Tellie Lectric Model Sheet

Tellie Lectric model sheet drawn by in house artist at Telectrica Innovations

The original design of Tellie Lectric, the face of Telectrica Innovations, was a bit more complex and detailed. This model sheet depicts the character with a simplified design that would be used for animated commercials, so the animators would have an easier time animating Tellie. With simple shapes and colors, they could save time and money on animations. The above design would later be used for print ads as well, but the original design made occasional comebacks to the distributed ads. 

Tellie Lectric’s art style is known today as UPA (United Productions of America) a style that was innovated by a generation of artists dissatisfied with current events. Following union busting retaliation from Liquid Laff studios that left many animators without work these animators would go on to form their own studios. They developed their own art style, inspired by art from overseas, with a focus on expressionism, shapes, colors, lines, and breaking away from the established Liquid Laff style. It was a way to express themselves in a way that had never been allowed at Liquid Laff, to keep animated art from stagnating, a way to push art forward.