Rich Werner

Rich Werner was the artist of Plants vs. Zombies. He created most concepts of the game's characters. He has been in the gaming industry since around 2000, and is still active as an artist.

He now works in 'All Yes Good' studios, and worked on art for 'Octogeddon', George Fan's newest game.

QnA session

Q&A session with various users from The PvZ 1 Modders Association Discord server that took place on August 1, 2023^[1] with questions being asked in a separate channel ahead of time, from July 28 to July 31.^[2]

2,147,483,647 feet

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#	Question	Answer
1	Rich, is there any plant/zombie you regret making?	NEVER!
2	Is the zombie speak (in X-10 notes) a font or simply hand written?	I just made it up myself haha!
3	was there suppose to be widescreen main menu in pvz or was it cut	We never thought about Wide Screen in the beginning. That is why the resolution is so low as well.
4	Was your first zombie design ever used in a early version of the game? (was it animated too)	Nope. It looked to groos and George wanted it to be more approachable. Something more based on his original pixel art. So I used that as inspiration.
5	According to Tod, the background style and the day background were made by someone else George found on deviantart Can you share some tips regarding the process of making the lawns?	That is true. I was never able to go through and rework any of the Level BG's. Those were actually the first pieces of art made for the game before I started working on it.
6	this image was found on an archived interview with george after the game's release. do you know about this image? if you do, could you explain what these shrunk down designs were meant for, like if they were meant to be a test to see what the designs would look like in game. could you also showcase any more of these smaller versions if you so happen to still have them?	This was a lineup I made as I was creating characters. We axed thehospital gown one I think because we just didn't feel it clicked. I did redo the intestines on the bungie zombie by making it into a rope for a more family friendly look. The early Gargantuar was just an initial concept
7	Did you design this titlescreen for the pc and other old mobile version? and if so why are the zombies in a different art style to how they are in the gameplay, same with the plants they just look a bit off.	I did do the title screens. I just wanted to do a painterly version of the characters. Sort of like the old days where you had a cool illustration on the cartridge but in game the art was way different. I justr wanted to make a more fantastical illustration. Some dig it and some don't but at the time that is what I was going for.
8	did you make the pvz ds sprites or was it someone else, and if you don't mind do you know who made them?	I did not. I think they were outsourced at that point.
9	there are several unused sprites in the game that fans have found over the years including this mockup of an eye popping out of the zombie's head which uses 3 of said unused sprites. could you explain the lore behind these assets? more of these can be found on PvZ's cutting room floor page if you'd like to pick out more of these unused assets to give some backstory on.	Most unused assets were just accidently left I think. BUT, The image below is parts from a version of the game that ended up on Xbox. I can't remember exactly. I do rmember there is a version of a zombie that gets a peanut allergy and dies LOL. I thinkl these are parts of hin. There were lots of Georges pixel ideas left as well.
10	what is this supposed to be, like, what's the grave buster based on	The grave buster is basically just a stone monster with vines. I honestly was running out of ideas LOL!!\
11	What drawings do you do for fun in your free time?	In my free time I usually like to paint actually. I am working on a series of paintings called "Gross Ups" Here is a link to them so far:link Scroll past the Disney piece and you can see 4 of them so far.
12	How much will your commisions cost?	As far as commissions go I am now open to them. Here is a link to order them.link I will be live streaming them as they come in on my new Twitch Channel link
13	Is there anything you'd change about pvz1 if you were given the chance? If so, what?	I would have revisited the Backgrounds and cleaned them up more.
14	what plants vs zombies merchandise do you own?	I own a Ton of stuff. I have pretty much all of it plus a bunch of crazy bootleg stuff from China. I have some PVZ shoes even haha..
15	do you still have contact with george fan.	Yep. He flies up once in a while to hang out. I do talk to him often. He is considered part of my family.
16	Whats your opinion on pvz mods trying to replicate your "pvz" style?	I love it! If inspires you then go for it!
17	if someone wants to go for their own style,whats your opinion about it?	To be honest having your own art "style" is basically all the things that inspired you as you learned. You pick up bits and pieces of the things you like and eventually it all comes together to create a single "style"
18	What were some inspirations for your style?	I was always a huge Disney fan, I loved things like Ren and Stimpy as well. I also was a huge Comic book guy and would try to emulate different artists like Jim Lee and Art Adams. I think I sort of mixed lots of things together
19	Do you think your style in pvz represent your style as a whole?	I would say so in a way. The linework and shapes for sure. It also represented the way I colored things back then.
20	when did you start working for pvz and/or popcap?	Don't quote me butr I think I started around the early to mid 2000s. I do know I was around employee23=25. Something like that. I started there in the very early years.
21	Why Bungee Zombie doesn't have a death animation when you defeat it	Bungie Zombie has no death anim because of game pace. It would take to long to see it happening and the game is too fast paced at that moment so it would mess with game play.
22	Why imps don't have an idle animation	Imp has no idle because once he is thrown he just walks. He does not stand still.
23	Did you draw the backgrounds larger than they appear in game? The console versions show more than the PC version does, however some sources claim they were drawn by someone else	The backgrounds were not widescreen in the beginning. Once it went wide screen. Myself and another artist had to expand them and fill them in.
24	How would you feel if popcap decided to remaster pvz1?	I wouldn't mind it but if they decided to completely redo the art then I think it would lose some of its charm. Any artisat that comes in after an original game art style will want to put their own stamp on it.
25	in terms of art styles how do you feel about the pvz 2 art style compared to yours ?	It is just different. There was a guiy who was originally working on it that George and I loved but PopCap ended up using someone else.
26	The trashcan from the zombie in the console ports of the game looks out of place (to me) is the trashcan drawn by you and if yes why it looks so different from everything else	I do not remember drawing that lol I think someone else added that in later.
27	Which version of the game do you think is best? Like having the best exclusive things and stuff like that?	Well, of course I am biased. Without the original you have nothing. Plus it is jam packed full of content that you do not need ot pay extra for
28	What was it like seeing the Garden Warfare models for the first time?	I was blown away. I couldn't figure out how they were going to make PVZ into an FPS. The concepts looked rad butr when I saw it finished I thought it was so cool!
29	If popcap approached you and asked you to do the art for a new pvz game, would you and why or why not?	Of course I would do it. I would love to. I actually applied a few times to some positions in the PVZ franchise but was turned down LOL!!!
30	two questions in one: what happened to the head of the Zombie Temp Worker (like the current state of it), and what was it made out of	I have no idea what happened to it haha. It was made out of styrofoam and paper mache I believe.
31	Is there anything we haven't seen from the cancelled PvZ dreamworks movie? (maybe a concept art or any idea of what would the script consist on)	There was a piece that was Crazy Dave thant I never saw since the meeting. Also a few others. There was an animation of the Dreamworks log with a zombie on the crescent Moon saying " Braiiiinnns" If I remembver right it was contaminated hotdogs and a carnival that turned ppl. Crazy Dave could talk to the plants and modified them to fight. I think there was an old lady that raised the plants as well and the main characxter was a little boy. It is funny because it reminded me of when Paranorman camer out how the boy had that "Crazy " uncle .
32	how do you feel about these zombies i've made? they're based on pvz heroes cards and heroes and i'm curious how you feel about them Art by: reatexists	OK, the cardboard box one is cracking me up
33	What was your reaction when Plants vs Zombies became famous?	Shock! We had no idea it would go as far as it did. Wer were just trying to make something fun that we would enjoy playing.
34	Hey Rich, hopefully this is good enough but What do you think of the current Art direction for the pvz franchise and all? Mainly pvz2 and it's designs	It is just different. I would have taken a different approach to some of the designs but since I wasn't working on it I can't complain. They did what they thought was best. For better or worse.
35	What's your favorite color? [:	I avoid color. Black is all I wear LOL.
36	What plant went through the most redesigns? also u taking commissions?	I think I redid Torchwood and also the catapults. It took a while before I settled on how they would look and work animated. Also YES I am taking commissions. Scroll up for links in another answer!
37	What was the art design philosophy for the original Plants VS Zombies?	We wanted to make the game kid friendly but with just enough dark humor. Something that a 5 yr old isnt scared of and a 80 yr old lady would also dig on but appeal to teenagers as well. George really did a great job of keeping it all in that relm. Sometimes I tend to go a little too hard towards the gross factor aand he always had great compromises.
38	Hey Rich, been playing PvZ 1 since I was a kid and the fact that the franchise I’ve looked up to has gone this far is amazing. Anyways I was wondering if there were any plants/zombies you wished you designed differently?	It truly is amazing. I don't think I would redesign anything. It is a sign of the times and how we were thinking of things in the moment.
39	Have you played any pvz1 mods? What do you think about them?	Also I have not played any mods. I didn't know that they really existed. This place is full of talented ppl. I will have to try some out.
OK, It's been over an hour. I think I answered most questions. Let's do this again sometime soon!!! I had a blast hanging out with you all. Thanks for being such awesome supporters. It means a LOT to me! Take care all!! Hit me up if you want any commissions. (shameless plug) link