In most animated cartoons today, artists are expected to be “on model”. They have strict guidelines on how characters should be drawn and what expressions they can and cannot be allowed. It’s been a standard for many decades now.
Sometimes, however, there would be shows where artists are allowed to add in a little “personal touch” in order to enchant a gag. One of those shows is The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.
Flapjack is a heavily storyboarded show and each episode don’t look alike, depending on who is doing the boards. I actually managed to identify some of the styles the show has.
PENDLETON WARD
Pen Ward is probably the most recognizable of the Flapjack writers. His drawings are among the loosest of the show’s artists, and often times have a very cute & creepy look. Also, K’Nuckles’ nose is literally inbetween his eyes.
KENT OSBORNE
Kent is also the show’s head writer. His designs tend to be more “on model” compared to other writer-artists. His Bubbie is probably the closest to being drawn “correct”. In addition, the rings under K’Nuckles’ and Bubbie’s eyes are heavier.
ALEX HIRSCH
Alex is often paired with Pen Ward, and the difference in style is like night and day. Often times his Flapjack has a somewhat “anime” look.
PATRICK McHALE
McHale has a very loose style for the characters, with odd shapes.
JOHN INFANTINO
Infantino tends to draw exaggerated expressions on characters. Among his trademarks are the cheekmarks on the characters.
These are just the starters. There are other writer-artists in Flapjack with unique styles. I’ll post more of those soon, hopefully.
