jjjjjohn, the alias of the artist John Karel, is a computer animator and illustrator based in Philadelphia. He creates low-poly, low-resolution GIF animations of everyday consumer objects and a recurring 3D skeleton character. The skeleton, which he began animating in 2014, has no fixed backstory, name or gender, chosen for its universal, timeless familiarity.
Karel is originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Time spent at Tyler School of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art shapes his approach. His low-poly style draws on the look of 1990s Nintendo 64 and CD-ROM computer games, as well as the practical need for models that are fast to build and animate. He also cites the Pop Art of Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Tom Wesselmann as an influence, drawn to its use of ordinary consumer objects to address media saturation and celebrity culture. Karel builds his 3D animations in Blender, having previously used Maya, alongside Adobe software for drawing and editing. He first built an online following on Tumblr before gaining wider exposure making Instagram content for the comedy production company Super Deluxe.
