More details or less?

S

shea4323

New member
That "Best Facial Expression" topic got me thinking when I saw some of those images from anime movies/shows.

Do you like cartoon, no matter what kind, designs that have more details or less? The details can be in the character structure, the clothes, etc

Say, something like Naruto's design compared to the Powerpuff Girls.

Personally, I like cartoon characters that are simple. Triangular bodies, simple shaped heads, not that many details crammed into the clothes, etc. It seems more fun if the design isn't compacted with as much structure as possible.

Say something like Foster's Home compared to Futurama. Even though both shows aren't as lively as things like Looney Tunes, I still like Foster's designs more than Futurama. Someone like Fry is very structure-specific while Mac is, literally, made up of basic shapes.
 
I like both simple and detailed designs, but I'd say I prefer detailed designs or as you call it "structured" designs. I think using more detail can give a character more distinction and also add to the his/her/it's personality. I think using a lot of detail can make a character "fun" in it's own way. Though, that's not to say simplicity can't be distinctive. South Park has never been visually interesting to me, but the art is effective and makes it stand out.

Using your example of Mac and Fry, I personally like Fry's design more. I think his design has a charm to it. Fry's spiky hair along with the cowlick and his slouch makes me get a feel for what his character is like. I like the imaginative (and lucid) designs of Foster's, but I've never found Mac to be an interesting or fun character to look at (though his square head is distinctive). Actually, I think Bloo's design is more fun and that's even simpler than Mac's.
 
Honestly, I don't care if a cartoon's design is detailed or simple as long as the designs themselves are good, or at least watchable. I can switch from watching Bleach to The Powerpuff Girls to Spectacular Spider-man in an instant and enjoy all their designs greatly, despite their being on near opposite ends of the "realism-simplification-abstraction" triangle.

Also, I'm more inclined to a design with some level of abstraction rather than straight simplification, like Bleach, Foster's, or Pepper-ann, though there are limitations. If a particular design limits the animation too much then the design isn't going to pull me into a show (comics are an entirely different story).

But now I guess I'm talking too much, so I'm gonna go hide in my corner now.
 
There isn't one specific type of design that I prefer over another. For me, it depends on the show and the character in question; some shows call for simplistic character designs, while others call for more complex ones. There are cases of both which I've found appealing. For example, a simple character design that I'm liking right now is that of Lila Test, the mom from Johnny Test. There's just something about her design which appeals to me; the round yet angular features, the huge eyes, the weird little trot-like way she walks; it's hard to sum up in words, but something about Mrs. Test's design pleases me. On the flip side, a more complex design which I enjoy watching is Superman's DCAU design, particularly those in Superman: TAS and Justice League/Unlimited. That's to date my favorite rendering of the Man of Steel. Same deal with Wonder Woman.

Now as an artist, I prefer simple character designs, just because they're less of a pain to have to draw over and over again.
 
Depends. I love X-Men Evolution's art to Powerpuff Girls. What type of show it is affects how I like the art. I prefer action shows to have more details , while comedy shows can use an art that lends itself to comedy more.
 
I like designs that are well-drawn and expressive. One reason I was never that fond of the Powerpuff Girls was their minimalist design. I now have trouble watching Fairly Oddparents for the same reason, plus it's too angular, flat and at times just plain ugly (maybe that's one reason the show was never that popular when it came to merchandising.) In the show's earlier years the characters were rounder and cuter. I also dislike character designs that are deliberately ugly or abstract just to be different. Phineas and Ferb was a complete turnoff to me because the characters looked like crude Picasso scrawlings. I warmed up to the show for a little while because of its content - its tone was initially free of the meanness you see in other toons - but then that ep about the Gorgon aired and voila! the show is just as mean as so many others now. El Tigre made my eyes bleed, and while I initially kind of liked the designs on The X's, they wore thin fast and the show's derivative premise and boring characters delivered the final blow to my initial interest.

But good design is not a cure-all. My Gym Partner's A Monkey has some appealing-looking characters in it - most notably Jake, Ingrid and Mrs. Warthog - but the writing is terrible. Same with World of Quest, and what a sad waste that was. :(

Overall my fave shows when it comes to character design are Spongebob Squarepants, Avatar and World of Quest (except for the villians. They're lame). All quite different in style, but all very well done IMO.
 
Less is more for me. Firstly, the medium is called "animation", because, unlike comics, it's meant to move. Simpler designs allow for more fluidity.

Secondly, I can say that it takes a lot more skill to come up with a good simple design than a detailed one. It's easy to add more lines to clarify an expression or "vibe" that a character is supposed to give off, but making the most of very few lines takes a lot of effort and know-how.
 
Details are completely worthless without a lively structure that can move fluidly. REALLY fluidly. Think classic cartoons. From the modern tv cartoons, Eds did it best probably. Cow and Chicken was drawn awesomely too. Ren and Stimpy wasn't as fluid, but had wonderful designs. And wonderful expressions.

The second, more common, also succesful formula, is having a great design, attached to a simple form that can be moved easily. Powerpuff Girls are a great example. All Genddy Tartakovsky and Craig McCracken cartoons do it very well. Most of the cartoons that mimicked them, had terrible designs. Fairly OddParent - UGLY!
 
It depends. I do more prefer a sharp, angular form of artwork--it's the medium I use best whenever I doodle, but I don't really care much for animation that looks too flat looking, for lack of better word. I was also never a huge fan of anything too oblong and rounded, so to speak.

In short, it's like how I choose a balanced character in video games, I personally enjoy a more balance in-between the sharp and round, though there are exceptions.
 
I don't like one design over another when I comes to watching cartoons. However, based on the design, it can be pretty hard to work with merchandising for the character(s).
 
As per usual, I like a nice middle ground. I don't like the current Flash-based lack of detail mixed with its highly stylized visuals. However, adding too many details can make the image quite ugly. Flapjack is a good example of this. In general, I prefer a mild stylized look with a nice middle ground of details.
 
Back
Top