A talentedGrand Theft Autofan on Tiktok made a basic Croc into a tribute to the long-running blockbuster franchise’s unique art style. Using the hydro dipping technique, a process of taking a flat 2D image and applying it evenly across a 3D surface, an artist transformed a white Croc into art. The inspiration is clear asGrand Theft Autohas had a distinctive art style based off of movie posters, such as Steve McQueen’sThomas Crown Affair, ever sinceGrand Theft Auto 3on the PlayStation 2 gave new life to the franchise.
Rockstar Games introduced gamers to the crime-filled world ofGrand Theft Autoon the original PlayStation in 1997. The first two games were top down games but the DNA of one of gaming’s largest franchises was present from the very beginning. Committing violent acts to complete missions was always present from 1997 to today, when even a pacifistGrand Theft Auto 5playthroughresults in a hundred dead. The original designer of the iconicGrand Theft Auto 3cover art, Steve Bliss, purposely used a design that would de-emphasize the violent nature of the game itself.
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Today, artist wassertransferduck’s Croc design is one of manyfan projects honoringGrand Theft Auto. Using hydro dipping as a medium, wassertransferduck first had to create an entire painted surface ofGrand Theft Autoartwork before transferring the image to hydrographic film that is carefully placed beneath the surface of the water. As seen in the Tiktok video, the surface tension of the water itself is what causes the water to bend around the Croc and finish the transformation of a 2D image on a flat surface to a curved image on a 3D surface.
The images chosen by wassertransferduck cover the history ofGrand Theft Auto, from the original cover art toGrand Theft Auto 4’s Lost and the Damnedand evenGrand Theft Auto Online.Fan creations shared online tend to focus on the mainGrand Theft Autogames, like thisVice City artistic creation, with the side stories often being neglected. By includingThe Ballad of Gay Tonyalongside the mainline entries, wassertransduck captured the history ofGrand Theft Autoon a single Croc.
Reactions to the Tiktok, which has over 2 million likes, have been overwhelmingly positive. A few fans marveled at the hydro dipping technique and considered it to be magic while others commented that they would purchase Crocs with aGrand Theft Autodesign. Withno release window yet forGrand Theft Auto 6,Grand Theft Autofans remain highly passionate over the earlier games in the franchise from sharing of fan projects to discussing theories about the fate of CJ fromSan Andreas.
