshing out as a part of a
world-building project. His personality attributes are more egotistical than helpful.
My goal is explore his emotions and design characters with more human complexity.

LE METRO

ILLUSTRATION

CHARACTER DESIGN, BACKGROUND & FOREGROUND

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ADAPTATION

FAN ART

AVATARS

Drawing fanart and creating avatars has been a great way to develop my personal style because it encourages experimentation with existing characters and themes, allowing me to focus on refining my techniques while still staying within a familiar context. By interpreting someone else's design, I can explore different styles, color palettes, and ways to infer emotion, which helps me understand my unique artistic voice. This process gives me a building block to mold into my own interpretation.

Developing my personal style & perspective

COMMUNITY PLAYERS

FROM ROBLOX

fan art from

‘brawlstars’ GAME

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These simple moving images are my first step toward building my animation skill set. I have made an acceptable improvement between the time of my first virtual animation class until now, where I’m experimenting on my own.

ANIMATioN

2024, IMPROVING

2022, FIRST TRY

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IGOR

I’m really into Tyler the creator. This artwork was the result of a Graphic Design project in school. I drew inspiration from Tyler’s photoshoots to imagine his ‘Album Artwork’ for ‘Igor’. I added some my own original text and flair to the lineart.

THE INSPIRATION

ALBUM ARTWORK

ILLUSTRATION

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ANIMATIC

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43A

40A

41A

44A

45A

42A

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Zoe, 30s, intuitive and non-conformist, walks in a dark,
rundown, hallway.

14A

17A

15A

18A

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35A

32A

36A

33A

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ART DIRECTION

2026 Short FILM

‘CYBERPUNK’ THRILLER

CHARACTER DESIGN

Written by Nancy Sanchez. The script has already been awarded ‘Best
Short Script’ by the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards. I am
having a blast working on my first storyboarding project ever.

WORK IN PROGRESS

This project has shown me that a storyboarding project is an excellent way to build an extensive portfolio because it showcases a
range of skills, including visual storytelling, composition, and timing. By creating storyboards, I am demonstrate my ability to plan
and communicate a narrative through images, which is crucial for industries like film, animation, and video games. My goal is to
create a well-rounded storyboard portfolio which highlights versatility, creativity, and an understanding of visual flow, in order
better my craft as a storyteller who can bring ideas to life. I am excited about this project because it allows me to experiment with
different genres and styles, further strengthening my work’s depth and appeal.

STORYBOARDING & KEY FRAMES

Working with a team

Originally, I created the first draft of the storyboards. I met with the screenplay writer & director to collect her notes before
moving on to creating the animatic keyframes below. I wanted to make sure I utilized perspective, character color blocking and
camera angles to create depth and communicate how I wanted the scenes to flow.

Collaborating with the scriptwriter, producer, director and sound designer has been exciting and essential for creating this
cohesive short film. Each role brings a new, unique perspective to the project and makes it fun to collaborate. While I feel free to
present my ideas, the director provides instructive and clear feedback that has shaped the vision and overall tone.

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gen ai

Cyberpunk detective walking through neon-lit rain, Blade Runner vibes.

EXPERIMENTATIon

GENERATIVE AI

PROMPT

REFERENCE VIDEO

ZOE ILLUSTRATION

Hallucinations

I can learn from the computer’s hallucinations as I experiment. These tools are likely to evolve and I need to understand their limitations.

Didn’t specify art style.

ML is confused about her lips.

Appears to be walking backwards.

When I put my designs into new generative AI tools, I can start to speed up the
storyboarding process and begin to imagine new worlds for the characters.

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SUmmer 2025

GNOMAN COLLEGE

DIGITAL ARTS

WORLD BUILDING

GNOMON

Named 'the MIT of visual effects' by Fast Company, Gnomon College in Hollywood,
California has accepted me into their Digital Arts Summer Program for Summer
2025 where I will be studying 3D World Building for Games.

Through the immersive experience of exploring new worlds, games provide
audiences with some of the most awe-inspiring forms of entertainment today. This
course introduces students to the essential tools and techniques needed to create
a 3D game world. Using the Unreal Engine, an industry-standard game engine

COURSE DESCRIPTION

used in many blockbuster games including Fortnite, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen
Order and Stray, students will construct a 3D game environment, add
effects, lighting, and create basic gameplay elements. By the end of the
course, students will have created their own playable game experience.

About Me

My name is Nolan Zachos and I have huge ambitions for the future and what I want to do. I
apsire to learn as many things about art and the world as possible. Even mini talents interest
me and I love the discipline of working on a difficult project.

I'm an optimistic guy. I'm one of those big dreamers. I'm one of
those kids with that annoying imagination. - Tyler, The Creator

( Personal Skills )

(Familiar with)

Creative

Flexible

UNDERSTANDS TRENDS &
MODERN FORMATS

PROCREATE

CANVA

BLENDER

WEEBLY

Competences

STUDENT ATHLETE

I run cross country and track for Mira
Costa and hold a 3.95 GPA. I love
running for a team because
disciplining myself is one of the best
ways to understand my potential.

SURF & SUN

While I was born in Tennessee and
lived in Boulder Colorado, I’ve been
a SoCal boy since Age 5. I’ve surfed
in Costa Rica, Mexico & Portugal in
addition to local visits to Laguna.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

I volunteer for a community called
Hermosa Hermanos, and it allows me
to help people in need. For example,
I helped with shipping supplies to
people affected by the palisades
fires for 10+ hrs this winter.

interests

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

My original inspiration was my deaf
family member. I have now been
devoted to learning all I can about
ASL and using it to the best of my
ability.

WORLD TRAVEL

I’ve hiked in Montana and kayaked
the Great Lakes while traveling to
over 15 US states. Outside of the US,
and traveled to London, Paris &
Montreal. I’ll visit Tokyo for the first
time in April.

FRIENDS

I have the most amazing friends who
support my interests and allow me to
work while keeping a fun social life.
They make those moments special.

Work with me

FREELANCE ARTIST

I have a worker’s permit from Mira Costa High School and freelance under the direction of my parents who are both
artists and entrepreneurs. I am a budget-friendly solution to tweaking Canva graphic designs and following a creative
brief for basic character illustrations and storyboards. Contact me about your project! I look forward to hearing from you

Instagram

YOUTUBE