Dark Hall Mansion has proven time and time again that they really knows how to take us on a pleasant journey down memory lane. Once again they are back in the Charles Schulz universe with everyone’s favorite “block head”, Charlie Brown. This time out they have called upon the immense talents of one of our FAVORITE artists, Monsieur Nicolas Delort!
When we found out about this collaboration we literally couldn’t wait to see the images and when we finally SAW them, they took our breath away. There is no denying that Charlie Brown is a big departure for Nicolas whose work is usually darker and more ominous rest assured….he has delivered a masterpiece with this one.
We spoke to Nicolas about this project and he was kind enough to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to give us a little insight about him.
Nicolas Delort hard at work
BLURPPY: We don’t want to gush here but we absolutely LOVE your art. How long have you been doing this and how did you get started?
Nicolas Delort’s first “real commission” book cover with Solaris
Nicolas Delort: I’ve been doing this professionally for a bit more than three years now. I started out doing small jobs for french publishers but my first “real” commission was a book cover for British publisher Solaris.
BLURPPY: How did you end up choosing scratchboard as your main medium?
Nicolas Delort: I first became interested in etching/engraving when I saw a Rembrandt exhibit at the Louvre quite a long time ago now and I started looking into the medium. I started out by trying to emulate etching with pen and ink and I was starting to feel some limitations so I tried out scratchboard, which gave me a bit more freedom and allowed for some finer lines, and I haven’t looked back since!
Early sketch by Nicolas Delort for “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”
BLURPPY: Nor should you look back because you have really hit your stride with it and we are continually looking forward to your next release. We are always intrigued to find out who inspires our favorite artists. Whose work do you admire?
Nicolas Delort: It’s always hard to narrow down the list, and my favorite artists seem to change every other month, but off the top of my head and in no particular order, Joaquin Sorolla, Hiroshi Yoshida, Arnold Böcklin for the classics; Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Mike Mignola and Bernie Wrightson for the moderns; and Aaron Horkey, Laurent Durieux and Daniel Danger for the poster scene.
Another early sketch by Nicolas Delort for “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”
BLURPPY: One of the reasons we like that question so much is because inevitably it always leads to us discovering some new artists. We are definitely going to take a look at your “classics” mentions. If you could choose ANYTHING to work on, what would be your ‘dream project.”
Nicolas Delort: That’s a good question. There’s a bunch of licenses I’d love to do posters for but I’d also like to try and take some time to do some more personal work and maybe issue out a few art prints. So if I could choose *anything*, I’d have to go with a personal project that I’ve been trying to elaborate on and off for years but that I keep putting off for work. Oh and I wouldn’t mind being given the entire Harry Potter series to illustrate.
First draft for “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”
BLURPPY: Well we are keeping our fingers crossed that you get some time to complete that “personal project” and we’d LOVE to see you do some official Harry Potter stuff. Ya know, they ARE coming out with the Harry Potter spin off, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” We could TOTALLY see you doing work with this property. We have to admit, this new print for DHM took our breath away. Theme wise, this is a polar opposite from ‘Nosferatu’ so what drew you to this project?
Nicolas Delort: I actually first heard about DHM through Laurent Durieux’s Charlie Brown prints and I absolutely loved what he did with them. I remember thinking “that’d be a fun job to do”. It was a challenge because Great Pumpkin is definitely more “subdued” in tone than what I usually do and I couldn’t resort to a dramatic composition to depict this little boy’s hopeful evening. So I tried to find a balance between my usual work and the more emotional tone of the cartoon, hopefully the image will resonate with Peanuts fans!
BLURPPY: Yes, DHM has had a fantastic run with this property and Laurent’s work was awesome. The best way to describe our feelings about YOUR Charlie Brown work is that you absolutely nailed it. You definitely accomplished what you set out to do with the emotional tone and still managed to stay true to your signature style and “dramatic composition.” As 2014 starts to wind down, can you at least tease what you have coming for fans?
Third draft for “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”
Nicolas Delort: I’m working on a few book things right now so nothing visible for a while but before the end of the year expect a couple more prints! I’m really proud of them so I hope everyone likes them!
BLURPPY: I’m sure I speak for the masses when I say it’d be great to have you at a gallery show here in the states. Any chance you will be making the big jump across the pond any time soon?
Nicolas Delort: No vacation planned for the moment!
Well THAT bums us out but really, it’s ok because it just means he is busy creating more highly desirable art so we can live with that for now. Click the link below to see all three amazing versions of “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” by Nicolas Delort.
“It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” by Nicolas Delort
Standard Edition Run of 280
18″ X 24″
Printed by Burlesque of North America
$65
As you can see, Nicolas has managed to slip in his darker tone yet still capture our hearts as Linus waits patiently, gazing skyward hoping, LONGING for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. Snoopy’s subtle image in the clouds in his role as a World War I airman fighting the Red Baron is a perfect touch and tie in to the original storyline by Schulz. The rest of the Peanuts gang can be seen joyfully trick-or-treating in the background. Just looking at the image brings back fond memories of our youth and we can hear the classic Vince Guaraldi music as we stare at this amazing print.
“It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” by Nicolas Delort
Variant Edition Run of 50
Includes a fantastic glow in the dark layer (seen below)
18″ X 24″
Printed by Burlesque of North America
$100
Glow in the dark layer on the variant
“It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” by Nicolas Delort
Foil Edition Run of only 15!
18″ X 24″
Printed by Burlesque of North America
$150
(This is a mock up of the foil as photos can’t capture it’s true brilliance. Although there is no glow in the dark layer for the foil, the carved pumpkins will show up as seen above.)
These prints will be made available in the OFFICIAL DARK HALL MANSION STORE at a random time next THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2104. Follow Dark Hall Mansion on TWITTER for the announcement and then type as FAST as you can to try and grab your favorite edition!
Be sure to follow Nicolas Delort on TWITTER for updates on new releases and check out his OFFICIAL WEBSITE to see more of his stunning art. A huge “THANK YOU” to Nicolas for taking the time out of his insane schedule to speak with us about his work.
We will also leave you with a teeeeeeeeeease of what’s to come. We are BEYOND delighted to let you know that Nicolas will be doing a follow up print with Dark Hall Mansion for “A Charlie Brown Christmas!” STAY TUNED, more on that when it becomes available!!!! (YES, we are DYING to see and share this one with you as well!)
Tagged: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Burlesque, Charles Schulz, Charlie Brown, Dark Hall Mansion, foil edition, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, limited edition prints, Nicolas Delort, scratchboard, standard edition, variant edition
