Jean Giraud is a French comic artist who has been involved with many movies and comics, like Tron and Silver Surfer. He also goes by the pseudonym Moebius. I found This first piece of concept art for Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland and was immediately drawn to it. I love the story, and I watched the movie as a child, but now I look at it as art, and I can truly appreciate it.
The environment stays true to Moebius’s fantasy/sci-fi style. It’s interesting because there is a sense of weightlessness of the figures and rocks around the portal, and yet the environment is anchored down. I’m reminded of the concept of “secondary motion,” how you must also take into account the way the characters’ hair and clothes move, and this scene poses an interesting problem because gravity is not working as usual. The contrast of warm and cool colors net to each other really makes the figures “pop” against the background. The line quality is very fine. He rarely uses a black outline, instead letting the color come all the way to the edge, and allowing the highlights and shadows to create the outlines.
Moebius's art doesn't usually appeal to me, but for some reason, I really like this piece. I am not familiar with the movie, but the environment and the strange color scheme immediately made me want to find out more.
ReplyDeleteI also haven't seen this movie. This is an interesting take on McKay's original concept. It seems a lot darker than the mood created in the comic. Does that feel come through in the movie?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if you haven't told me this piece was by Moebius, I would not have figured it out on my own. Moebius's art (as far as I am familiar with it, at least) usually uses more line work, both for outlines and fine details, and has a more subdued color palette than this image.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's a very effective, if a bit unbalanced image, which either causes Windsor McKay to spin in his grave, or smile knowingly from beyond.