During this week we were briefed on our next assignment. This next assignment would be based around the art style of Genndy Tartakovsky who is a legendary animator and director. He is the mastermind behind shows like Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Lab, Primal, symbionic titan to name a few. The task is to create a monster design that fits in line with his art style, specifically hotel Transylvania. In order to prepare for this task I decided to do some research and delve into his art style. His art style revolves a lot around shapes, allowing his designs to have a strong sense of personality as well as containing a strong and recognizable silhouette. I looked through some interviews form Genndy finding a quote saying that there was a sentence his teacher said to him at Cal arts. The quote was “Everything is a simple shape, and everything is a design of a simple shape.” I feel that this is very reflective of the design sensibilities that come through in his work. This simple focus on shape allows Genndy to also showcase a strong sense of energy within his characters poses, adding a sense of movement and energy to them even when still.
I did some quick sketches of some of Genndy’s characters in order o break down and try and get a grasp of his style. I took brief notes regarding what I thought were important to the overall characters design and identity.
For the assignment I tried to create some characters through sketches. I really focused on trying to keep the designs simple with a strong focus on shapes in order to stay in line with his art style. I also tried to make the characters as visually appealing I could while also trying to have their flat designs be as emotive and expressive as possible.
Interview links
Genndy Tartakovsky Answers Animation Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
UK | NTL | PLUS ODG | Q4 | 16×9 | 10”
Keynotes : Genndy TARTAKOVSKY
Genndy Tartakovsky | Reading the Action
Genndy Tartakovsky | Reading the Action
Genndy’s Scrapbook: The Story of Genndy Tartakovsky – Samurai Jack DVD Extras
Genndy’s Scrapbook: The Story of Genndy Tartakovsky – Samurai Jack DVD Extras
The Cinematography of Genndy Tartakovsky
The Cinematography of Genndy Tartakovsky
I found watching videos of the man himself talking about his own time learning and creating his work very interesting and inspiring as it gave me an idea and insight into his thought process and how he goes about his design.