Rick and Morty is a genre-bending science fiction cartoon comedy. The show follows the misadventures of Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith and features alternate universes, body horror, and a shocking level of emotional depth. All of those qualities and more are neatly wrapped in a package of absurd humor.
It's no wonder why the show has such an eccentric fanbase. Among those fans are a lot of talented artists who have taken it upon themselves to depict Rick and Morty in a realistic style. Like the show itself, this collection of fan art is funny, well-executed, and downright unsettling.
10 "Get Schwifty" By Stephen Andrade
Stephen Andrade's piece, titled "Get Schwifty," is a realistic depiction of the eponymous Season 2 episode. Gigantic heads descend on Earth, their only demands: "Show me what you got." Naturally, they're the judges of an interplanetary American Idol. Instead of getting scolded by Simon Cowell, the losing planet is destroyed.
Andrade's piece is also an homage to old school sci-fi and pulp magazines. Beautifully rendered in acrylic paint on canvas, this painting adds a lot of realistic depth to the world of Rick and Morty, while also maintaining its bold color pallet.
9 Morty Portrait By Ashly Lovett
This portrait was created by illustrator Ashly Lovett for the Official Rick and Morty Art Show in Los Angeles. Using chalk pastel on paper, Lovett perfectly captures the trauma that Morty has endured at the hands of his grandpa. The shine in his eyes evokes an unsettling amount of pain. The pastel medium itself elicits a sense of instability that suits the show well.
To accompany this piece, Lovett also drew a Rick portrait in the same style. Her blog post details her creative process and includes a fascinating timelapse video.
8 Ants In My Eyes Johnson By Wil Hughes
As if the concept of this character wasn't already unsettling enough, 3D modeler Wil Hughes took it to another level. Hughes elevates the character from weird to absolutely off-putting with his immense attention to detail. The sickly red gradient in the eyes, every hair having individual texture, and of course the ants.
Hughes goes above and beyond in maintaining the show's original design. As a final touch, the image has a TV filter overtop, since this character appears in a commercial during the Season 1 episode "Rixty Minutes." The TV layer effect ties the piece together and connects it to the source material in a creative way.
7 Rick And Morty By Robson Lami
Robson Lami has a series of videos wherein he photoshops cartoon characters into realistic forms. Each one is unsettling, but his Rick and Morty piece takes the cake in that department.
What makes this piece so disturbing is the realistic textures on cartoon proportions. It's as if actual human parts were stretched over a cartoon manakin. Something about seeing pores, dimples, and wrinkles on these cartoon characters is discomforting. There is an off-putting amount of textures here, yet the eyes in this rendition seem less alive than the cartoon ones.
6 Mr. Meeeeks By Wil Hughes
Wil Hughes' Mr. Meeseeks is another one of his disturbing Rick And Morty renditions. The leathery texture on Mr. Meeseeks appears sickly and demonic. The massive, lipless smile feels unnatural, while the dead black eyes resemble a doll's eyes. Everything about this piece screeches, "I'm Mr. Meeseeks! Look at me!"
Mr. Meeseeks is one of Rick's inventions, his purpose is to carry out menial tasks and promptly disappear when he's done. The dead eyes and unpleasant smile rendered in this image perfectly reflect the anguish of a character with no purpose of his own.
5 Rick And Morty By Miguel Vasquez
This 3D model by the talented Miguel Vasquez is fantastically unsettling. Their cartoonish proportions are maintained — round eyes, giant heads, skinny limbs — but they're rendered in a frighteningly realistic way.
Be it the worried wrinkles on Morty's tilted brow or the crazed asymmetrical shape of Rick's eyes, there is a ton of personality communicated in this piece. What is most unsettling about this piece is the way that their eyes bulge out of their skulls, with eyelids protruding. Not to mention Rick's drool, which gives him a rabid appearance.
4 Krombopulos Michael By Connor Gartland
Connor Gartland's rendition of Krombopulos Michael elevates the design from a goofy cartoon character to a big-budget sci-fi alien. Despite how cool he looks, this interpretation of the character remains TV Show accurate. But once again, it's the little details that give him an unsettling quality.
The peach fuzz texture all over Krombopulos Michael's flesh is completely off-putting, especially the way its edges catch light. Also, the tiny circular polyps on his head tentacles evoke a pimply texture. Finally, the strands hanging off his mouth nodules are skin-crawl inducing. This piece is entirely alien and equally off-putting.
3 Rick Sanchez By Facundo Moyano
In this piece, Artist Facundo Moyano fan-casts Christopher Walken as Rick Sanchez. The linework on the face is immediately recognizable as Walken. He is appropriately placed in front of a mugshot background, as Rick is no stranger to run-ins with the law.
Rick's expression is completely out of it, which is fitting for a character that is an uncontrollable alcoholic. There is a sense of disrespect in the portrait's gaze, no doubt directed at the authorities who arrested him. As cool as Walken is, his portrayal of a live-action Rick is an uncomfortable thought to entertain.
2 Mr. Poopybutthole By Wil Hughes
Another fan-favorite character, this time around, Mr. Poopybutthole is getting Wil Hughes' 3D treatment. This character first appeared in the Season 2 episode of Rick and Morty, "Total Rickall." The skin texture on this piece is unsettlingly smooth, with his anatomy resembling a well-moisturized finger. The way the skin on his neck is wrinkled together under his collar is also deeply discomforting.
Hughes' work shines when it comes to a wide variety of realistic textures, and this piece is no exception. He has an entire collection of hyper-realistic Rick and Morty character art, and this one is among his creepiest.
1 Rick And Morty By MJ Hible
This piece by artist MJ Hible is reminiscent of a comic book crossover event or a blockbuster movie poster. The sharp linework is highly detailed and provides a lot of energy from its scratchy texture. The vibrant colors and realistic expressions evoke an almost psychedelic clash between reality and fantasy. It features fan-favorite characters Mr. Poopybutthole, Mr. Meeseeks, and, of course, Pickle Rick.
Best of all, Hible also cast Finn Wolfhard as Morty and Willem Dafoe as Rick. This is a blockbuster just begging to be made.