Loish

Loish is a fantastic illustrator/former animation student. Great character designs, beautiful colours, good anatomy, fluidity, these are just some of the things I like about this artist.

Her graduation animation:


Trichrome Blue from Lois van Baarle on Vimeo.

 Images and video belong to Lois van Baarle - http://loish.deviantart.com/

Kevin Bolk

''The Monochromatic Misadventures of Cartoonist Kevin Bolk'' - also known as ''I'm my own mascot'' is a series of comics by comic artists and illustrator Kevin Bolk. His satirical look at life and self-deprecating attitude make the comics not only fun but also well anchored in reality. His style may seem ''cute'' at first but I believe it does the job. Simple lines, simple colors, no shadows, make the comics easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.

Other comics by Kevin Bolk:


''It sucks to be Weegie!'' - making fun of the less loved brother of Mario

''Ensign Sue Must Die'' - parody of the Star Trek franchise

''Fair-Haired Adventure Seekers'' - Zelda parody

''Watchbabies'' - Watchmen parody

''Heeeere's Satan'' - no explanation needed

 Comics belong to Kevin Bolk - http://www.kevinbolk.com/

Phobs

One of the most interesting illustrators I have ever seen is the Russian deviant artist Phobs. His style blends dark humour with historical facts in a quirky yet charming style.

He mostly focuses his work on World War II historical figures:

Joseph and Magda Goebbels:

Heinrich Himmler:

Truman:

He also does comics:

In my opinion his strength lies in his use of varied facial expressions to make the characters come to life while his distinct style makes him stand out.



All images belong to Phobs - http://phobs.deviantart.com/

History of Animation - Rotoscoping

'' Rotoscoping - animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films.''

 This technique was invented by Max Fleischer around 1915. He first used it for the series ''Out of the Inkwell'' from which Koko the Clown was born.




  This method went on to be used in a number of animations including Betty Boop and Superman cartoons.      






   Walt Disney Studios used rotoscoping for a number of animated feature films including ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ''.



    Even music videos have used rotoscoping to produce a sense of realism - ''Take on me'' - a-ha





  The same technique was used in the first three Star Wars films to create the lightsaber effects by creating a matte( combinations of two or more elements into a single, final image) based on sticks held by the actors.




  In the mid 90's, animator and computer scientist Bob Sabiston developed a rotoscoping software thus taking this technique to the modern era.

  As we can see, rotoscoping has been a vital part of animation for decades. Used in big budged animations as well as small budges ones, it has grown with the industry. Although it is a hard technique to master (inexperienced animators may cause the lines to shake unnaturally, or ''boil''), in the hands of a skilled animator it is a fantastic way to emulate life. It does lack the freedom one might associate with the visual arts field but it is an art form in its own right.

Mike Inel - Draw with me

Mike Inel is a talented DeviantART artist. This is just one of his animations. His quirky style is a great contrast to the themes he chooses. These three minutes of animation manage to tell a story using no words while still retaining its depth.

Howl's Moving Castle

One of many masterpieces from Studio Ghibli's brilliant animator, Hayao Miyazaki. This animated film uses both traditional 2D animation as well as computer generated images to create an intricate story in the style of a bildungsroman. Though the movie may lack the depth other Miyazaki films have it still manages to impress through it's simplicity and style.