Cameron Scott Davis Shares Story Behind “SleepWalker” Mural at Gnomon

We recently caught up with Cameron Scott Davis, a longtime friend and supporter of Gnomon. As a concept artist and art director, Cameron has worked on a range of games and films throughout his career. He’s also been developing a personal project, “Sleepwalker Vol 0," which started as a creative idea and evolved into a children’s book and now a mural in our new campus store. In this interview, Cameron shares insights into his career, the development of the SleepWalker world, and the creation of the mural at Gnomon Store.

Cameron, tell us a little about your work and career experience. What games and films have you worked on? 

My name is Cameron Scott Davis, and I've worked as a concept artist and art director in games and film for nearly 20 years. I'm probably best known for my work as the character designer for a number of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk games, and I've worked on several feature films for DreamWorks Animation. 

What's the story behind SleepWalker? Tell us a little about this universe and how it was developed.  

SleepWalker revolves around a 14-year-old lucid dreamer named Finnegan whose parents, both neuroscientists studying dreams and consciousness, mysteriously fall into comas. It is up to Finnegan to use his abilities to traverse the dream space (travel to the nightmare world) and rescue his parents before time in the waking world runs out.

The IP began as a personal project around the start of my career, a compilation of every good idea I couldn't squeeze into industry projects or didn't pass the censors. Don't be fooled by the children's book, SleepWalker gets dark.

How did the idea for using this project as a mural at Gnomon come about? Do you have any other plans for this IP?

Alex Alvarez approached me early in 2024 about potentially having the piece printed on the school store at the new Gnomon campus because it was the only piece he could think of that had that much detail and the extreme landscape dimensions. Of course, I was ecstatic and immediately agreed.

The mural started as a concept piece for "Pillowtown - the land of childhood dreams" from my SleepWalker story. But after, I would say 1400-1500 hours of painting, I'm finally OK with calling it "done". The next thing I would LOVE to see is to start sculpting the assets in 3D and building out the world with Unreal Engine. My ultimate dream is to be able to share that experience of flying around the space in VR like I've done so many times in my imagination.

To see Cameron Scott Davis's Sleepwalker mural up close and experience Gnomon’s campus, schedule a tour with our Admissions Team here. “SleepWalker Vol 0” is also now on sale in the Gnomon Student Store, so be sure to pick up a copy while you’re touring the campus.

About Gnomon

For over 25 years, Gnomon has educated many of the world’s best digital artists on its state-of-the-art campus in Los Angeles, California. Recognized as one of the top U.S. colleges in Forbes' 2023 rankings and called “the MIT of visual effects” by Fast Company magazine, Gnomon offers a variety of educational options to help students reach their goals in the entertainment industry, with certificate and degree programs, and over 100 individual courses. Our comprehensive programs, experienced faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that every student can achieve their full potential. Gnomon's strong industry partnerships give students real-world experience and a competitive edge in the job market. Connect with a Gnomon rep and take the first step in your art journey!