Eric 4/14/10

I'm not happy with the Oompa Loompas, and it finally occurred to me as to why: in the quest for individuality, I think I've lost their "spark". In every aspect of the design, we've sought out a strong sense of individuality, which I love. However, the Oompas function and exist ENTIRELY as a group.

What I am inspired by is the idea that they are, in fact, factory workers. They can still have personality, but they gain a much higher level of functionality.

In this design, they would be in black coveralls. Their names, back patches, trim, pockets, appliques and socks would be in the bright colors. They all don't even have to be polka dots, as I can source soccer socks in MANY varieties of patterns and colors.

What this also does is allow for a stronger context for all of the OTHER individuals to stand out more clearly. The kids, bad kids, Buckets: they now have a more solid group to play against, rather than an overwhelming amount of individuals competing for visual attention.

So, I've really not drawn someone from the back in a long time. I just decided that it could be a different person, since I was having a horrible time trying to find the same figure in reverse. If this idea flies, I'll just sketch the other five Oompas around these two.