A Guide to Gorillaz Art Styles: Phase 1
Nobody asked for it, but I wanna discuss some observations Iβve had over Jamieβs art style changing as Iβve researched it thoroughly in order to apply the different styles to my own work. Most people are aware of how much the art changes between phases, but naturally it evolves a lot during the phases too. One thing I think would be really interesting is to find an order in which the images were released in order to create a more solid timeline.
Early Phase 1 (1999 - 2000)
Not counting concept art, this is some of the first pieces created for Gorillaz; a lot of it is visible in Bananaz, circa 1999, some even with the older nameΒ βGorillaβ instead ofΒ βGorillazβ. A lot of the characters are a little off-model around here, their personalities and designs not fully-formed yet. Most notable tells:
2Dβs hair is very purple here and his skin is a little darker than later on in the phase
Russβ skin is a bit darker and redder compared to the later more washed-out skin tone
Russ and 2Dβs eyes are noticeably smaller.
Murdoc and NoodleβsΒ hair are, for the most part, solid black or with very minimal shine
Little to no colour highlights
(Group art, circa late 2000/early 2001)
(19-2000 promo art, some time after June 2001)
This is pretty much the main Phase 1 style, released alongside the self-titled album. Although naturally thereβs still some experimentation, things are more consistent here as the characters are closer to their familiar looks. The images Iβve shown are actually fairly different; as the art evolution is far more fluid than just these sub-phases and you can pick out some of the notable points to place the upper image as earlier than the lower one. Youβll see this style on most magazines released in late 2000 - 2001.Β Most notable tells:
Far more detailed clothing; more pockets and zips and logos, etc rather than just the simple shirts and jumpers of early on in the phase
Highlights! Most notably on the faces and coats, this adds an extra dimension to the art and gives it a much prettier look
Murdoc is slightly greener. This is something of a trend
2Dβs hair is still a simple gradient, but itβs looking a little bluer than purple
Late Phase 1 (2002 - 2003)
(Tomorrow Comes Today single rerelease, 2002)
(Celebrity Harvest concept art, 2003)
Since most of the hype of Gorillazβ debut album had passed, art from this era kind of slowed down to a near-halt. This makes a lot of the changes far more noticeable as thereβs less of a steady evolution here. The Celebrity Harvest-era art is probably the very peak of this, a lot of the colourless pencil art pretty much resembling Phase 2.Β Most notable tells:
Even more detail! Youβll see more hair lines, wrinkes, stitches and stubble here, along with more detailed fingers
Noodleβs not wearing her helmet! This is a fairly significant design change as you can see her become slightly older
Cortez (or a similar bird) starts appearing around this point, albeit only in a couple of images
Murdoc is basically fully green here
A lot of hair shine, looking a lot more reflective
2Dβs hair is clearly blue in a lot of the art from this era, although thereβs still a slight gradient look to it
Thereβs a lot of solid black shadows, Jamie clearly going for a more comic-style look
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