Portfolio

This is a portfolio for Palette, a.k.a. Cyndi Ellis. I make video games and occasionally other pieces of art. I love creating, and I don't think anything could stop me from doing so.

Video Games

Orbeats

Solo; Developer, Pixel Artist, Level Designer

In Development

A traditional rhythm game for the Playdate, built around it's unique input, the crank. It's made with user-generated levels in mind, and boasts multiple original songs from multiple artists. A beta is available below with a couple of test levels to try out, though the project as it is now has a lot more content and fixes.


Ocean Red

Solo; Developer, Author

Release: July 17th, 2024

A piece of minimalistic interactive fiction made to be played in browser. Sail a boat gifted to you by the Sky, on your only friend the Sea, while attempting to satiate them and your Flesh. As you do, you grapple with the pain and emptiness they've instilled within you. It features three music tracks by Ro Ramdin.


novena: playdate remake

Solo; Developer

Release: July 14th, 2024

A remake of Cecile Richard's interactive poem Novena for the Playdate. I've made adaptations and additions to fit the engine and hardware, including new tiles, expanded scenery, and a custom launcher card and wrapping paper. It was made to be as faithful to the original experience as possible.


Playmate Factory

Developer, Pixel Artist

In Development

A framework for a mii-esque console-wide character creator for the Playdate, as well as the app for making them. It has a focus on being able to make representations of the player and their friends. It is a community-led project still in early development.


Unrevealed Adventure Game

Developer, Writer

In Development

An adventure game for PC made using RPG Maker MV with a gothic aesthetic and a focus on storytelling and puzzles. It's being designed and developed primarily by a friend's team, though I was invited to contribute design, story segments, and programming. Not much has been publically revealed yet, but it's dev team has multiple people who worked on this mod for The Coffin of Andy and Leyley, which I was unaffiliated with. I've contributed heavily to the story and writing, as well as the aesthetic, and am the senior developer working with RPG Maker MV.

Pixel Art

Orbeats

The hand-animated launcher card.
The hand-animated launcher icon.
A recreation of a song's album art for the game.
The icon for settings.
The icon for tutorial.
The icon for the in-game level editor.
A level difficulty icon.
A level difficulty icon. Based on the logo for Zane Little, with permission.
A level difficulty icon.

Minecraft

A showcase of item pixel art I've done for various minecraft mods and resource packs.
MARILLA, a character from the Minecraft YouTube channel, modeled and textured by me.
A minecraft skin textured by me.
A minecraft skin textured by me.
A minecraft skin textured by me.
A minecraft skin textured by me.

Miscellaneous

A showcase of icons made for an indefinitely postponed RPG.
An animation of a character made for an indefinitely postponed RPG.
A character for testing a Playdate visual novel engine.
A background for an unfinished Bitsy game.
A banner for a postponed revival of the Script-8 fantasy console.
A showcase of icons for a POSTVOID fangame RPG concept.
A preview of the player character for the POSTVOID fangame.
The character run animation for an unfinished game jam submission.
The sword swing animation for an unfinished game jam submission.
A showcase of a group of characters based on Kris from Deltarune from an RPG prototype.
A showcase of default badges made for Funny OS for Playdate.

Music Composition & Sound Design

This song was made to be played on a music box with music box tape.


This song is one of many piano compositions made while learning composition and production.


This song was made on a program called Rytmik Studio, which is limited to using sample instruments.


Another piano composition, this one was going to be developed into a track used for a melancholic lobby.


A long, visceral sound effect that plays during a scene of twisting, tearing, moving flesh and body horror in Ocean Red. It's made of multiple overlapping sounds.

Digital Art & Graphic Design

Digital Drawing

A colored and polished sketch.
An image made to adorn my websites.
An animation made to adorn my websites.
An image made to adorn my websites.
A sketch of three characters from a visual novel project in early planning.
A sketch of a character from a visual novel project in early planning.
A colored and polished sketch of Nala from the game STERILE.
A colored sketch of a reoccuring character I sketch.
A colored self portrait sketch.
A drawing of an old friend's character.
A colored sketch playing with pixel art.
A silly sketch of the protagonists of two visual novels published by Nikita Kryukov.

Graphic Design

The logo made for this website.
A set of type icons for a season-based trading card game.
A set of Taikyoku Shogi pieces I designed and made for printing and laser cutting.
A test card for a physical trading card game based on Inscryption.
A test card for a physical trading card game based on Inscryption.
A test card for a physical trading card game based on Inscryption.
An explanational graphic for a fake writing system I made for World of Kylia.
A cheat sheet for an alphabet made on commission.
An example sentence written in an ornamental writing system for toki pona. (Yes, that says something.)
The icon made for Ocean Red. It showcases the three major forces in the game: the Sky, Sea, and Flesh.

Image Editing & Manipulation

A cover for a retro horror visual novel concept.
A heavily manipulated photo of an alley.
A background for testing a Playdate visual novel engine.
A manipulated photo of the sky I took.
A manipulated photo of a self portrait.
A heavily manipulated photo from 海香　umika.
A manipulated and animated photo of a bedroom.
A manipulated photo I took in Australia.
An edited image from Doki Doki Literature Club, made for a mod.
A manipulated photo I took; part of a set of three.
A manipulated photo I took; part of a set of three.
A manipulated photo I took; part of a set of three.

Thank you for your consideration.