Douglas McDonald

BFA in Art & Design

Links

Naimbir website
Douglas McDonald Portfolio site

Naimbir

This Integrative Project is the introduction to Naimbir, an interactive web-based graphic novel. In using an interweaving of illustration, responsive web design, and epistolary artefacts, Naimbir is not just hosted online but designed for the internet. Naimbir serves as an exploration of speculative storytelling, and a dive into Mediterranean history, chronic health, and interpersonal relations. This introduction is first and foremost about the struggles between trust and betrayal, community and autonomy: what does it mean to be independent? How much do we owe the people around us, and how much are we owed? In my past, others’ creative projects have given hope to me by speaking to the capacity of people to grow, heal and find connections in the face of traumatic circumstances. My fundamental goal is to create something that gives hope to someone in the same way. This story is for fans of historical fantasy, political intrigue, and archaeological finds; readers may also enjoy tropes such as found family, humanizing the monstrous, and the emotional intimacy of cooking. Naimbir is fully scripted and will be continued over the next two years. To view the full project, please click the provided link or navigate to https://www.naimbir.com
The page is black, with white text titled

A museum exhibit provides worldbuilding details in the form of historical insight.

Three dimly lit panels on a black background, showing someone suspiciously peering through a narrow window before hauling themself over the edge with a

As a web-based piece of art, this comic includes animations that change as the viewer scrolls.

Two small panels focused on someone's feet as they move from a kneeling to a standing position, then a large introductory shot. They stand in a warmly lit Byzantine city in front of a narrow archway. They are dressed in a knee-length tunic with an embroidered hem and tailored cuffs, looking around suspiciously and rubbing their shoulder with one hand. A lizard-like creature is perched on their shoulders, looking around excitedly.

The main characters of this chapter, Sterling and Foolbug, have a lot to navigate as they try to ensure Sterling’s survival.

A large introductory shot of a marketplace with several stalls, again in a warmly lit Byzantine city. There are people milling about as well as several kinds of animals, some of which look neon and unnatural. The lizard-creature from the previous image is on top of one of the stalls, talking to the person perusing the wares, saying

Food both as a tool of survival and of community is a key part of the narrative.

Three long narrow panels- the first showing someone's feet as they're running, with the lizard-like creature from previous images on their heels; the second showing their nervous eyes as they look over one shoulder; the third showing several oranges they're clutching to their chest. Then there is a large zoomed out panel showing the gates of a walled city at sunset, with a tiny figure of a person running out the gates.

Byzantine-inspired architecture and infrastructure define the walled capital city of Archaea, where Sterling is from.

The person from previous panels is resting against a tree, looking disgusted as they hold an orange with bitemarks on it. The lizard is leaning in, saying

Even the act of knowing how to eat can be community knowledge.

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