Good looking cartoons
- Thread starter Skipp
- Start date
my baby is my heart
New member
That's absolutely, 110% ridiculous considering they're two very difference shows with two very different styles attempting two very different things.
Come on now.
Come on now.
Inspired, not flat out imitating. There is a huge difference.
Dude, that's the basis of everything. Just drawing what we see, right?
...
That's it, I am callin you out. ART SMACKDOWN!! I CHALLENGE YOU to draw Bloo from Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends. Draw him PERFECTLY, in any real medium. Post your completed picture in this thread next to a screenshot of the blob in action. Also state how much time it took for you go get him as close to perfection as you can. I shall return shortly with my contribution (if the thread hasn't moved I'll just update this post).
Oh, if it helps, here's Craig McCracken's Deviant Art: http://cmcc.deviantart.com/gallery/
Dude, that's the basis of everything. Just drawing what we see, right?
...
That's it, I am callin you out. ART SMACKDOWN!! I CHALLENGE YOU to draw Bloo from Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends. Draw him PERFECTLY, in any real medium. Post your completed picture in this thread next to a screenshot of the blob in action. Also state how much time it took for you go get him as close to perfection as you can. I shall return shortly with my contribution (if the thread hasn't moved I'll just update this post).
Oh, if it helps, here's Craig McCracken's Deviant Art: http://cmcc.deviantart.com/gallery/
But, if computer art somehow makes everything that much better, then why is this decline you trace around the same time computer art starts getting big, and furthermore you seem to blame Flash for a lot of problems when it is computer art. And really, tools are nothing compared to artistic talent. How much animation has been done better than Fantasia, Akira, and Ponyo? Not much, and outside of maybe a few digital frames in Akira they were all done completely by hand.
But "anime" isn't just one style, and they took influence from several styles of anime. Why do you say "not as refined as you'd see in actual Japanese series" like all Japanese series are the same visual quality. I've seen a lot of anime, and Avatar's much better than some and well as much worse than some as far as art and animation.
Also, didn't you say THIS: http://www.rabroad.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1736477&postcount=13
But "anime" isn't just one style, and they took influence from several styles of anime. Why do you say "not as refined as you'd see in actual Japanese series" like all Japanese series are the same visual quality. I've seen a lot of anime, and Avatar's much better than some and well as much worse than some as far as art and animation.
Also, didn't you say THIS: http://www.rabroad.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1736477&postcount=13
@ Marinite
Having a personal opinion is fine. Dismissing minimalism and simplicity as lazy, and declaring Ctrl-Z as the ultimate decider of an artists skill is ill informed and arrogant.
Okay then, here's what I've got.
Took me about 30-45 minutes to get it right. Not a long time in the grand scheme of things, certainly a lot less time than it took me to draw Bloo eons ago (the dragon took less time, to be honest). I figured he was pretty damn close until I did the side by side...
Biiiiig difference. The official Bloo is much more fluid, isn't he? He's almost pure squash and stretch, and yet, he's always on model. And it has nothing to do with medium, as this clearly illustrates. Bloo is Bloo no matter what medium he's in.
And, he's curiously hard to draw. Because there's very little to get right, and a lot of things that go wrong. Simplistic characters are pure nuance, every line counts. Mess one tiny thing up, and everything's off. You can get away with botching little stuff on more complex characters simply because there's so much stuff going on that most people won't notice. There's nowhere to hide on a simplistic character.
Having a personal opinion is fine. Dismissing minimalism and simplicity as lazy, and declaring Ctrl-Z as the ultimate decider of an artists skill is ill informed and arrogant.
Okay then, here's what I've got.
Took me about 30-45 minutes to get it right. Not a long time in the grand scheme of things, certainly a lot less time than it took me to draw Bloo eons ago (the dragon took less time, to be honest). I figured he was pretty damn close until I did the side by side...
Biiiiig difference. The official Bloo is much more fluid, isn't he? He's almost pure squash and stretch, and yet, he's always on model. And it has nothing to do with medium, as this clearly illustrates. Bloo is Bloo no matter what medium he's in.
And, he's curiously hard to draw. Because there's very little to get right, and a lot of things that go wrong. Simplistic characters are pure nuance, every line counts. Mess one tiny thing up, and everything's off. You can get away with botching little stuff on more complex characters simply because there's so much stuff going on that most people won't notice. There's nowhere to hide on a simplistic character.
Goddess of Laundry
New member
I'll gladly admit this:
While after reading some of these posts, I tried for the heck of it to draw a Total Drama Series character (Heather), and I was surprised at how long it took me to get it close to perfect. If I have time I'll upload a picture of the finished product, but even my finished one doesn't completely match the original.
So even though the style of animation isn't my favorite, I will definitely give credit where credit is due. I've always been a fan of Genndy's work, the same with Butch Hartman's early stuff, and Foster's was just plain awesome for it's art, imaginary characters, and backgrounds. With shows like Adventure Time, Flapjack or even FOP, their characters may not look "normal", whether too noodlely or geometric, but it's still a process and an art. I actually like Adventure Time's noodleness (yup, making up words here), because it fits to the overall theme of the show and complements a child's imagination. Like I said before, it's also a fault of mine to draw mythical or made up creatures because they always end up lacking something, whether it's creativity or originality, it's something really I have to practice for a story I'm creating.
So on the physical appearance of characters (since this thread is talking about both I presume), thinking of how "hot" or "attractive" they are, I'd still go with Avatar's Zuko over Total Drama's Duncan, but both shows and others have their own special quality that shouldn't be put down just because one's characters are designed a different way.
While after reading some of these posts, I tried for the heck of it to draw a Total Drama Series character (Heather), and I was surprised at how long it took me to get it close to perfect. If I have time I'll upload a picture of the finished product, but even my finished one doesn't completely match the original.
So even though the style of animation isn't my favorite, I will definitely give credit where credit is due. I've always been a fan of Genndy's work, the same with Butch Hartman's early stuff, and Foster's was just plain awesome for it's art, imaginary characters, and backgrounds. With shows like Adventure Time, Flapjack or even FOP, their characters may not look "normal", whether too noodlely or geometric, but it's still a process and an art. I actually like Adventure Time's noodleness (yup, making up words here), because it fits to the overall theme of the show and complements a child's imagination. Like I said before, it's also a fault of mine to draw mythical or made up creatures because they always end up lacking something, whether it's creativity or originality, it's something really I have to practice for a story I'm creating.
So on the physical appearance of characters (since this thread is talking about both I presume), thinking of how "hot" or "attractive" they are, I'd still go with Avatar's Zuko over Total Drama's Duncan, but both shows and others have their own special quality that shouldn't be put down just because one's characters are designed a different way.
Hans Moleman
New member
Got some more "Good looking characters".
Starting with, one of my personal favorite, Washu from Tenchi Muyo.
Its a simple character design. She's funny, smart, and by design wise, it's not pushing the "fanservice" button that much...And mainly why I like her so much...She's so cute. I got a soft spot for cute things :sweat:
BUT I'M STILL A MAN!!
(And I know many ppl are mix by her dub voice, but personally, it fits for me.)
Next, the re-design of Scarecrow in Batman:TAS.
I never like the old design of Scarecrow. I always find him funny more than scary. I mean, look at him.
NOW, about the re-design...
...Talking about HUGE improvment.
"Fear is power". Damn straight. Really, that is a TRUE face of fear.
And last, for now, Lupin III from Lupin III.
This character design is very very loose. Though, over the past, what, 50 years or so, the design of Lupin became little stiff. I kinda like the manga design more. BUT, lately, I've been seening some music video on Lupin III, which the design of Lupin III change. It looks more like the manga and pinch of the anime as well.
Here's the music video to see what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtN7oFnauKI
Starting with, one of my personal favorite, Washu from Tenchi Muyo.
Its a simple character design. She's funny, smart, and by design wise, it's not pushing the "fanservice" button that much...And mainly why I like her so much...She's so cute. I got a soft spot for cute things :sweat:
BUT I'M STILL A MAN!!
(And I know many ppl are mix by her dub voice, but personally, it fits for me.)
Next, the re-design of Scarecrow in Batman:TAS.
I never like the old design of Scarecrow. I always find him funny more than scary. I mean, look at him.
NOW, about the re-design...
...Talking about HUGE improvment.
"Fear is power". Damn straight. Really, that is a TRUE face of fear.
And last, for now, Lupin III from Lupin III.
This character design is very very loose. Though, over the past, what, 50 years or so, the design of Lupin became little stiff. I kinda like the manga design more. BUT, lately, I've been seening some music video on Lupin III, which the design of Lupin III change. It looks more like the manga and pinch of the anime as well.
Here's the music video to see what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtN7oFnauKI
rebel-without-a-cause
New member
The reason you can't get it perfect, is because no one could get it one hundred percent roughy. The problem I have with shows like Toatal Drama whatever is that these aren't "styles" It's artists who try to be edgy without putting to practice any expirimentation or fundamentAls. Many show's so called visual "styles" tend to run together for me. There are exceptions like Genndy or McCraigan. However, Butch Hartman really kind of stopped having his own style after everyone started trying to copy it. And, as much as I hate to refer to John K, he has a point. Artists need to practice certain fundamentals and let nature take it's course as far as style. Developing new personal style takes years of practice and trial and error. New artists tend to forget this and draw these horendously disfunctional characters for the animators to try and animate. And I've read about certain artists, for example Eddie Fitzgerald I believe (correct me if you know otherwise) Has talked about how these characters really only work in one pose. I think they all run together, are bland and ugly.
Raymond 007
New member
Hey, I didn't bring it up. But if that's where the topic went, might as well.. I was just fine with saying Van Gogh wasn't as detailed.
What do you mean? The fact one is about a boy and his laboratory means we should judge it differently than a show about people and stone creatures?
I mentioned technology in general, which can be as simple as new inks or writing utensils. Think of it this way, even something like a ruler made it easier to draw straight lines, or a compass for perfect circles. Throw in programs with line tools, or curved line tools that make things a lot easier and simplier. As for why it declined, I just chalk it up being a two-way street. The technology lets us do more and easier than before, but it can also make us lazier and just tween stuff in a program than actually animate it.
I'm just saying what Mike and Bryan said, they called it 'anime art' so I just mentioned it as such. Of course there's no one set style in Japanese animation, but there is that pop-culture stereotype everyone likes to throw around. And by refined I mean stuff like the lighting and other aesthetics that seem to be rare outside Japanese animation, or certain choreography, but that's more animation than art. Not all anime may use them, but I see it more on that side of the Pacific than this side.
Well, we are comparing pencil sketches to something that's been run through/done in a program that cleans stuff up and has things like a pathing tool. I mean, going by that picture alone you did a better job than McCracken did outside the Flash model.
What do you mean? The fact one is about a boy and his laboratory means we should judge it differently than a show about people and stone creatures?
I mentioned technology in general, which can be as simple as new inks or writing utensils. Think of it this way, even something like a ruler made it easier to draw straight lines, or a compass for perfect circles. Throw in programs with line tools, or curved line tools that make things a lot easier and simplier. As for why it declined, I just chalk it up being a two-way street. The technology lets us do more and easier than before, but it can also make us lazier and just tween stuff in a program than actually animate it.
I'm just saying what Mike and Bryan said, they called it 'anime art' so I just mentioned it as such. Of course there's no one set style in Japanese animation, but there is that pop-culture stereotype everyone likes to throw around. And by refined I mean stuff like the lighting and other aesthetics that seem to be rare outside Japanese animation, or certain choreography, but that's more animation than art. Not all anime may use them, but I see it more on that side of the Pacific than this side.
Well, we are comparing pencil sketches to something that's been run through/done in a program that cleans stuff up and has things like a pathing tool. I mean, going by that picture alone you did a better job than McCracken did outside the Flash model.
The point is that you compared traditional painting to digital painting, and that's a faulty comparison because digital painting has not replaced traditional art.
As a final note (and this is not addressed to anyone in particular), "art" is something so incredibly subjective that to claim a style is flat-out bad simply because of some sort of rule you BELIEVE to exist is, well, stupid. No offense, but it is. Some people prefer simplistic art such as Dexter and the like, while others prefer more detailed stuff like Avatar. That's fine, nobody argues with personal tastes. However, I don't think there's any true validity on judging something based SOLELY on the amount of detail used.
For example, you like Avatar better than Spongebob because the former uses more detailed human designs. OK, no problem. But by that logic, wouldn't you like He-Man a lot better than Avatar? He-Man has incredibly detailed designs (look at all that MUSCLE) but it had incredibly limited animation and sometimes rather corny writing. Would you place He-Man on the same level as Avatar? Even if you like He-Man so much to do so, just try with another Filmation show, they're all similar in that fashion.
Also, the claim that simplistic = lazy is ridiculous. Personally, I don't think this is something you can claim until you've tried out your own drawings yourself and see if you can pull it better. Sure, you can claim you don't LIKE it, but you can't say "oh the artist didn't do any effort here, he's LAZY", as there's no basis for that claim. Going back to the "art is subjective" thing, I've met people who can draw beautiful Miyazaki-styled human characters, but can't draw the Powerpuff Girls to save their butts. I'm not joking.
The better drawings = better animation claim is also so ridiculous I don't even know where to begin. FLCL has AMAZING animation for the most part, but it still takes plenty of shortcuts, such as scenes with long pauses, or the "manga" scene in episode 1.
I guess my point here is that, you guys are definitely allowed to have preferences when it comes to good and looking cartoons, but I'm seeing the line being crossed from "I don't like this" to implications like "The guy who makes this is an absolute hack that shouldn't ever be allowed to be near a pencil". Seriously guys, come on, I'm reading direct insults here, some of which are aimed to cartoonists who have actually posted here. This is the Internet, and it's not like real life where words can slip and you end up saying something you didn't mean to. You can plan your posts and read them carefully before posting them, so I see no reason why this discussion can't continue without being more mature.
Sorry if I came a bit harsh, but it's how I feel about this thread.
As a final note (and this is not addressed to anyone in particular), "art" is something so incredibly subjective that to claim a style is flat-out bad simply because of some sort of rule you BELIEVE to exist is, well, stupid. No offense, but it is. Some people prefer simplistic art such as Dexter and the like, while others prefer more detailed stuff like Avatar. That's fine, nobody argues with personal tastes. However, I don't think there's any true validity on judging something based SOLELY on the amount of detail used.
For example, you like Avatar better than Spongebob because the former uses more detailed human designs. OK, no problem. But by that logic, wouldn't you like He-Man a lot better than Avatar? He-Man has incredibly detailed designs (look at all that MUSCLE) but it had incredibly limited animation and sometimes rather corny writing. Would you place He-Man on the same level as Avatar? Even if you like He-Man so much to do so, just try with another Filmation show, they're all similar in that fashion.
Also, the claim that simplistic = lazy is ridiculous. Personally, I don't think this is something you can claim until you've tried out your own drawings yourself and see if you can pull it better. Sure, you can claim you don't LIKE it, but you can't say "oh the artist didn't do any effort here, he's LAZY", as there's no basis for that claim. Going back to the "art is subjective" thing, I've met people who can draw beautiful Miyazaki-styled human characters, but can't draw the Powerpuff Girls to save their butts. I'm not joking.
The better drawings = better animation claim is also so ridiculous I don't even know where to begin. FLCL has AMAZING animation for the most part, but it still takes plenty of shortcuts, such as scenes with long pauses, or the "manga" scene in episode 1.
I guess my point here is that, you guys are definitely allowed to have preferences when it comes to good and looking cartoons, but I'm seeing the line being crossed from "I don't like this" to implications like "The guy who makes this is an absolute hack that shouldn't ever be allowed to be near a pencil". Seriously guys, come on, I'm reading direct insults here, some of which are aimed to cartoonists who have actually posted here. This is the Internet, and it's not like real life where words can slip and you end up saying something you didn't mean to. You can plan your posts and read them carefully before posting them, so I see no reason why this discussion can't continue without being more mature.
Sorry if I came a bit harsh, but it's how I feel about this thread.
Ryan Ahern
New member
It doesn't boil down to simplicity or details for me. I see behind the charade of s lot of modern "art". When in reallity they are just copying what they see on the surface without any real inspiration to make it the least bit unique. TTI among others is a wonderfully example. An even better example is Filmation or Dic. Simplistic art that is actually expressive and unique in some senses is what art really comes out to be. When someone generaly wants to be an artist. They need to be able to let go of popular trends and customs in their work in exchange for a unique outlook on things. With cartoons, not every artists automatically develops a style when they start.
People try to draw flat without principles. Or, if they're good at what they do, they practice fundementals and put them to work in a creative way.
ala Dexter, PPG, Fosters, Samurai Jack, Camp Lazlo. And others. Unfortunately, many shows don't develope a unique style at all. (Family Guy)
I keep this in mind when I draw.
People try to draw flat without principles. Or, if they're good at what they do, they practice fundementals and put them to work in a creative way.
ala Dexter, PPG, Fosters, Samurai Jack, Camp Lazlo. And others. Unfortunately, many shows don't develope a unique style at all. (Family Guy)
I keep this in mind when I draw.
LIVELONGANDPROSPER
New member
Even though I know this isn't gonna help (arguing with Marinite who thinks he's a know it all) Cartoons are trying to invoke personality in there art, Anime is well.. fifty fifty, Alot of anime try to portray youth,innocence of course it'll look pretty to an extent..
Again I don't why, my response won't help resolve this disccusion help... geez why do I bother... this is Marinite we're talkin too
Again I don't why, my response won't help resolve this disccusion help... geez why do I bother... this is Marinite we're talkin too
ilovehorses1293
New member
I think the account that it was uploaded on is suspended, now. Someone would have to dig around on nico to find it.
But, here's a part of an episode he did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y5dMHcvY-M
But, here's a part of an episode he did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y5dMHcvY-M
