When you pay close attention to your favorite cartoon characters, you’ll notice there’s more to them than meets the eye. Stefan Thelen is peeling away the surface in his “Trapped” series and revealing what truly hides inside the cartoon character we all know and love.
Thelen is a Dutch artist, who goes by Super A. He uses traditional painting techniques in his work, but still manages to keep them modern and fresh through the use of mind-bending imagery that presents the characters from beloved cartoons in a whole new light.
Thelen fell in love with painting at a young age, and went on to study graphic design, later specializing in cinema painting and set design.
He spent some time working for amusement parks like Warner and Disney, and that’s when he got the idea for his viral series of illustrations, showcasing the contradiction between the fictional versions of cartoon characters and their reality.
“[I was] helping them to create a beautiful fake world which in the end isn’t that beautiful after all. After a while, I found out it was time to create my own world. The trapped series is a perfect way to show these two worlds together,” he told Bored Panda.
