Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

Not sure if this belongs here (or in 'off-topic discussion') but I found a Flash site that is very well done and wanted to share. It's not exactly a Flash cartoon, but it is all animated and the navigation/music is really good.

http://www.monsterism.net

It's the official site of Pete Fowler, an illustrator/artist who is best known for doing the album art for the band Super Furry Animals. He's a big deal in the designer vinyl toy world (which is the new 'big thing' in trendy art stuff) He's also had his comics featured in Vice Magazine.

The reason I'm posting this here is because Pete Fowler is considered a fine artist, yet what he does is very similar to the Chapman's (and many other cartoonists). Fowler's work all centers around the same set of cartoon characters, he merchandizes very similarly the how the Chapmans do (with vinyl toys, CD's, T-shirts, etc.). But it's all in the presentation and context that Fowler is considered an "artiste," wheras the Chapmans are simply cartoonists.

I just find it interesting how some cartoonists are artists (look at Takashi Murakami, he does a lot of anime-looking work, but he's not a "cartoonists" he's a fine artist) and some, like the Chapman's or Matt Groening, are just cartoonists.

Either way, this is a cool website to check out. A lot less involved than Homestar, but it has potential to grow. I am not shilling for Fowler, I just came across the site and I thought it was interesting. Check out the "New Work," "Gallery" and "Play" sections. They are the best stuff on the site.

Also, notice how Fowler (or whoever designed the site) makes use of looped music clips (since, in web design, you want to use a short clip and loop it on a static page since it take up less memory than a full song) I think he finds a way to use very short pieces of music and keep it interesting (it's also interesting that they paid for the rights to popular music, as I recognize some of the clips. The home page has a sample of the Blind Faith song "Can't Find My Way Home" for instance)

i dont know if you've noticed, but TBC really don't center what they do around art. the characters are very basic, and extremely easy to animate. They focus on the hilarity of their work much more than the design or artistry of it.

_________________

You're right in that the Chapmans don't center what they do around visual art, it's mostly about the writing. I will say that I think the weekly sketchbook feature shows you that the Chaps can draw pretty well, they just designed the characters to be simple.

Also, the way in which the H*R site works is, I think, kind of unique in how it presents the characters. You can't just watch a few episodes and understand the dynamic that exists between all the characters, you need to find almost everything within the site to truly "get" all the jokes.

Conceptually, I think there is a small link between the work of the Chapman's and artists like Fowler, because they've both created 'worlds' for their creations, and the viewer is an active participant (H*R being very interactive, and Fowler's work existing in so many different mediums, such as comics, paintings, animations, toys, etc. that you really have to absorb them all to get the full scope).

Basically, I am agreeing w/ you, but I'm also saying that H*R is a lot more artistic and conceptual than just an animated TV show. There's many facets to the H*R universe, (the fact that they create their own video games, toys, the easter eggs.) that equals the full H*R experience, it's not just something you sit and watch.

Either way, did you think the Fowler site was cool at all?

It is more like fancy art than a cartoon, but then again, when I saw a "Monsterism Comic Strips Volume 3", I rolled my eyes. I think I would get it better if there were a "First Time Here?" sorta thing.