Thank you! Glad you enjoyed. And it's a film we've been thinking about ever since that first screening, trying to wrap our minds around. Just incredibly unique and strange.
This is wonderful. Miyazaki actually visited Pixar years ago when I was working there, and the reverence for this kind of visual development work was very tangible. The image boards, color scripts, and concept art that get developed to shape the emotional journey of a film have always been one of my favorite parts of working in animation as a lighting artist. They really are the emotional blueprint that everything else is built on.
Seeing these boards collected and analyzed like this is stunning. Thank you for the work you put into these pieces. And thank you for the generous mention of my Teri profile in the newsbits section - that means a great deal 🙏
I first saw Miyazaki’s work in elementary school and have been captivated by his world and imagination since. It’s refreshing to be reminded and inspired of the longevity creativity can sustain, with the right habits and resources. May all our most creative work open up in our 40s and beyond
We first encountered My Neighbor Totoro on VHS around the early 2000s, without knowing anything about it or Studio Ghibli, and have been lifelong fans of Miyazaki's work ever since. Getting to study his trajectory in the newsletter has been a privilege! It's incredible how much he grew after hitting middle age.
Amazing read!! Miyazaki's work never fails to impress, inspire and delight me!! I'm also excited to check out these wonderful books you've referenced! The image boards are so cool!
Thank you so much! And the Miyazaki-related art books mentioned in the piece are all excellent, and many of them have English editions. Definitely recommend checking out Watercolor Impressions for more on that early-1980s era of Miyazaki's career!
Thanks a ton! It's wonderful to hear that, because we actually do write the articles for slow/thorough reading (even though we try to keep them accessible enough for quick reading).
As for finding the time -- it's always a struggle! Determining what we've got room to research and cover each issue, given our schedule, is a week-by-week and sometimes day-by-day thing. And most issues involve tight crunches that run right up to the deadline. Our weeks revolve around the newsletter and we just have to make it work (and so it often takes us way, way too long to respond to emails)!
I would kill for a whole film in the style of Miyazaki image boards. All that raw tactile drawing and watercolor work, something like that one scene in Princess Kaguya.
I had to get a coffee for this read especially! And some of these image boards were absolutely stunning, some of which I've never seen(those dragon drawings were so cool!).
So glad you enjoyed! We wanted to include a wide range of his art from across his career, to give some idea of his progression. And we only shared a tiny slice of what's in these books -- it's kind of unbelievable how many amazing image boards he's made over the decades!
Really glad to hear that! There's a lot in this piece we hope can inspire folks, particularly the habit of regular sketching and Miyazaki's breakthrough in his 40s.
A great deep dive! I remember being silent after seeing The Boy and the Heron as well. It was Howl’s all over again for me.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed. And it's a film we've been thinking about ever since that first screening, trying to wrap our minds around. Just incredibly unique and strange.
This is wonderful. Miyazaki actually visited Pixar years ago when I was working there, and the reverence for this kind of visual development work was very tangible. The image boards, color scripts, and concept art that get developed to shape the emotional journey of a film have always been one of my favorite parts of working in animation as a lighting artist. They really are the emotional blueprint that everything else is built on.
Seeing these boards collected and analyzed like this is stunning. Thank you for the work you put into these pieces. And thank you for the generous mention of my Teri profile in the newsbits section - that means a great deal 🙏
Thanks a ton! It's great to hear this. And happy to give your piece a shout-out -- awesome work documenting Teri's story!
A treasure trove of greatness. Thanks A.O.
Happy to share this beautiful art and a little of the story behind it!
I first saw Miyazaki’s work in elementary school and have been captivated by his world and imagination since. It’s refreshing to be reminded and inspired of the longevity creativity can sustain, with the right habits and resources. May all our most creative work open up in our 40s and beyond
We first encountered My Neighbor Totoro on VHS around the early 2000s, without knowing anything about it or Studio Ghibli, and have been lifelong fans of Miyazaki's work ever since. Getting to study his trajectory in the newsletter has been a privilege! It's incredible how much he grew after hitting middle age.
peak
Amazing read!! Miyazaki's work never fails to impress, inspire and delight me!! I'm also excited to check out these wonderful books you've referenced! The image boards are so cool!
Thank you so much! And the Miyazaki-related art books mentioned in the piece are all excellent, and many of them have English editions. Definitely recommend checking out Watercolor Impressions for more on that early-1980s era of Miyazaki's career!
Thank you so much!! I definitely will!!!
How do you get the time to consistently write such thorough and rich articles?
Even skimming through it you get so much and it just forces you to slow down and read the whole thing. Excellent and very much appreciated.
Thanks a ton! It's wonderful to hear that, because we actually do write the articles for slow/thorough reading (even though we try to keep them accessible enough for quick reading).
As for finding the time -- it's always a struggle! Determining what we've got room to research and cover each issue, given our schedule, is a week-by-week and sometimes day-by-day thing. And most issues involve tight crunches that run right up to the deadline. Our weeks revolve around the newsletter and we just have to make it work (and so it often takes us way, way too long to respond to emails)!
I would kill for a whole film in the style of Miyazaki image boards. All that raw tactile drawing and watercolor work, something like that one scene in Princess Kaguya.
Very enjoyable read. So much I did not know. Caught me constantly zooming in, out and around the embedded boards. Thank you.
Thanks very much -- really happy you enjoyed it!
I had to get a coffee for this read especially! And some of these image boards were absolutely stunning, some of which I've never seen(those dragon drawings were so cool!).
So glad you enjoyed! We wanted to include a wide range of his art from across his career, to give some idea of his progression. And we only shared a tiny slice of what's in these books -- it's kind of unbelievable how many amazing image boards he's made over the decades!
As always, a great window on artistic process, always very valuable to those of us who create.♥️
Really glad to hear that! There's a lot in this piece we hope can inspire folks, particularly the habit of regular sketching and Miyazaki's breakthrough in his 40s.
Excellent writing and demonstration with words and skiches and drawings and behind the scenes, details,I am impressed !! , your post is nessisty 👍🔥👌
Thank you so much! That's very kind.
so good. thank you.
Really appreciate the kind words!