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Off-model is a term used in the 
animation
Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...
and visual arts
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...
industries to describe art that does not match the style, design, or proportions that have been previously established for a given project (i.e. any work that is not on-model). Any kind of visual art can be off-model, so long as it defies the conventions of an established design. Consequently, art can be made off-model accidentally, due to skill or time constraints that may limit an artist's ability to accurately replicate a style. However, off-model can also be an intentional choice on the part of an animator. John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi ( ; born September 9, 1955), known professionally as John K., is a Canadian illustrator, blogger, voice actor and former animator. He is the creator of the animated television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', which was ...
has argued that off-model animation allows originality and can help a scene come to life, as strictly sticking to poses and expressions as dictated in model sheet
In visual arts, a model sheet, also known as a character board, character sheet, character study or simply a study, is a document used to help standardize the appearance, poses, and gestures of a character in arts such as animation, comics, and v ...
s can be too restricting.
Off-model art is often associated with 2D animation, such as cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
s and anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
. For much of the history of 2D animation, individual frames have been hand-drawn in sequence. This task may be outsourced to multiple individuals or studios, increasing the chances for the miscommunication of character, environment, or item design. Animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals ...
s attempt to limit this issue by distributing model sheets amongst animators, which may include poses or expressions for artist reference.
Off-model work may also be the product of artists or cartoonists intending to parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
another franchise but not wishing to incur a lawsuit or commit copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
by drawing someone else's trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
ed characters.
See also
*Uncanny Valley
In aesthetics, the uncanny valley ( ja, 不気味の谷 ''bukimi no tani'') is a hypothesized relation between an object's degree of resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to the object. The concept suggests that humanoid object ...
References