Digital Artist:  Mathieu Beaulieu  

Mathieu Beaulieu is a digital artist I found on a web site with pictures of top digital artists.  Outlaw, D. (2009).  One Hundred Artworks from the Top Digital Artists in the US & Canada. Tuts. Retrieved from  http://design.tutsplus.com/articles/100-artworks-from-the-top-digital-artists-in-the-usa-canada--psd-4445.  On his own web site, Beaulieu says that he has loved to draw since childhood, and he enjoys “drawing crazy characters set in various funny universes.”  He has a degree in 2D animation, and has worked in video games, animated series, and advertising.  He freelances now, and he is living in Montreal.  His clients include Coca-Cola, Subway, and Game Works.  Beaulieu, M. (2014).  Info. Retrieved from http://mathieubeaulieu.com/

I love the cartoony characters he draws. Mathieu Beaulieu.  Behance.  Retrieved from https://www.behance.net/mathieubeaulieu.   One of my favorites is his “King APE.”   Beaulieu, M. King APE.  Behance.  Retrieved from https://www.behance.net/gallery/92570/King-APE  The colorful and cartoony monkey is standing before a graffiti wall which reads “King of the Apes.”  He is “aping” a street hood, with his tough guy attitude, his bling (earrings and crown), his motorcycle jacket, and his belt buckle.  But the belt buckle has an ape skull with its cross bones, and his drug of choice appears to be bananas, because banana skins are scattered all around him.  Like all of Beaulieu’s work, I don’t think there is any “meaning” in the sense of a message—he just likes to create appealing characters in fantasy universes.  To someone who grew up on comic books, cartoons, and video games, his work has a lot of appeal.  Another favorite of his is “Johnny the Normal Guy.”  Beaulieu, M.  Johnny the Normal Guy.  Behance.  Retrieved from https://www.behance.net/gallery/276874/Johnny-the-Normal-Guy.  Well, Johnny is not normal.  His head is misshapen, his eye is misplaced, and his knuckles are scraping the ground.  He is a different kind of monster—more gentle, less threatening, and almost nostalgic.  He has the look of a simpler time—and the pictures themselves are simple too, without much detail and with soft colors.  None of Beaulieu’s monsters are really scary, but they are colorful and fun.   He takes you to a fantasy place that is like the cartoons of your childhood.  And his work is obviously very commercial. 

I know what you are thinking—this is not art.  But I say it is.   And it is the kind of art that many people see and appreciate.  I would love to put his art into a video game, maybe even a game for kids, because it is gentle, and not violent and scary. And it definitely has a look.  Obviously, advertisers like it.  I think gamers, especially younger gamers, would like it too.