Rip Off
Client
Awesome and Modest Inc. Sean Donnelly
Service
Background Illustration
The animation Rip Off tells the story of Wilmore, an animator and the main character who moves to LA
© Rip Off
Overview
The film stands out with its distinctive visual style, designed to evoke the feel of oil paintings despite being created digitally. What makes it unique is the intentional avoidance of blur effects, relying instead on rough, scattered brushes to guide the audience’s focus to key points in the background.
Director — Sean Donnelly
Animation & Character Design— John Howard Thomson
Background Artist — Gwen Gunyung Lee , Alexis Demetriades
My Role
Researched locations based on the animatic, visiting sites when necessary, and established perspective, eye levels, and composition aligned with character interactions. Applied oil brushes for sharp focal points and rougher textures for out-of-focus elements, balancing shadow and unexpected color choices to enrich the background’s storytelling.