cartoons

Posts tagged
with cartoons

Art

Insect Illustrations Inspired by Looney Tunes Characters and Horror Movie Icons

UK-based illustrator Richard Wilkinson (previously) imagines new insect species inspired by familiar faces from popular culture. Two of his more recent series cover both ends of a fantastical spectrum, with bugs designed after horror movie villains and children’s cartoon characters.

For his horror icons Family: Timorpersonae collection, Wilkinson pays homage to classic slashers and newer terrors including Jason Voorhees, Pennywise the Clown, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the demon Valak. For each insect’s zoological nomenclature, Wilkinson creates a Latin phrase that serves as a description of the character or their respective film. For example, his Freddy Krueger “A Nightmare on Elm Street” piece is titled Insomnium ulmusvicus: insomnium from the Latin insomnis (sleep), ulmus (street), and vicus (elm).

For his Family: Insanusmelodiae series, Wilkinson incorporated the faces of iconic Looney Tunes characters into the bodies of beetles and bugs who inherited unfortunate but funny traits from their cartoon counterparts. “Their distinctive characteristics include loud and often odd vocalizations and the very distinctive fast and erratic movements,” the artist wrote in a statement. He added that the “most peculiar aspect of the Insanusmelodiae’s behaviour is their clumsiness. They often meet their end under a falling stone or twig, or after falling from a long drop. Their wings, also vestigial, can produce enough uplift to keep them in the air for a moment or two before they fall.”

To see more of Wilkinson’s buggy mashups, fly on over to his Instagram page.

Art

Popular Cartoons and Mascots Unwind to Reveal Realistic Depictions of Their Human and Animal Inspirations

Dutch artist Stefan Thelen, a.k.a. Super A (previously here and here) removes the fantasy from classic pop culture characters like Batman and Mickey Mouse to reveal more realistic interpretations of their cartoon constructs. An owl peers out between the gaps of its cartoon self in a painting of a scene from Sleeping Beauty, while a white cat with piercing orange eyes pokes its paw out of a spiraled depiction of Hello Kitty.

The new works, which are part of Thelen’s ongoing series titled Trapped, are currently on view at the Brand Library & Arts Center for his solo exhibition Domestication curated by Thinkspace Projects. You can see more of his mash-ups of pop culture figures and their human and animal inspirations on his website and Instagram. (via Arrested Motion)

Design Food

A Cafe in Seoul Uses Clever Contour Lines to Appear Like a 2-Dimensional Cartoon

Since 2017, a small cafe in South Korea has been transporting its visitors to a two-dimensional world. Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20 in Seoul features all-white walls, floors, furniture, and fixtures accented with black contour lines that give the space the flattened look of a cartoon drawing. Illustration-inspired elements include drawn cacti, a curious puppy, and blank picture frames. Some of the beverage containers even sport defining lines. You can take a peek inside the playful cafe on Instagram and Facebook. (via My Modern Met)

Illustration

Three-Dimensional Paper Doodles Created With Playful Folds and Rips by HuskMitNavn

Danish artist HuskMitNavn (which translates to “Remember My Name”) is a painter, muralist, and compulsive doodler who creates clever three-dimensional drawings. The simple constructions are made from paper and pen, and depict cartoon characters in humorous situations like Mario avoiding an arsenal of tumbling barrels thrown by a looming Donkey Kong.

“It’s a long (and ongoing) process coming up with the 3D drawings,” HuskMitNavn tells Colossal. “I have been making so many drawing on flat paper my whole life and one day a few years ago I just started to experiment with the paper to see if could add another dimension to it. The idea is to make it very simple only using A4 size paper and a pen. No scissors or glue. I want everybody to join in and also try to 3D drawings at the kitchen table.”

HuskMitNavn has an upcoming solo exhibition titled TEGN at Nikolaj Kunsthal in Copenhagen from August 29, 2018 through January 2019. You can a variety of the artist’s cross-media work on his website and dozens more of his ripped drawings on Instagram.

Art Illustration

Quirky New Chalk Characters on the Streets of Ann Arbor by David Zinn

Michigan illustrator David Zinn (previously) has brightened the streets of Ann Arbor with his off-the-wall (or technically on-the-wall) chalk drawings since 1987. The artist works with chalk or charcoal to create site-specific artworks that usually incorporate surrounding features like cracks, street infrastructure, or found objects. Over the years he’s developed a regular cast of recurring characters including a bright green monster named Sluggo and a “phlegmatic flying pig” named Philomena.

Many of Zinn’s artworks are available as archival prints, and he recently published a new book titled Temporary Preserves. You can follow his almost daily street chalk adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

Art

A Shadowy Snoopy on the Streets of Saint-Etienne, France by OakOak

Street artist OakOak (previously) transformed a parking meter shadow into a perfect silhouette of Snoopy’s famous dog house this past Valentine’s Day in Saint-Etienne, France. You can see more of his recent street interventions here. (via StreetArtNews, Laughing Squid)