Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

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PDpuck16
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Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by PDpuck16 »

https://www.facebook.com/16965757971602 ... =3&theater

for those without FB...

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It is with GREAT displeasure and anger that I inform you, fans of this page and fans of Batman, that my artwork, in it's original form will not appear on the final bluray packaging for Batman:Return of the Caped Crusaders. After the art was finalized and approved through Warner Home Video, someone at Warner Animation decided it needed to be dumbed down and, in my opinion, destroyed the art. Judge for yourself. The original art on the left. The Warner Animation retouch on the right. If this upsets you as much as it does me, let your voice be heard.

Image
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njboywonder
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by njboywonder »

(I see it but) are you at liberty to speak to the specifics of both the retouching and your assumed reasoning for it?
COPPRODUCTIONS
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by COPPRODUCTIONS »

To be honest, NEITHER version really reflects the visual style of the feature, but it does appear that the tweak IS an attempt to make it more "cartoony". I AM a fan of Batman, and I DO enjoy this site very much, but I'm not sure taking an internal difference of opinion between artist and employer to the "streets" is EVER a great idea. I can empathize, but this is probably as far as my voice will travel.
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svl
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by svl »

I imagine WB didn't want to give consumers the false impression that the animation would look as "glossy" as the original art implies. Weird that WB didn't just produce the art inhouse in the first place...
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njboywonder
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by njboywonder »

I remember Disney VHS covers had that overshaded (compared to the actual animation) look when first released, but eventually that was changed.
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SprangFan
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by SprangFan »

I can kind of understand where Warners is coming from: the original illo has a "realistic" feel whereas the product itself is a cartoon. However I also agree that in trying to make it more "cartoony" they've ended up with something that's not all that successful as a "realistic" image OR a "cartoon." And at the very least, not at all reflective of what the buyer will be seeing in the video itself.

That said, I won't be buying it for the cover art. I do sympathize with the artist: it's got to be disappointing to land a big gig only to have your art altered in a way you don't like. But I guess once they've paid him for it, they can do what they want with it. And honestly, it's far from the worst packaging job I've seen for a home video offering. In fact, I'd say about 90% of DVDs and Blu-Rays out there have lousy cover art.
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AndyFish
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by AndyFish »

Sprang can you just start signing "and Andy agrees too" to your posts? It would save me a lot of time. ;)

I can understand the frustration of the artist and I can see the logic behind the WB tweak. I'm guessing the deadline for this is tight which is why they had a house artist adjust the art. Honestly, I think its a terrific image but my first thought when seeing it was it was a repackaging of the TV series since the work was realism based, and looking nothing like the animation used in the feature. It's as misleading as the Batman serial art that was used for that DVD release which caused a lot of fans to think it was an animated feature rather than a BW live action. Is this dumbing i down or creating a more accurate reflection of the product?

I'm not sure.

I think out of courtesy WB should have asked the artist to change it themselves but I have a feeling this was a case of it being seen by someone higher up the food chain and requiring a last minute adjustment to make them happy.

While I think it's a great illo, I'm not sure I would have OK'd it with the realism and shadow were I the art director for this particular project, as I said above it just doesn't fit the animation. As a working pro artist I don't take any requested changes personally from a client, it's all about business and providing a service. I don't blame you for being unhappy but I'm not sure I'd make a public issue out of it. I also think the vast majority of consumers looking at the two images is not going to notice much of the change.
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dell
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by dell »

First of all, let me say nice work! The changes are subtle, but upon close inspection there are notable differences in the faces, Batman's chest and all four legs.

I think Andy is right, I can understand the frustration, but making a stink gets you nothing.
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Progress Pigment
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by Progress Pigment »

Here's a great pic from the release print for a comparison:

Image

I like that they "tweaked" the musculature up a bit in the 2nd one. The dvd covers from the 2 serial releases was the first thing I thought of too! NOTHING like the serials. It made it look like a new animated release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r6a8bOahFQ

Look at 1:15 of the video commercial -- that's the original cover! I think. As you said, time was probably the main consideration as far as letting the original artist make the changes. This issue could've easily been solved in the contract stages. :) That's when you tell them you want a non-tampering clause, or you walk! After you sign you name and get paid is not the time for hand-wringing. If WB had chosen to use a surviving Batman artist from the comics for the box art, and then had someone screw with it, now that would be a whole different ball of wax. But yeah, it's cool. Judging from the great clip the only thing that'll make me angry whatsoever about the dvd is if I can't get one!
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Batfanman
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by Batfanman »

Love the original art best but have to agree that it does not rep the animation style (and this is by no means the fault of the artist - absolutely fantastic work!)

I wish the animation was done with his style of realism and I'm somewhat disappointed it wasn't as it was what I had been hoping for since we first heard about the movie. Would have been more expensive to animate I'm sure but if you're going to adapt the live series, they at least should have splurged on this.

As for the changes, they could at least have kept Robin's sleeve green!
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Batman65
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by Batman65 »

Being a musician, I would be very irate if someone messed with my work. That being said, I don't think airing it out here will change anything, although I 100% agree with you. I have no clue why they made Robin's sleeves red. Scratching my head over that also! Somebody doesn't ( or didn't) get it. Hopefully that' gets fixed.
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John Mack
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by John Mack »

I too can understand the frustration the artist feels, especially Robin's sleeve being red. But consider the misleading cover artwork on our beloved Filmation DVD release. How many fans have no idea that series has even been released due to the artwork on the cover. And how many people purchased that DVD expecting to see the 70's Batman and Robin? The practices of the studios are curious to me. You as the artist, and other board members such as Andy probably have no idea either. I do hope that this "going public" doesn't endanger your future as a pro artist because I truly love your work on this.
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AndyFish
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by AndyFish »

The irony here for me is that if they'd taken the work John posted, which is by Jose Garcia Lopez, and shortened the ears I'd have thought it a better match for the series. I don't know why they don't just use a screen grab and have an artist enhance it to cover level (which is how I would have handled it).

But back to the artist, this kind of thing is sadly pretty prominent in the business especially dealing with big companies and corporate characters. I'd cash the check, move on and forget about it.
robinboyblunderer
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by robinboyblunderer »

My opinion: while I understand the artist's dissatisfaction, I don't think he should've made an angry facebook post. This is something best kept to personal confidants. It just doesn't make sense to angrily post something online and is potentially self-defeating; would other companies seeing this be eager to hire him?

On top of it, this is work-for-hire; do the best work possible, get paid. It's not his own creation or characters. And finally, I barely notice much difference between the two covers.

I understand he was angry but it just doesn't seem worth it, especially when something posted online can be screencapped and posted all over the place, even if the original poster changes their minds on what they said or about how they chose to express it.

That said, I can respect the artist's passion about their work and their anger and frustration; I just think it was potentially a mistake to post this.
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Boy Wonder
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Re: Cover Artist not happy with his artwork being modified

Post by Boy Wonder »

They gave Robin red sleeves.
WHY?
That's just silly.
Okay, I'm done.
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