'Breinstein' (Zo Zit Dat #12, 2011).
Dany Fernandez is a Madrid-based character designer and illustrator, who has worked on animation projects such as Hebro Character Design for studios like Able & Baker, The SPA Studios and Illumination Mac Guff. He drew comics through Studio Comicup on European children's publications, starring licensed properties like 'Angry Birds', 'Tom & Jerry' and Disney characters. He was the first artist to draw the science gag comic 'Breinstein' (2011-2012).
Early life and education
Daniel Fernandez Casas was born in 1992 in Barcelona as the son of Studio Comicup's art director and lead inker Tony Fernandez. Having inherited his father's talent, Dany became a bachelor of arts from the Institut Vall d'Hebron (2007-2010). He then studied Illustration at the Escola de la Llotja in Barcelona (2010-2012), while doing character designs and comic book art through Studio Comicup.
'Tom & Jerry'.
Studio Comicup
Fernández was affiliated with Comicup from December 2009 until September 2012. For the Scandinavian publisher Egmont, he drew comics starring 'Tom & Jerry' (characters originally created by Hanna & Barbera), as well as illustrations and activity artwork for Rovio's game franchise 'Angry Birds Space'. He also provided Disney art for Hachette Presse in France, as well as one 2011 story starring Walt Disney's 'Basil the Great Mouse Detective' for the Dutch Donald Duck weekly by publisher Sanoma.
'Basil the Great Mouse Detective', from Donald Duck #14, 2013 (storycode H2011-244) - © Disney.
Breinstein
Also for Sanoma, Fernandez did the character designs for the 'Breinstein' comic strip, which appears on the back cover of Dutch popular science monthly Zo Zit Dat since 2011. The original concept and cast was developed by Dutch art studio chief Frans Hasselaar. Fernández drew the gag strip about the absent-minded professor Breinstein, his eager neighbour Joost, robot help A3 and his pet dinosaur Trex during its first year (late 2011-2012) from scripts by Hasselaar and other Dutch editors (Bas Schuddeboom, Jos Beekman), while the final inking and technical adjustments were made by Viktor Venema. He was then succeeded by respectively his Comicup colleagues Sònia Albert (2012-2016) and Andrea Dotta (2017), until Dutch artist Roel Venderbosch was hired to take over the full production.
Concept artwork for the 'Smallfoot' film - © Warner Bros.
Character designer
From 2012 onwards, Daniel Fernàndez has developed himself into one of Spain's leading character designers for movies, TV series and advertising. He has been affiliated with Madrid studios like Able & Baker and Sergio Pablos' The SPA Studios, as well as llumination Mac Guff in Paris, France. Notable work have been his designs for the Warner Bros film 'Smallfoot' (2018) through SPA Studios (2012-2013) and for the CG-animated feature based on Dr. Seuss' 'The Grinch' (2018) through Illumination (2016-2017).
Concept art for 'The Grinch'.