Inspiring Movement

As I embark on a whole new idea artistically (and, it so happens, in my life as well), I find myself seeking new sources of inspiration. Where my last show saw me rummaging for the bright lights of the circus and freakshow, this new direction has lately been calling for the muted colours of the sea on a stormy day, for tiny, detailed illustrations of scientific specimens, and for all manner of anatomical illustration.

To help collect the inspiring images that appear in the digital world, I have set up another Tumblr scrapbook - Collected Collection. Along with that resource, I have been absorbing stimulating images elsewhere, including at the movies. Just last night I made my way to a theatre to see L'Illusionniste, a thoroughly beautiful (and quietly tragic) film directed by Sylvain Chomet (who also directed one of my all-time favourite animated films Les triplettes de Belleville).

Though much more subtle than Les triplettes (which rollicked merrily along, skirting storms of darkness but never succumbing to anything less than manic, glorious fun), L'Illusionniste offered equally beautiful animation. The colours of the visual landscapes, which moved through Paris, London, the Scottish highlands and Edinburgh, matched the story's quiet, sad beauty with slightly muted tones, as if the whole movie was 'shot' either at the golden hour or during the soft drizzle of a newborn autumn storm.

I found myself immersed in the world of the Illusionist, completely enthralled by the detail filling every single frame, and inspired by the animators' use of colour. Cases in point:







Absolutely incredible, eh? If you've got a love for the wonders of traditional animation, make sure to see this one on the big screen, as the amount of detail put into every scene is unbelievable.

I promise I'll have a post of my own art ready soon - I've been sketching busily away in my book in preparation for actually starting to work on the new show/idea (the thrill!).

Oh, and as a bonus, here are the two trailers for the movies mentioned in this post (because the animation is even more amazing when seen in motion):





L'enjoi!