Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535742
26 KEYFRAME F E AT U R E Graduating from CalArts in 2008, Philip Vose was accepted into Walt Disney Animation Studios Talent Development program for visual development. But he knew he had a lot of artistic maturing to do. After working for a season as a Background Painter on FishHooks, he moved back to his hometown, he says, to live in his brother's garage and "brood over the state of animation while 'rediscovering' my creative purpose." While freelancing on everything from JibJab to commercials to pay the bills, he worked on the kind of art he wanted to see. "I'm wildly grateful because I guess all the dark and moody art I was making led to several recommendations from folks," he says. He was hired for visual development on DreamWorks' Trolls, and from there he continued in animation, also doing background paint, design, art direction, and color supervision for shows ranging from Amphibia to Rick and Morty. But no matter what role he's in, he says that he's most satisfied "when I create something worthy of a minute-long glance, where I stare at it and think, 'Damn, did I just pull that outta my arse?'" For Merry Little Batman, Vose worked on background design, the category for which he received an Emmy. He says Art Director Guillaume Fesquet set a high bar for creating interesting designs, shapes, compositions, and linework. "I loved the little details that could be done, creating a more decorative and sophisticated layout, even if it was a dumpy cityscape or grungy power plant," he says. This goes, as well, for his Emmy submission: the Joker's office. This piece was chosen, according to Fesquet, because "[Vose] immediately captured the tone of the movie—slightly grim, yet still warm and appealing." Vose says one of the challenges in creating such backgrounds came in mimicking a technique that was used throughout the show: drawing squiggly graphic pencil lines and wavering them from thin to thick. Although he had studied the similar style of cartoonist Ronald Searle in the past, it took some time to break old habits, like avoiding chunky, graphic shapes with inaccurate perspectives, or drawing with thick and sketchy lines. Although Vose says he's not a fan of awards, he appreciates the recognition, "knowing that my efforts didn't go unnoticed." In a way, this is an extension of what he considers one of the best feelings on a job: "Making your bosses happy they hired you. Nothing beats a 'job well done' from your employers." Merry Little Batman images courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation. The grim yet appealing look of Vose's Emmy submission (bottom) captured the tone of the movie; Vose enjoyed finding ways to make even a power plant (top) look sophisticated. Philip Vose BACKGROUND DESIGNER C AT EG O RY: Background Design Merry Little Batman