Art Direction

The model style that I have in mind is essentially detailed (be it exaggerated) geometry with simple textures. By making the geometry much more detailed than the textures we can get more of a realistic feel from a cartoon-like environment. If any of you have played Team Fortress 2, they accomplish this quite well:

Note that, for the most part, textures are solid colors; but in certain areas (the guy on the left's socks, the 'propane tank') the textures are more detailed. By only adding realistic detail where it is absolutely necessary we can get a realistic but cartoon-like feel.

This feel was also done very well in Burning Safari. The character textures consisted of a lot of solid colors put together just right. Even the geometry for the primate was pretty simple:

Note the simple blocky canyon walls as well (again, pretty much one color, and really good lighting):

Accenting a sold color texture with some dirt on a corner or some wear on a flat surface will go a long ways with this style. I posted all of these pictures and a few others on Flickr so please check them out and get a feel for what I am trying to portray.