To make it look realistic I had to research real places using Google street view.

But all the reference images looked too simplified/cartoony. As I started to block in the scene I realized that I had to research the whole street where Moe’s Tavern sits. It’s very efficient versus using a Windows folder and it’s free to use!Īs an additional point, the research usually continues throughout the production process. I personally use Pure Ref to collect my reference so I can see it all in one place and zoom in to things, rearrange images into subject areas. I’m not even sure if I gained much from collecting those but sometimes you’ll browse through your reference files and a tiny piece of one image will give you what you need, or maybe just the overall collection will instill something in your subconscious. I actually found some kind of publications (comic?) titled Treehouse of Horror which had fairly well rendered illustrations on the cover. I also wanted to see if there was any existing Simpsons zombie art available to see if that would generate some ideas. Obviously I needed to remind myself what Moe’s tavern looked like, so my research began there. You can then play with all kinds of camera angles and lenses and lighting scenarios which gives way more fidelity than thumbnailing, especially when defined and recognizable architecture is going to be in the scene. If you pretty much know exactly what’s going to be in the scene, it can allow you to forego the thumbnail process and just start modeling. We’re going to start by jumping straight into 3D because in this instance, I knew I was going to use Moe’s Tavern as a location and it needed to be built. So we’re looking at lots of 80s horror tropes like back-lit fog, rim light, more fog, zombies, and a grainy look, alongside mid-century architecture. Actually, this is the second Simpsons horror piece I’ve done and you can check out the other one, featuring the Kwik-e-Mart in my portfolio (I also did a quick animation for it too).

So here I wanted to explore everyone’s (at one time or another) favorite cartoon The Simpsons, and mix it with a kind of gritty 80s vibe. Most of my influences come from the 80s and maybe early 90s, often mixed with horror.

Moe tutorial