Mexican Canadian artist Abigail Roscoe transforms adversity into The Sixth Sun, now expanding into animation through Kickstarter.
When Abigail Roscoe lost the vision in her left eye, she faced a moment that could have brought her creative journey to a halt. Instead, it became the inspiration for her most ambitious work yet.
The Mexican Canadian illustrator, writer, and multidisciplinary artist has announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for The Sixth Sun, an original mythology inspired project rooted in Aztec and Mesoamerican cosmology. Working alongside Mexican animation studio Viva Calavera, Roscoe hopes to fund a hand drawn animated proof of concept trailer that will help introduce audiences to a larger vision for a future feature length film.
For Roscoe, however, the campaign represents much more than an animation project. It is the result of years spent navigating chronic illness, disability, and profound personal change while remaining committed to telling stories that celebrate resilience and hope.
“My goal was never simply to create another fantasy world,” Roscoe said. “The Sixth Sun became a reflection of everything I experienced. It asks why creativity still matters during times of uncertainty, and my own life helped shape that answer.”
Roscoe’s artistic foundation was built long before the project began. Raised in Mexico, she was surrounded by stories drawn from folklore, mythology, and cultural traditions that encouraged her imagination from an early age. Those influences stayed with her as she pursued a career in illustration and storytelling.
As she explored different mythological traditions through books, films, and popular media, she noticed that Aztec and Mesoamerican stories were rarely presented in modern narratives with the same visibility as other ancient cultures.
“I wanted to see our mythology represented through contemporary storytelling,” Roscoe said. “Eventually I realized that if those stories did not exist in the way I imagined them, I could help create them.”
That vision led her to study illustration and animation in the Netherlands, where she expanded her practice across visual art, education, and environmental communication.
Her professional work has included collaborations with Indigenous Sámi reindeer herders in Northern Norway on Yuka’s Way Home, a project emphasizing authentic cultural partnerships and environmental stewardship. She has also developed educational resources and conservation focused artwork with organizations such as the Caribou Conservation Alliance and the Vancouver Aquarium, helping connect younger audiences with environmental issues through creative storytelling.
While her career continued to grow, Roscoe also faced increasing health challenges.
Beginning in 2021, she developed chronic pain linked to a connective tissue disorder and was later diagnosed with fibromyalgia and arthritis. Living with constant pain reshaped her daily life and required her to adapt both personally and professionally.
A second life changing challenge followed in 2026, when complications caused by glaucoma after a medical error resulted in the removal of her left eye. Adjusting to permanent vision loss required physical recovery while also confronting questions about identity, disability, and the future of her artistic career.
Despite those obstacles, Roscoe never stopped working.
One especially meaningful milestone came when Episode Four of The Sixth Sun was released on the same day she underwent surgery to remove her eye. Although the timing happened by coincidence, it reflected her determination to continue creating regardless of the circumstances.
Roscoe now uses her platform to speak openly about disability, accessibility, trauma, and the importance of ensuring disabled artists are represented within creative industries.
“I hope people living with disabilities see that their experiences have value,” she said. “Our challenges can become part of the stories we tell, and those stories deserve to exist.”
Those experiences became woven into The Sixth Sun, a contemporary fantasy set in Mexico City.
The story follows Temo, a queer musician whose ordinary life is transformed after surviving a supernatural encounter at Chapultepec Lake. Guided by Ollin, a nahual, and the trickster god Huehuecóyotl, Temo discovers that the Fifth Sun, according to Mesoamerican cosmology, is approaching its end.
Against a backdrop of environmental crisis, ancient forces, and the lasting effects of colonialism, the story explores how humanity responds when familiar systems begin to collapse. Rather than focusing only on destruction, The Sixth Sun emphasizes hope, imagination, and the possibility of creating something new.
Themes of disability, identity, climate grief, resilience, and belonging run throughout the project, while music, storytelling, and creativity become symbols of resistance in an uncertain world.
Roscoe has also chosen to keep the production entirely human made. Every illustration, script, musical composition, voice performance, and animation element has been developed without the use of generative artificial intelligence, reflecting her belief that human creativity remains essential to preserving cultural storytelling.
The project features original music by Canadian musician Rich Aucoin and continues to be developed in partnership with Viva Calavera. Support from the Kickstarter campaign will allow the team to produce a professionally animated proof of concept trailer that serves as the next step toward a full length animated feature.
For Roscoe, the campaign is ultimately about more than bringing mythology to life on screen. It is about demonstrating that creativity can survive hardship and that every ending can create space for a new beginning.
“In Aztec cosmology, every Sun eventually comes to an end before another begins,” Roscoe said. “That idea became deeply personal for me. Losing my eye changed my life, but it also reminded me that hope often begins when we decide to keep creating.”
About Coyote Studio
Founded by Mexican Canadian illustrator, writer, and multidisciplinary artist Abigail Roscoe, Coyote Studio develops original stories inspired by mythology, culture, and environmental themes. Its flagship project, The Sixth Sun, is currently expanding toward a feature length animated film through a collaboration with Mexican animation studio Viva Calavera. Supporters can learn more through the project’s Kickstarter campaign at The Sixth Sun- Aztec Mythology for the Modern Day by Coyote Studio, Kickstarter or visit Coyote Studio’s official website for additional information. Roscoe also shares updates through her YouTube and Facebook channels. Media inquiries can be directed to co************@***il.com.