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[TRENCHES] Tuesday, April 17, 2012 - Reversion

GethGeth LegionPerseus VeilRegistered User, Moderator, Penny Arcade Staff, Vanilla Staff vanilla
edited April 2012 in The Penny Arcade Hub
Reversion


Reversion
http://trenchescomic.com/comic/post/reversion

Propaganda and barbie?

Anonymous

I have been doing propaganda and pinup art for about 10 years at the time. Definitely sexually charged, but respectful. I was contacted by a game company that wanted me to do some art for them, so we set up a meeting and I drove 2 1/2 hours to go meet with them.

Upon arrival, the interviewer looks over my portfolio and begins to tell me about two new games they were working on. One was for Disney and the other for Barbie. They gave me a week to create a “disney or barbie friendly image” as a test… I ended up busting my ass to try and come up with something that was in my style but appropriate for those audiences. I wondered if they had ever actually SEEN my portfolio before, given the assignment.

In the end I emailed them and said “it was a pleasure interviewing with you, however this was all i could come up with, best of luck with the releases.”

It was a pin up girl with Disney tattoos.


Geth on
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    RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    The story is a little weird.

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    IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    I'm not sure what that story really has to do with game testing...

    It's... an artist who doesn't know how to branch out.

    Incenjucar on
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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    The story isn't weird, it just lacks any sort of punch. "I draw stuff that's not family safe, was asked to do family safe material, and I didn't do it. The end."

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    RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    Anywho, I look forward to seeing the business environment that let Marley back in.

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    MatriasMatrias Registered User regular
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    I'm not sure what that story really has to do with game testing...

    It's... an artist who doesn't know how to branch out.
    Gabe and Scott probably emphasized with it.

    3DS/Pokemon Friend Code - 2122-5878-9273 - Kyle
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    GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    The only way I could conceivably see Marley getting re-hired again so fast is if they started working on a new project...?

    Whatever, we get to keep him somehow. He was just starting to come into his own as a cast member when it looked like he was being written out. With Q gone indefinitely and Lima Bean Boss having made a total of two appearances since September, this comic needs some diversification in its core cast.

    Gaslight on
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    DiannaoChongDiannaoChong Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Guys guys.... twin brother obviously.

    Or what if he is still high and in the middle of crunch, and his universe he has made up where he was done working on the project is starting to collapse around him.

    DiannaoChong on
    steam_sig.png
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    TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    The universe is a spheroid region 705 meters in diameter.

    steam_sig.png
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    DextolenDextolen Registered User regular
    He's back as a contract?

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    thegreenmonkeythegreenmonkey Registered User regular
    This story did seem a little odd, however, I do understand the artist's position. A designer asked him or her to do some art work without ever really looking at the artist's previous work. In my experience this is typical of people who don't really know what they want, but are trying to add some sex appeal to an otherwise fairly bland overall design.

    I am glad Marley is back though, there's too much of him we haven't seen as yet, and I'd like to see more.

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    see317see317 Registered User regular
    thegreenmonkey wrote: »
    I am glad Marley is back though, there's too much of him we haven't seen as yet, and I'd like to see more.
    You mean his eyes?

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    fallenphoenixfallenphoenix Registered User regular
    Thinking about the PA:The Series episode in which Scott's "squeeze a ball of clay" character design was discussed, I'm having trouble imagining what sort of manipulations would go into creating Marley?

    As far as the story, it would be one thing if the author had solicited the company for work and didn't realize what sorts of projects they worked on, but given that they contacted him (maybe one of the managers was a fan of his previous work?) it's almost as if they wanted to see if he could balance the evocative and seductive style of pin up girls with the cutesy sweet brands they were working with. It's kind of sick and twisted from that point of view.

    Also, verb-tense agreement! [/EnglishTeacher]

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    theResetButtontheResetButton Registered User regular
    I'm not an artist, so I really don't know: is it normal for artists to just be plain unable/unwilling to alter their style for a contract like that? I'd think that adaptability would be a good thing rather than only doing one specific thing ad nauseum.

    Keep honking: I'm also honking.
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    filecorefilecore Registered User new member
    More to the point: where is this alleged artwork? Pics or it didn't happen! ;-)

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    TubeTube Registered User admin
    theResetButton wrote: »
    I'm not an artist, so I really don't know: is it normal for artists to just be plain unable/unwilling to alter their style for a contract like that? I'd think that adaptability would be a good thing rather than only doing one specific thing ad nauseum.

    No, it's really stupid.

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    aRGeeBeeaRGeeBee Registered User new member
    You know, up until this point I thought Marley was a girl.

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    DurkhanusDurkhanus Commander Registered User regular
    Still could be a girl, if Isaac is mistakenly assuming Marley to be a guy.

    Also:
    Tofystedeth wrote: »
    The universe is a spheroid region 705 meters in diameter.



    :^:

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    Khade97Khade97 PE10, UKRegistered User regular
    Perhaps the whole comic got rolled back with the server... and Issac has become meta-aware.

    He will soon learn he is a fictional character and the end of the world will be nigh!

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    GyralGyral Registered User regular
    Khade97 wrote: »
    Perhaps the whole comic got rolled back with the server... and Issac has become meta-aware.

    He will soon learn he is a fictional character and the end of the world will be nigh!

    I jokingly thought the same thing when I first read this. "Comic must have gone back a week with the rollback to a time when Marley still had a job."

    25t9pjnmqicf.jpg
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    Ori KleinOri Klein Registered User regular
    Sexy + Disney = The Jessica Rabbit noir-style. They should've just given that to him, or any other they wished contracted, as reference frame-work. I'm certain the results would've been pleasing.

    I have seen Barbie, or copies of the brand, with tattoos before.

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    Chris FOMChris FOM Registered User regular
    Gyral wrote: »
    Khade97 wrote: »
    Perhaps the whole comic got rolled back with the server... and Issac has become meta-aware.

    He will soon learn he is a fictional character and the end of the world will be nigh!

    I jokingly thought the same thing when I first read this. "Comic must have gone back a week with the rollback to a time when Marley still had a job."

    Given that the comic is titles "Reversion" that was my first thought as well. I'm not at all convinced it's wrong.

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    NeuroskepticNeuroskeptic Registered User regular
    Marley could be a girl's name.

    It reminds me of Mallory from GTA4 (your cousin's girlfriend). When I first heard it, it sounded like a guy's name to me... Still does actually.

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    ChickeenChickeen Registered User regular
    © MIKE KRAHULIK, JERRY HOLKINS, AND SCOTT
    Apparently Scott is so bigtime he's dropped his last name. Teehee.

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    SaraLunaSaraLuna Registered User regular
    just add this to the end of the story:
    Then their existing art team was fired and fire was set to my car.
    now it's a traditional tales from the trenches

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    darkmayodarkmayo Registered User regular
    The story reminded me of most stories I hear from graphic artists, especially this line. " They gave me a week to create a “disney or barbie friendly image” as a test"

    As a test.

    To me that reads as "draw some stuff for us for free and maybe we hire you"

    Switch SW-6182-1526-0041
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    RaketemenschRaketemensch Registered User regular
    re: the story

    PICS OR STFU (as the kids say)

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    DedwrekkaDedwrekka Metal Hell adjacentRegistered User regular
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    I'm not sure what that story really has to do with game testing...

    The stories are about working in the game industry.
    Not just about testing.
    Not sure why that has to be reiterated with each story

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    PeccaviPeccavi Registered User regular
    darkmayo wrote: »
    The story reminded me of most stories I hear from graphic artists, especially this line. " They gave me a week to create a “disney or barbie friendly image” as a test"

    As a test.

    To me that reads as "draw some stuff for us for free and maybe we hire you"

    This is where I assumed the story was going. "They used the sample I gave them and didn't give me a job."

    Maybe if the work was less risque, that's what would have happened.

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    GyralGyral Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    I was curious as to who might have had both the Disney and Barbie license but that search turned up a massive number of games on both side, meaning it could be any number of developers. Though it does look like Activision has produced games for both Barbie and Disney properties over the years (though that is not to say that they're the only one or this is them).

    Gyral on
    25t9pjnmqicf.jpg
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    jackaljackal Fuck Yes. That is an orderly anal warehouse. Registered User regular
    So basically he couldn't draw clothes?

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    DedwrekkaDedwrekka Metal Hell adjacentRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    jackal wrote: »
    So basically he couldn't draw clothes?


    Basically when you go to a pin-up artist, ask them to make something in their style for your license, and then tell them to make it "family friendly" it's a fairly confusing concept when your style is as a pin-up artist. Really pin-up art subjects could be fully covered, but the style is explicitly sexual.
    Frankly I'm just glad the artist realized that his (presuming here) style wasn't "Family friendly" and didn't try to sell pinup style art as "family friendly". Which is better than the barbie license holders have done in the past.

    Dedwrekka on
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    fortyforty Registered User regular
    So something like this?

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    IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Pretty unfortunate that the guy couldn't adapt. Working for Disney as an artist would be a freaking honor.

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    AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    Chris FOM wrote: »
    Gyral wrote: »
    Khade97 wrote: »
    Perhaps the whole comic got rolled back with the server... and Issac has become meta-aware.

    He will soon learn he is a fictional character and the end of the world will be nigh!

    I jokingly thought the same thing when I first read this. "Comic must have gone back a week with the rollback to a time when Marley still had a job."

    Given that the comic is titles "Reversion" that was my first thought as well. I'm not at all convinced it's wrong.

    My guess is that the HR servers were somehow tied into the game. Or.. you know, the boss doesn't actually pay attention to these things.

    He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
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    AlienCowThatMoosAlienCowThatMoos Registered User regular
    I worked for a call center (twice!) that rehired damn near anyone. At first they had standards about who they hired back on, but by the second time I worked there, they were rehiring from the blacklist. Steal from the company? Make idle threats? Fuck the boss' daughter on lunch break? All is forgiven, get back on the phones.

    So I'm saying I'd accept it if Marley's back without any explanation at all.

    SpidermanSig.jpg
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    DratatooDratatoo Registered User regular
    Pretty unfortunate that the guy couldn't adapt. Working for Disney as an artist would be a freaking honor.

    But it would be drawing for a company which has been hired to create whatever Disney product. The artist might or might not have been hired for another job (for Disney). And the product could be anything - most likley shovelware if it is a software product. And as most people suspect it sounded more like "Draw stuff for free".

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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Training a brand new person, getting them ramped up on the project... these things take time, money, and other resources' time. Even when they are working full time, they aren't as efficient as the old resource was.

    Forgiving someone who you just fired is free.

    I wasn't actually surprised seeing Marley back given what we know about this company.

    El Skid on
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    jackaljackal Fuck Yes. That is an orderly anal warehouse. Registered User regular
    The game company is a separate company. Perhaps they demanded the responsible tester be fired but neglected to demand he stay fired.

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    GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    My guess is that it was a "show firing" to appease higher-ups that decisive action was taken after the screwup, then Marley was quickly and quietly rehired for pretty much the reasons El Skid said.

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    HoleHole Registered User regular
    I just assume it's another marley.

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