I know you read my Adventure Time article, so I'm sure you'll recall that I mentioned GhostShrimp. I didn't give much of an explanation of what GhostShrimp is because I didn't really understand and while it's still a bit hazy, I'll do my best. The information on the website was rather confusing to me, and I am under the impression that I may be about to misinform you direly, but if I've put the pieces of the GhostShrimp puzzle together correctly, this could very well be a highly informative post.
GhostShrimp is "probably the world's first solar powered illustration company." The "company" seems to be more of a commune located at Camp Ghostwood on Mystery Mountain, peopled by artists and friends of the founder Dan Bandit (whom I suspect may be Dan James). There's a pretty interesting history section on the site that gives a vague idea of how the camp came to be. Some choice excerpts from their Secret Mission:
"WE EXIST FOR TWO REASONS OF COMPLETELY EQUAL IMPORTANANCE. ONE: WE ARE INSPIRED BY OTHERS AND WE INSPIRE OTHERS. TWO: WE PASS OUR TIME DOING THE COOLEST THINGS WE CAN IMAGINE."
"CAMP GHOSTWOOD IS A SMALL EXPERIMENT IN UNCIVILIZATION AND SELF RELIANCE. IT IS A FORTRESS AGAINST ARBITRARILY ESTABLISHED WAYS OF LIVING. IT IS A PLAYGROUND FOR ALL THAT IS INTIMATE AND PERSONAL."
The whole statement is pretty interesting and a little cryptic, but worth the reading, as are most things on the site. Something I noticed was where the news section of the site mentions summer internships at Camp Ghostwood, which sounds like maybe the coolest thing I've ever heard of, and if you're as into this kind of stuff as I am, it would be worth your time to drop them a line, or an e-line.
As far as I can tell, the work on the site and what they're producing for Adventure Time is primarily the work of Dan James, a freelance illustrator who's done work for The New York Times, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, and various bands and musicians. James has released two graphic novels: Mosquito and The Octopi & The Ocean - about which there is a laughful interview located here.
I'm pretty in love with his style. He recycles a few general characters in all of his illustrations, and the generic nature of the individual characters emphasizes their actions and surroundings. And surroundings are where Ghostshrimp illustrations really shine; the chaotic narrative pieces split your focus and force you to examine each element independently and appreciate the fine details of the picture. Conversely, the large amount of detail results in some pieces that would probably be a bit too busy for some people, especially on the limited scale of a computer screen -most are made to be printed. More than redemptive, in my opinion, is his color choice. I'm a sucker for pastels and the light contrasts in his works make the busiest of them much easier to look and disassemble. I hope you are as intrigued and captivated by Ghostshrimp as I am, and both they and I hope that you are inspired in some way.
Thanks for reading.
-Daniel
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