Dacosta!

Dacosta! is the creative banner of Vancouver-based artist, illustrator and designer DaCosta Bayley, operating commercially as Chocolate Soop. His professional practice began in 1995 and spans character design, robot and mechanical concepts, illustration, designer toys and animation development. The independent studio works across entertainment, games, publishing, collectibles and commercial branding.

Its commercial work includes custom characters, visual assets, concept art, illustration and branding assets. For animation projects, its capabilities extend to visual development, pre-production and direction; for toys and collectibles, they include concept development and sculpting design. The studio also offers digital drawing workshops and consultation connecting drawing hardware with professional creative workflows.

The supplied portfolio includes collaborations with Nintendo, Sony, Hasbro, Pizza Hut, Nexon and Atomic Cartoons. These commissions sit alongside Bayley’s independent character projects and original creative initiatives, bringing together work for established entertainment and consumer brands with his own illustration and animation development.

Robots, books and animation

Bayley created and organizes March of Robots, an annual drawing challenge centered on robot and mecha design. Held in March since 2014, it brings artists together around a sustained period of drawing and concept development. The initiative also led to the Kickstarter-funded MARCH of ROBOTS! Art Book Project, presenting original robot drawings and augmented reality artwork.

The studio’s original animation work includes Sunny & Gerd, developed in partnership with Nimble Collective. That collaboration also extended to hosting the March of Robots challenge, connecting the studio’s illustration activity with an animation production platform. Together, its commissioned work, drawing initiatives, publishing projects and animation development reflect a practice built around creating characters and exploring them across different media.