About
Untoons are 3D artworks of cartoon / video game characters depicted in photorealistic details while retaining their cartoon-like proportions. The “untooning” process typically involves compositing images of facial features over a 3D rendering of the subject. Untoons also demonstrate the art form of Hyperrealism.
Origin
While the broader concept of Alternate Universe can be recognized as a sub-genre of fan fiction/art, the term “Untoon” was coined by a graphic designer known as pixeloo in early 2008. The first example, “Super Real Mario World” was posted via pixeloo’s blog on March 15, 2008. Some of pixeloo’s follow-up artwork include Homer Simpson, Jessica Rabbit, Stewie Griffin, and Nico Bellic.
Spread
People seemed to enjoy these, as many blogs and internet culture sites had featured them. Shortly thereafter, many other artists picked up the trend. In April of 2008, a blogger by the name of Mataleone created a large set of Untoons. Since then, the trend of untooning has continued to be practiced by other graphic artists on the internet. Groups and artists dedicated to untoons have sprung up on many websites, such as on Flickr and Deviantart.
Notable Examples
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| Homer Simpson |
Charlie Brown |
Peter Griffin |
Shaggy |
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| Stewie |
Bart Simpson |
Buzz Lightyear |
Naruto Uzumaki |
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| Gabe (Penny Arcade) |
Tycho (Penny Arcade) |
Beavis |
Butthead |
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| Mudkip (*) |
Bulbasaur |
Epic FAIL Guy (*) |
FSJAL (*) |
How To Untoon Using Photoshop
In April 2008, pixeloo uploaded an instructional video on how to create your own untoon using Jessica Rabbit as an example: