Conversations with Mer Rose

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mer Rose.

Hi Mer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been a creative person. Growing up, I was constantly drawing and making up characters, but the thing that really sparked my interest in art as a career was video games. I was fascinated not just by playing them, but by the worlds, characters, and visual storytelling behind them. I would spend a lot of my time drawing characters from the games I played. You could find doodles like those all throughout my notebooks and homework, to the detriment of my teachers most times!

A big turning point for me came in high school, when I attended Henrico High School in Richmond, Virginia. The county ran on a specialty center system, which are programs that let students explore and focus on specific interests. Henrico High school was the Center for the Arts, where I enrolled in the Visual Arts department and got formal art training for the first time, and teachers who really encouraged me to push my skills further instead of punishing me for drawing. Being surrounded by other people like me and having that kind of environment made me realize that art was something I wanted to pursue seriously.

That experience helped me get into the Savannah College of Art and Design, where I studied concept design for animation and games. My time at SCAD was a really formative time for me creatively. It gave me the opportunity to develop my technical skills and experiment with different kinds of visual storytelling and find the areas I was most excited about. Just as important as the technical growth, though, was the community. I was surrounded by other artists who were just as passionate about creating worlds and characters as I was, and being able to share ideas, collaborate, and learn from each other was incredibly motivating. Those friendships really influenced how I approach art today. Some of my favorite moments were late nights in my dorm room, where everyone gathered to work on their own projects in the same space. I loved giving each other feedback and just getting to be surrounded by awesome people!

Now that I’ve graduated, I’m continuing to develop my work as an illustrator with a focus on concept art and character design for animation and games. What I strive to do is to create the kinds of characters and worlds that originally inspired me when I was younger, so I can make people feel happy!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think being an artist is smooth sailing for anybody. Even those artists and creators you respect and look up to have struggled. Especially in this era, finding the inspiration to keep being creative and to keep pursuing your goals is getting harder and harder. One of the biggest challenges I’m navigating right now is transitioning from being a student into the professional industry. Since graduating, I’ve been actively looking for opportunities in illustration, particularly in concept art and character design for video games. It’s a very exciting stage of my career, but it’s also a competitive one. There are many incredibly talented artists entering the field, and the hiring landscape in creative industries can be difficult to break into, especially for emerging artists who are still building professional experience.

Another challenge is that the industry itself is evolving fast. New technologies and tools are constantly changing how creative work is produced, and expectations for artists continue to grow. This means artists often need to adapt quickly and continue developing their skills beyond what they learned in school. While that can feel daunting, I also see it as an opportunity to keep growing and refining my work.

Because of that, I’ve been focusing on strengthening my portfolio, continuing to study character design and visual storytelling, and seeking feedback from other artists whenever possible. I’ve also been working non-industry jobs while working on small field-related collaborative projects on the side, which allows me to push my designs further and work with a team. Even though breaking into the industry can be challenging, I’m motivated by the same curiosity and excitement that led me to pursue art in the first place, and I’m committed to continuing to grow until I find the right opportunity.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is centered around visual storytelling. I love thinking about how a character’s shapes, costume, and design details can communicate personality and worldbuilding before a story is even told. Because I grew up playing a lot of games and continue to engage with them today, I think I approach character design with a strong understanding of the medium. One thing about how I design is I’m always thinking of how it might function within a game world—how readable it is, how it reflects gameplay roles, and how players might connect with the design, whether that be a playable character, the final boss, or just a fodder enemy.

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to work with a small up-and-coming indie game studio, contributing artwork for an upcoming project. I can’t go into much detail yet, but it’s been an exciting experience being able to really apply my skills in a real production environment and collaborate with a team of people like me working toward a shared creative vision. We’re hoping to have some news on our projects released this year, so stay tuned!
I’ve also had the chance to do some merchandise design for Brian Cloutier’s animated short film Daughter of the Sea! Designing merch was something I had never done before, but I was able to take to it quickly and easily, and I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to learn new skills while also being able to contribute to an awesome project with an awesome team on a professional level.

It’s hard for me sometimes to think back on what I’ve done and pick out something I’m proud of, because I spent a bulk of my life thinking that I wasn’t good enough; I struggled a lot with self-doubt and often felt like I didn’t belong in such a talented environment. That being said, though, I think one of the things I’m most proud of is my growth as an artist, and as a person. As I continued developing my skills, surrounding myself with fellow artists and creatives, and building my portfolio, I started to see how much I was improving. That process helped me become more confident not only in my work but in my ability to keep learning and growing. Looking back now, that journey is something I’m really proud of, because it shaped the way I approach art today. I face it with curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to keep pushing my work further despite everything.

How do you define success?
I think success, for me, means being able to contribute meaningfully to creative projects that bring characters and worlds to life. I’d love to work on games or animated stories where the designs help shape how people experience those worlds. At the same time, success also means continuing to grow through learning from other artists, refining my skills, and always pushing my work further.
I think my ultimate personal definition, though, would be coming full circle—helping create the kinds of experiences in games and animation that originally inspired me to pursue art in the first place. I want to make people smile!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://scrimbie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scrimbie/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scrimbie
• Twitter: https://x.com/scrimbie