Chicago-based artist and illustrator Alex Solis presents this humorous collection revealing what lies underneath the facades of several different cultural icons.
In his latest series 'Icons Unmasked,' Solis presents a selection of fictional characters taking off "masks" to reveal another character who is closely related to themselves underneath. Excellently illustrated, each example often brilliantly mashes together two different cultural icons for a comedic effect.
Sometimes the drawings are simply playing on a character's name, such as 'Batman' and 'Robin' costumes being worn by an anthropomorphic bat and robin. Other examples by the artist are just a play on words like 'Barney Rubble' wearing a 'Barney the Dinosaur' costume. Perhaps most interesting however are characters closely inspired from one another with 'Homer Simpson' in costume and likely inspiring 'Peter Griffin' as the standout example.
Unmasked Character Illustrations
Alex Solis Illustrated a Collection of Costumed Cultural Icons
Trend Themes
1. Character Unmasking - Artists in different fields can apply the concept of 'Unmasking', in order to reveal hidden identities or attributes in fiction, culture or relationships.
2. Mashup Culture - By combining two distinct cultural icons and making them into one image, a new niche in the art and design market is created.
3. Comical Illustration - This niche market of character unmasking can gain popularity through humor and satire of different cultural figures.
Industry Implications
1. Comic Book Industry - Comic book publishers can use the trend of unmasking to come up with fresh superhero designs.
2. Movie Industry - Movie industry can make use of the concept of mashup culture to create hybrid characters for either an animated or live action film.
3. Graphic Design Industry - Graphic Designers can use the character unmasking to create visually appealing and clever design projects for brands and businesses.