Studio Ang’s look-dev for Jabali & Sauti - a six-episode project
What if learning could feel like magic? That was the simple question that brought together a group of educators, storytellers, artists, and researchers. The result was a six-episode project built around this core idea. This post details Studio Ang’s look-development: the sketches, layouts, and visual decisions that shaped Tisa, Makutano, Bibi’s homestead, and the unique character language for a transmedia world designed for storybooks, audiobooks, comics, motion comics, animation, and interactive play.
Creating The World Of Tisa
Follow the rasp of sandals on worn coral stone. Smell tart ukwaju mingling with sea salt. Hear drums on the wind threading through the Tamutamu grove. At the path’s end lies Makutano - our coastal nexus in the world of Tisa.
Concept Art
We looked to the Swahili coast for Makutano’s DNA: living heritage, layered architecture, and landscapes where old and new meet. Photographic references grounded our concept art so the village and square grew from the land’s contours; the ocean set a quiet boundary, with the isle of Zuizi always on the horizon.
Designing Bibi's Home
Makutano’s pulse lives in its compact townlets, but Bibi’s homestead sits a kilometer away, cradled by a quiet cliff. It’s a refuge for reflection and the kind of quiet magic that grows in solitude. Our studies explored thresholds - public to private, bustle to hush - so the homestead reads as a protective ring around a tender core.
Designing The Characters
In cinematic design, we don’t just draw actors - we build a visual language. Every choice - backstory, silhouette, posture, gesture - translates belief into motion so the soul shows up in every frame.
Across iterations, we tested proportion, costume logic, surface detail, and expression ranges to balance mythic presence with child-led relatability.
Thanks for walking through our sketchbooks.
Open to collaboration
This proof of concept reflects Studio Ang’s approach to world-building, look-dev, and lean production. We welcome co-production and partnership inquiries. Reach out at contact@studioang.com
To watch the whole project, visit https://akflearninghub.org/initiative/the-mysteries-of-jabali-and-sauti/
Credits:
Concept Art & Design by Mathew Omolo / Salim Busuru / Mogau Kekana
Storyboarding by Adrian Sigogo
Animation, Comic and Motion Comic created by Muchiri Njenga
Based on a universe developed by Studio Ang / The LAM Sisterhood / Kikapu Studio
