ICONS OF ANIMATION
Here are some of the most influential character designers from
Pictoplasma’s conference history, according to co-founder Lars Denicke...
Martina Paukova (2016)
http://www.martinapaukova.com
Slovakian-born Martina
Paukova studied politics
before moving on to study
graphic design at London
College of Communication.
Since then, she’s been creating illustratrations
characterised by Memphis-inspired paerns,
bustling scenes and bold colours, always with a
touch of playfulness and humour. She’s worked
with clients including The Guardian, New York
Times, ZEIT and Condé Nast, and brands such
as Pull&Bear, Converse and Google.Gary Baseman (2004,
2006 and 2012)
http://www.garybaseman.com
Denicke cites Baseman as
symbolic of a generation of
character designers with a
signature character –in this artist’s case, Toby,
a morphing, cat-eared figure. Working across
illustration, painting, animation, toy design,
video and performance art, Baseman coined
the term “pervasive art” to describe work
that “blurs the lines between fine art and
commercial art.” He’s been commissioned by
publications including the New York Times,
Rolling Stone and the Wall Street Journal.Doma Collective (2006)
http://www.doma.tv
Hailing from Buenos Aires,
Argentina, this collective of
four designers, artists and
filmmakers comprising Mariano
Barbieri, Julián Manzelli, Matías Vigliano
and Orilo Blandini formed in 1998 as part of
the city’s street art scene of the city. Doma
Collective is known for its absurist, subversive
political campaigns in the form of installations,
stencils, street projections and more. It’s even
created a range of plush toys.Jack Sachs (2017)
http://www.jacksachs.co.uk
Artist and animator Jack
Sachs studied illustration
at Camberwell College of
Arts in London. He has a
hugely distinctive body of
work, distinguished by surreal figures with
googly eyes, big squishy faces and figures
broken down to their simplest components.
Cute, smart and succinct, Sachs’ work has
been commissioned by the likes of The New
Yorker, The New York Times, Tate Britain, MTV,
Nickelodeon and more.Becky and Joe (2016)
http://www.beckyandjoes.com
Becky Sloan and Joseph
Pelling are best known as the
directors of Don’t Hug Me
I’m Scared, the cult puppet-
populated shorts series that’s both hilarious
and bleak. The pair’s skill at narrative twists and
anti-humour, coupled with their animation cra,
has secured their place in the visual culture
canon. Alongside Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, the
pair has also worked for St John’s Ambulance,
creating an animation offering first aid advice,
and also directed the video for Tame Impala’s
single Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.Boris Hoppek (2009)
http://www.borishoppek.de
Barcelona-based Boris
Hoppek is credited with
introducing figurative
elements into graffiti in the
early 90s, according to Pictoplasma. His Bimbo
character (above) addresses issues around
racism, violence and sexuality. “My work is
about taboos and problems in our society that
I think are important to talk about,” Hoppek’s
said. “I don’t try to explain: this is bad, this is
good... I’m delivering the uncomfortable truths.”Christoph Niemann
(2011)
http://www.christophniemann.com
Christoph Niemann needs
lile introduction: known
for his Abstract Sunday
New York Times blog, the illustrator, animator
and graphic designer has a knack for turning
everyday objects into something new and
unexpected. Niemann’s work has also
appeared across The New Yorker and National
Geographic and commissioned for Hermés
and Google; and he was also behind The New
Yorker’s first augmented reality cover.Edel Rodriguez (2018)
http://www.edelr.com
It’s likely you’ll be more than
familiar with the work of
Edel Rodriguez –specifically,
his images of Trump, which
reduce him to his most basic
orange and blond components. The Cuban-
born, US-based artist’s work is said to
be inspired by his personal history,
religious rituals, politics, memory, and
nostalgia. Rodriguez’s work is regularly found
across The New York Times Op Ed page and
The New Yorker magazine, as well as Time
magazine and Der Spiegel.Nadine Redlich (2015)
http://www.nadineredlich.de
With her simple, adorable
and somehow, occasionally
heartbreaking work,
Dusseldorf-based illustrator
Nadine Redlich manages to imbue the most
concise, blob-like forms with bags of emotion
and character. Whether working for Die Zeit or
some cute nail art designs, her work is instantly
recognisable and o-aped, but her imitators
never pack the biersweet, downtrodden
punch of Redlich’s work.SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2019
COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COMIm
agecr
edit:^ ©Christ
op
h^ Nieman
n,^2019“Tr
ans
itio
nal
To
y”^
by^
@D
om
aC
olle
ctiv
e,^2
018
Photo^
by^
@martinamordau