Art of the Rise of the TMNT - A Review of the Pre-Production Section (pages 8-21)
spoilers for Colin Stein's Art of the Rise of the TMNT book below the cut
Character designs by Andy Suriano (July 2016 - page 11) Woah, they look so different from the final results! (I wonder if this book has more concept art later on)
"For those who make fan art, post memes, create merch, write fanfiction, draw comics, cosplay, animate, re-animate, and so much more—you're the backbone of this series." (Colin Stein, page 7)
Aw, that's so sweet to say! 💚🐢
"...we separate[d] each of [the turtles] personalities... by leaning into what were common associated traits with the specific species they were." (Andy Suriano, page 13)
I heard that the Rise turtles had personality traits associated with their turtle species, it's nice to get confirmation!
"We wanted humor and brotherly banter to be front and center, especially in the early seasons..." (Ant Ward, page 13)
Some of my favorite episodes are ones focused on brotherly bonding!
Look at the cute little grin on Leo's face! He looks so happy! And look at his belt! And Raph's! And Leo's wearing a scarf, sort of like Future Leo! So stinkin' cute!! 😃💚🐢 (page 15)
"...Meat Sweats (named after my appearance post-meatball eating contest)" (Andy Suriano, page 15)
lol I'm dying *wheeze!* 😆🤣
Early Shredder Concepts. Look, that's a tank in the bottom left!! Imagine a Transformer Shredder turning into a tank! We need fan art of this!!! (page 15)
"We always knew we wanted [the Shredder's] armor to tie into a Krang past/future plot, so I was pleased we got to at least hint and show a bit of that head canon." (Andy Suriano, page 15)
I knew the Shredder was connected to the Krang, it would have been nice if we could have gotten more in-depth with exactly how, background info, etc. (Imagine an episode or movie where Shredder and the Krang teamed up!)
"Each ability tells a story... Leo was a fast-talking hustler, so teleportation seemed an apt fit. Rap being our huge "protector" brother, what better way to visually support that than armor? Mikey has a go-with-the-flow, bouncy personality, so his power has the ability to make even the heaviest objects movable. Donnie was our one holdout, choosing tech over mystic. We had an idea that Donnie was actually the most adept at mysticism but just never tried—whereas Leo's false confidence would lead to his powers being unpredictable." (Andy Suriano, page 15)
Oh wow! They invisioned Donnie as being the most adept with mysticism! I would have loved seeing more of Mystic Donnie!
"Leo being able to teleport with his sword felt right. He's sassy and someone who you can't quite keep down in one place; he's popping in and out, wise crack after wise crack. You can never quite catch him. It's very Bugs Bunny." (Ant Ward, page 16)
That's so neat, connecting Leo with Bugs Bunny (I think I'll be subconsciously searching for Bugs Bunny-like traits in Leo every time I watch the show/movie now 🐢🐰)
"...we had always planned on having [Splinter] evolve to what he became. It was funny and endlessly frustrating seeing the fandom react to Splinter like they did at the beginning, because we always knew where he'd end up, so it was like, "Just wait! You will see!"" (Ant Suriano, page 16)
I wasn't a huge fan of the direction they took Splinter in at first, but when they went more in-depth with his character/background I was like 'Oooh, that's why he acts the way he does. Poor li'l guy 😢 Makes sense now.'
"I had pursued my passion for animation from a very young age, using it as a distraction from some of the things happening at home. It was my escapism and my drive.... Splinter... became Lou Jitsu to escape the trauma of his mother leaving him, thinking that Lou Jitsu was his defining identity, only to realize the importance of family." (Ant Ward, page 16)
We see this so much in fanfiction/fan art, it never occurred to me that some of the professionals use art as a means of escape, too!
This book is so in-depth, with background info, concept art, head canon info from the creators, art styles, etc! I'm so excited to read it (and share bits and pieces on here along the way!)
