Artist research

Artists
Osamu Tezuka and Walt Disney

To further my research from Films and Games, I decided to look at a few artists, who I feel are key inspirations to my work. Looking at previous artists work, I can gain ideas of how to progress my own work, with ideas on techniques, style and also design. Firstly I decided to look at Osamu Tezuka. Because of my work into Manga for this project it was necessary I studied 'The God of Manga' and his works. From this, I can examine the techniques used to create successful manga comics, with the use of unique panels and sound effects. I also decided to study Walt Disney and his famous works, to create a mixture of Western and Eastern styles. I will study his character designs to influence my own. Also for Inspiration on my designs, I looked at a variety of Artists from the Victorian Era. I chose four who conveyed different types of portraiture, looking at individuals, groups and also young Victorian girls. From this I can gain a knowledge of the dresses and outfits that were worn at this time, as well as the portrayal of men and women in this era. It is with this knowledge I can create unique character designs which feature strong resemblances to the Victorian period.

Osamu Tezuka
1928-1989
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0856804/

Osamu Tezuka, also known as 'The God of Manga' was born in 1928, and began drawing comics from a young age. After WWII, Tezuka changed the way manga comics were drawn and received by society through the use of new techniques. Without his influence, manga would not be what it is today. 'Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫) was a manga author and creator of many of the first Japanese animation. While Tezuka’s best known creation is, arguably, the world-renowned children’s series Astro Boy, he drew more than 150,000 pages of manga in his lifetime - touching on every style and genre. He wrote for every age-group, from young children to mature audiences, and single-handedly created the majority of the genres and character-types we see in manga and anime today.' (http://tezukainenglish.com/) His use of unique movie like panels, and sounds effects created a diverse narrative, engaging the reader. His work will influence me greatly in my own manga, as well as my character design. His most well known characters, Astro Boy and Kimba (below) feature similar styles to the works of Walt Disney, with himself quoting he was influenced by him. Featuring large eyes and cute infant like features, his characters are loveable and encourage the reader to follow their story. His very Japanese style of drawing characters is a style I will experiment with in drawing my own characters. I will also use his style of drawing manga to influence my own panels and pages, using drama and creative layouts to portray and deep narrative.

Walt Disney
1901- 1966
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000370/

Walt Disney, was born in 1901 and lived his life creating animation. It was his imagination and creativity that began a new age in storytelling. 'Walt Disney is a legend; a folk hero of the 20th century. His worldwide popularity was based upon the ideals which his name represents: imagination, optimism, creation, and self-made success in the American tradition. He brought us closer to the future, while telling us of the past, it is certain, that there will never be such as great a man, as Walt Disney.'(http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/w_bio_short.html) His love of art began at a young age, when he started drawing characters and selling them to his neighbours. It was this passion that drew him to create his most famous character, Mickey Mouse. Featuring large eyes and ears, Mickey was a unique mouse. He wore gloves, shorts and large shoes, and went on to feature in his own animation. Walt Disneys art style developed over time, with his new characters such as Bambi and Snow White featuring a new style with eyes with pupils, rather than Mickeys black eyes. His love of nature inspired him to draw animal characters, with large personalities, featuring in their own animations. Disney's art style has inspired me throughout my life, and in this project I want to study his character designs to give a Western look to the predominantly Japanese style of Manga.