Digital Illustration & Game Art Design
by Rhys Hayden – Digital Illustrator and Game Artist.
Corporate & Book illustration | 2D Concept Art • Character Design • Diegetic props & items • UI art [HUD & menus]
I am Rhys Hayden a London based Digital Illustrator and 2D Concept Artist, with frequent stays in Basel, Switzerland.
Shaped by the contrast between London’s energy and Switzerland’s quieter rhythms, my work blends atmosphere with character-driven storytelling.
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Kinetic artworks – visiting the Tinguely Museum in Basel
In the last week of my study trip to Switzerland, I visited the Tinguely Museum in Basel. One reason was…
Portfolio
A curated selection of my projects, experiments, and finished pieces.
#noAI #humanArtist #handmade
Pride 2025
A digital semi-realistic artwork featuring visible chalk linework and expressive brushstrokes.
Sofa Gang
A collection of my original characters in a painterly style. Robin, Freja, Dot, and Arden.
➡️ also see my redraw project
Redraw Study 2024
An evolution of skill and style throughout the years.
Peabis The Perky and Goo Paduu
Capturing the dynamic duo from a DnD campaign. The Elf wizard wielding arcane power, and a steadfast dwarf cleric.
Last Stop
A Halloween themed animation. Designed to set a spooky tone with it’s audio and visuals.
Merchants of the high seas
Original characters in a fantasy world, set in the Golden Age of Piracy.
Flush
Original characters Freyja and Dot pause for a toilet selfie.
Oraxidus corp
A new point and click Sci-fi adventure game in the works. Featuring the main protagonist Ino Anda on a dystopian terminal.
Beans
A cel-shaded, slice-of-life interior vignette—muted room tones punctured by pop-poster chroma, with diegetic clutter and a languid feline adding narrative subtext.
The Dragon Of Icespire Peak camapign
Depiction of a DnD Party, in a cel-shaded style. OCs Jyan, Grigi, Gruul and Pazuzu.
Season’s Greetings!
A piece that captures the warmth of the winter holidays, featuring OC Arden.
Abandonment
A dimly lit decaying room. This was created as a background for a visual novel, designed to enhance mood and narrative immersion.
Journey start
The interior of a moving train, It was created to set the tone for transitional scenes in a visual novel.
Nocturnal Platform
A dimly lit train platform at night, evoking solitude. Environmental artwork for a visual novel.
Group Stats
First three residents – Arden, Taylor and Dot – of Port Periwinkle, an experimental visual novel project.
Spooky Dot
A Halloween themed digitally painted portrait of OC Dot.
The Deep
Taking a unique take on Mermay. Replicating the lights of a deep sea camera with hidden shapes in the background.
The 50’s experience… 3050’s
Inspired by the late 90’s game The Feeble Files.
Feeling crabby
A close up look of OC Crabby the crab character.
eggs
A playful stick-figure sketch of a chicken defying nature—proudly laying a perfectly square egg.
