Process: SHOAH

Here is a poster concept for SHOAH that we didn't end up using as the final one-sheet for IFCFilms. There were many, many striking images in Claude Lanzmann's 10-hour holocaust documentary, some more harrowing than others, but all of them beautiful in some way. It was very important to avoid presenting the film as a gloomy or morbid nightmare, because the film itself, difficult as it is to watch at times, is anything but. This was my favorite poster idea, and below is another. For the final poster, I gave a new treatment to an iconic image that was used in the original promotion of the film 25 years ago, both also seen below.

unused poster concept, 2010

original promotional poster, 1985

final theatrical poster design for IFCFilms, 2010

CHILDREN'S BOOKSHELF: Victor Chizhikov

I found some great old children's books on my most recent trip overseas, and here I present the holy grail of them all, this German edition of a Russian folktake "Wie Der Wolf Ein Liedchen Sang" (something like "A Song Like the Wolf's Song") illustrated by Victor Chizhikov. I found it crammed into a shelf in a tiny magical old bookshop in Berlin. Chizhikov began as a caricaturist and went on to illustrate countless childrens books. He also created the beloved Misha, the mascot character for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Not much of his artwork seems to be online, so I'm happy to share some pictures from this title which showcases his gorgeous illustrations. Click these to see the details enlarged, and find a few more at my Flickr page.

TOUR FINDS

Some finds from Berlin, Copenhagen and elsewhere on tour. Pics & posts coming in the future...

50 WATTS

A Journey Round My Skull, my favorite blog on the internet, is now 50 Watts. And now its even prettier, like its cousin But Does It Float. Curated by the great Will Schofield, 50 Watts highlights fantastic and mysterious found book art and illustrations. Just see it for yourself. Also follow 50 Watts on Twitter, and find the link permanently on the right hand side of my blog for future browsing. Thank you Will for the endless inspiration!

SATURDAY EVENING POSTER

Fun 60's British postal poster that I found while browsing through a bookshop in London. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that advertising used to look this great. I'll be posting some more tour finds soon...

JERZY FLISAK

Here is a selection of wonderful film posters by Jerzy Flisak, one of my favorite Polish poster artists. I haven't been able to find out much information about the man other than that he began as a satirical cartoonist (some of his cartoon illustrations can be seen in this untranslated video) and also illustrated children's books and even directed his own animated film. Sadly I haven't found any evidence of either online. Flisak's imagination seems boundless, and more than anything his work inspires me to draw. See more of Flisak's posters here and here. Also: Saturday Evening Poster - The Little Prince (which I'm proud to say is the first Flisak poster I own and have hanging on my wall).

NEIL KELLERHOUSE

I was introduced to the work of designer Neil Kellerhouse through his covers for the Criterion Collection, realizing that so many of my favorite Criterion covers that I couldn't stop staring at were all designed by the same man. Only after browsing his staggeringly impressive visual resume online did I realize that he's also responsible for the theatrical posters for THE SOCIAL NETWORK, I'M STILL HERE and THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE-- some of the best theatrical posters created in recent memory-- not to mention the freakin' FINDING NEMO title treatment. Dude doesn't mess around.

Neil obviously doesn't need my help promoting his stuff, but nonetheless I wanted to share with any unfamiliar readers some of these beautiful pieces of his. Visit Kellerhouse.com to see more, where he has nicely arranged a flow of images that include peeks at alternate and unused versions of his iconic posters and Criterion covers. I love his creative type arrangements and the overall tone and photographic beauty of his images. For now the man remains a mystery; I would love to see some process posts from him, a blog, or an occasional tweet, if you're out there Neil!