I haven’t written one of these posts in a while. Let’s go!
After seeing Kali Fontecchio’s work at Sketch Theatre (via Scamp) - and drawn in, I admit, by her awesome name - I went to her blog and spent ages looking at her work. It's amazing.
Fontecchio is a recent graduate from Otis College of Art & Design in California (Kim Gordon, from Sonic Youth went there) and now works with cult animation... er, person, John Kricfalusi (of Ren and Stimpy fame).
Fontecchio has a unique style that is tricky to pin down. She blends classic Walt Disney, Loony Tunes, satirical cartooning and greeting card schmaltz together in a compelling (disturbing!?) way; there's an interesting interview with her here in which she cites Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy as influences.
The sketch above is a good example of Fontecchio's style (though there is loads on her blog): sweet, beautifully rendered, but with something askew. Her cartoons are either cute to the point of grotesqueness or grotesque to the point of cuteness.
