Deco Grotesque: A Merging of Artistic Styles

Abstract

Working as an artist in the film or gaming industries requires finding solutions to unique challenges particular to the project or game one is helping to develop. In addition, many animated films and games are stylized; the goal is not to achieve realism but to make a world that conforms to an unusual set of artistic and physical rules. This work is an experiment in combining two styles, Art Deco and the Grotesque, to create digital 3D sculptures of wildlife overcome by fungi. I first established a taxonomy of shapes based on formal commonalities between Art Deco motifs and fungi. Next, I created sketches combining these elements with animal forms. Finally, I modeled, textured, and lit digital sculptures and produced a series of still renders.