Peter de Seve

It's interesting to read several art blogs because eventually they will all be talking about the same thing. Last week I had never heard the name Peter de Seve. Then over the weekend I went through the entire archive for the blog lines and colors. This has to be my new favorite blog and I wrote down a ton of artists names to look at more closely. Peter de Seve was one of those names.

Then I happened to arrive at Drawn this week to find that they mentioned how Peter now had a blog. Drawn referenced that they found the information from Irene Gallo's blog, The Art Department, which I also read. Then out of nowhere Tony Diterlizzi, who's blog I read, mentioned Peter's work. From not knowing the man's name to 4 mentions in four separate blogs in one week. I just had to go looking for him. And holy cow, I'm so glad I did. I am in love with this man's work!!

And of course what I didn't realize is that I have seen his work all over the place, but just didn't know it. I remember a couple years ago I found a painting with a T. Rex in a Paris street scene. De Seve. I bought the book The Bear Went Over the Mountain (below) and loved the cover art. De Seve again. Peter has done character design for work films like Finding Nemo, A Bugs Life, Ice Age....the list goes on and on.

I've seen his artwork on magazine covers and never recognized the name. I've seen his New Yorker illustrations and never made the connection. He's everywhere. And even more exciting for me, he's coming out with a retrospective book, A Sketchy Past. This image has to be one of my favorites from it. Not only does it suit my vegetarianism, it's just hilarious. I love the look on the faces of the lobsters. Check out his blog for a clearer image.

Peter's style is cartoony but very detailed. He's fantastic at creating action and emotion in the same image. Characters come alive in his work. Each image is like a still frame from an animated film. I think it is interesting that Tony Diterlizzi mentioned Peter because I feel like their styles are very similar. And like Tony, I've been in love with their work for a long time and didn't realize it. I'm not sure why it took me so long to recognize his name but from now on I'll remember it. I'll also be adding his blog to my list of art blogs to read and looking for a copy of A Sketchy Past. I love finding new artists, and particularly ones as talented as de Seve is.