Blog Research - Jon Bliss

Jon is an illustrator who has a penchant for character creation through the process of digital artwork in the software’s of Adobe Photoshop and Procreate. He makes use of a plethora of different style choices but consistently abides by a common bracket on the simple vs complex ratio when discussing style as a concept. Often throughout his character design creations he can be seen to create exaggerated recreations of established characters within the video games and animation industry by manipulating their features in a way that is reminiscent of Caricature style of design. That is to say he recreates the characters in an interesting way that places emphasis on the defining features of the character to tract interest and enhance the visual appeal. 

The impression which I receive from Jon's art style is a combination of commercial motion graphics with modern cartoon and comic style such as the works by Bryan Lee O’Malley and Daron Nefcy. The ratio of simple vs complex combined with the clear associations to the outlined artists I stated earlier makes for a unique art style that enables quality character designs that resonate with me on a professional and personal level. 

I believe the process which Jon uses for the creation of each of his character designs follows a sketch and paint approach which is common to most traditional painter techniques. He would first visually explore the concept and design of each character by sketching either on paper with a pencil or digitally with a stylus style pen. From here he would block in each of the spaces with a colour scheme that he has identified or created most likely due to inspiration he has viewed else ware during his day or design process. Once the illustration has had its colours blocked in I would argue that it is likely that he would inform the rest of his design with either texture or lighting effects to incorporate a level of depth into his design outcome. I am confident that by exploring the creation process of Jon’s design process that this knowledge and experience will inform my current and future projects increasing the innovation and technical standard of my design outcomes. 

The core reason that I feel I am drawn to Jon's character creations are due to the way in which he utilises shape for the benefit of the characters impression. Often, he begins with simple shape ratios which are combined with a multitude of smaller shapes strategically placed to inform the overall design with a more enhanced nature. Each of his characters designs focus on using curves over angular edges which results in a charm that is often associated with feminine nature a popular choice that resonates with many artists including myself. Although His artwork follows a stylised design the lighting and effects that he applies to his illustrations mimics the effects that are often found within photorealistic natures. Due to how much I resonate with Jon's character designs I am keen to experiment with his demonstrated art style in an attempt to explore and capture the impression that I resonate with for the purpose of artist growth and skillset experience.