To begin this project, I was given the image of an abstract splat. This was the start of my journey. Instead of wondering what exactly this splat represented, I accepted it for what it was and treated it just as a splat. Nothing more, nothing less...at first.



My illustrative style has been heavily influenced by the drawings of Edward Gorey. His stories depict rather morbidly drawn characters, who constantly encounter misfortunes. His stories are dark, and many times gruesome, but there is always a moral. In terms of his aesthetic, most of his work is done in ink; the lines are sketched and extremely detailed. My sketches didn't achieve the level of detail that Gorey uses in his work, however his themes and motifs were heavily influential.

When it came time to actually produce my animatic I decided that I wanted to create my frames in Illustrator. I knew that my time was limited, so I was to create an animated style that would allow quicker production. To me, this meant using basic shapes and solid colors. I instantly thought of using the style of animation that the cartoon South Park uses, as a start of point for the "look and feel" of my animatic. South Park, despite its almost elementary look, uses this illustrative technique to its advantage. By contrasting this basic drawing technique with very adult subject matter, it has been able to become one of the most successful cartoons on television.