Friends and family, artists and otaku, the 2017 KWF Sponsored Artist application cycle is now closed. With a good amount of portfolios queued up, now is a good time to get acquainted with the selection panel that will review this year's applicants.
In addition to the usual suspects on KWF's board, each year's panel is advised by a professional in a field of interest to the Foundation. Past panel judges have included art college professors and pro illustrators. This year we're assisted by film industry concept art and illustrator veteran Simon Thorpe. Simon is a long-time friend of Kevin and KWF and we're excited to have his assistance and guidance during this year's artist selection process.
To find out more about Simon, click through after the break!
In addition to the usual suspects on KWF's board, each year's panel is advised by a professional in a field of interest to the Foundation. Past panel judges have included art college professors and pro illustrators. This year we're assisted by film industry concept art and illustrator veteran Simon Thorpe. Simon is a long-time friend of Kevin and KWF and we're excited to have his assistance and guidance during this year's artist selection process.
To find out more about Simon, click through after the break!
Portrait of Captain Jean Luc Picard, from Simon's online portfolio.
Simon has devoted much of his artistic career to the film industry, where he started as a prop painter on the James Bond film, "The World is Not Enough," in 1998. And as always, the film industry was a harsh mistress, with Simon's first major motion picture gig coming as a result of skill, grit, and a heavy dash of luck. Simon characterized his break as, "Having spent a long time banging on doors and being turned away, persistence and tenacity paid off.”
Simon was originally employed by set decorators to produce paintings, and by model units to produce digital paintings. Do you remember the first Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", and the sweeping pan in the scene where we first see the marble staircase in Hogwarts? And on the walls, the many lavish paintings of figures from wizarding lore, both legendary and prosaic? Simon created hundreds of digital paintings for the model unit which had built a 40 foot long ‘ miniature’ of the staircase which was then merged on screen with a full-size section in which the actors appear. The paintings were all done to scale and printed off, glazed, and then put into carefully sculpted frames before being mounted on the staircase model. The number of images required and their scale demanded that each portrait be digitally produced, but authentically 'real' in the style of classical oil paintings. Simon is a rare artist that appreciates and works fluently in both worlds, and production constraints made this skill indispensable.
Simon recounts, "I was asked to do it because I could paint traditionally and also digitally. And as there wasn’t time or room for hundreds of scaled down oil paintings the work had to done digitally but look traditional."
Sometimes magic is all about having the right skill in the right place at the right time.
(Incidentally, it was around this time that Kevin first met Simon. We all remember at least one conversation with Kevin where he'd break in with, "Dude let me tell you about the guy that did THE PAINTINGS ON THE STAIRCASE AT HOGWARTS”).
Simon was originally employed by set decorators to produce paintings, and by model units to produce digital paintings. Do you remember the first Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", and the sweeping pan in the scene where we first see the marble staircase in Hogwarts? And on the walls, the many lavish paintings of figures from wizarding lore, both legendary and prosaic? Simon created hundreds of digital paintings for the model unit which had built a 40 foot long ‘ miniature’ of the staircase which was then merged on screen with a full-size section in which the actors appear. The paintings were all done to scale and printed off, glazed, and then put into carefully sculpted frames before being mounted on the staircase model. The number of images required and their scale demanded that each portrait be digitally produced, but authentically 'real' in the style of classical oil paintings. Simon is a rare artist that appreciates and works fluently in both worlds, and production constraints made this skill indispensable.
Simon recounts, "I was asked to do it because I could paint traditionally and also digitally. And as there wasn’t time or room for hundreds of scaled down oil paintings the work had to done digitally but look traditional."
Sometimes magic is all about having the right skill in the right place at the right time.
(Incidentally, it was around this time that Kevin first met Simon. We all remember at least one conversation with Kevin where he'd break in with, "Dude let me tell you about the guy that did THE PAINTINGS ON THE STAIRCASE AT HOGWARTS”).
Simon's work from "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone". Source: www.simonthorpe.com
Mural from "Alexander" depicting a scene from the legend of Prometheus. Source: www.simonthorpe.com With the Harry Potter movie came a much-expanded portfolio and professional reputation, which led to more illustration work in support of set decorators on various films. Simon's eye for detail also landed him work as a concept artist, producing presentation pieces for HBO and working on set design for Oliver Stone’s "Alexander". Simon took pleasure in designing everything from ancient murals and mosaics to costumes during production. He designed the ancient murals digitally and ended up painting them full-size on the set. He finds film work particularly appealing because of the variety of subjects needed for production along with the varied approaches, skills and techniques required.
Simon's other credits include working on the third Mission: Impossible movie in Berlin (2004). There, he met Ngila Dickson, who designed the costumes for Lord of the Rings and Last Samurai, among many others. He has produced costume illustrations for her ever since, working on a range of projects including such diverse films as "Blood Diamond", "Green Lantern" and the sequel to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", showcasing a dynamic range of tone and content across diverse genres.
Simon's work in more traditional, non-film illustration is also highly successful. Two of his images were included in Spectrum 10, one of which was selected to be included in the first Spectrum exhibition at the Society of illustrators in Manhattan in 2005. He's also created numerous images for magazine and book covers. And you're sure to recognize the subject of his illustration that won the 2013 Rondo Award for Best Cover:
Simon's work in more traditional, non-film illustration is also highly successful. Two of his images were included in Spectrum 10, one of which was selected to be included in the first Spectrum exhibition at the Society of illustrators in Manhattan in 2005. He's also created numerous images for magazine and book covers. And you're sure to recognize the subject of his illustration that won the 2013 Rondo Award for Best Cover:
Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz for Famous Monsters of Filmland. Source: www.simonthorpe.com
We're happy to count Simon a friend a KWF, and love keeping up with the latest work in his satisfyingly eclectic portfolio. His experience in the worlds of illustration, movie magic, wizarding, and witchcraft make him the perfect voice of experience to advise and assist with this year's KWF Sponsored Artist Selection. Thanks Simon!
Be sure to check out Simon's work at www.simonthorpe.com. And keep a channel open for more news as we get ready to announce the KWF 2017 Sponsored Artist!
Be sure to check out Simon's work at www.simonthorpe.com. And keep a channel open for more news as we get ready to announce the KWF 2017 Sponsored Artist!
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