A Sketchy Past

I know I've already mentioned how much I love the artwork of Peter de Seve. There is something about the humor, the characters, and the storytelling elements of his paintings. He creates memorable characters and wonderfully humorous situations. And then we add his amazing draftsmanship. He's an incredible painter and storyteller. He has to be my favorite illustrator working today. So when I found out a year or so ago that he was coming out with a compilation book, I knew I had to have it.

A Sketchy Past: The Art of Peter de Seve was scheduled to be released March 1st. I thought about putting in a pre-order months ago but decided I would wait until it finally came out. Somehow the book got released early on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I received my copy yesterday. In the 24 hours I've owned the book I've been through it at least five times. And still I'm finding new things I didn't see before. The book is huge. 240 pages and every one of them is filled with illustrations. It is a beautiful book.


There are some of Peter's sketchbook images in the margins.



There are the rough sketches that lead to his New Yorker covers.



And some images from the brand new children's book, The Dutchess of Whimsy, that he is releasing with his wife.



There are probably over 400 sketches in the book and each of them is brilliant. Plus there is a wonderful introduction to Peter and his work. I was shocked to learn that he is color-blind. I can't imagine how he can paint without being able to see the watercolors he's mixing. The introduction includes some of Peter's artistic influences and some great quotes from other illustrators about his work. Overall this has to be one of the best book purchases I've made in decades. It makes me smile, it inspires me, and it is a treasure.

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.