Heads Up: Joe Wilson's "Princess Mononoke" Variant Art Print

UPDATE (1/30): Heads up, folks! Joe's Princess Mononoke variant goes on sale Thursday (1/31) at 8 AM CST. 20 of the prints will be available through the artist's Big Cartel store, while the other 20 will be sold by Print Club London. Be sure to follow @joe_wilson on Twitter.

[Note: I've already written a small essay about how impressed I was with Joe Wilson's Princess Mononoke poster, so instead of rewriting why I think this soon-to-be-released variant version is so gorgeous, I figured I might just republish the original write-up instead. I did, however, include new sales information. Enjoy.]

I love Miyazaki's movies. On a completely surface level, his films are beautifully illustrated and a triumph of traditional animation over a more CGI-intensive process*. Don't get me wrong, Pixar and Dreamwork's offerings can be (and often are) great, but I would gladly choose something hand drawn in place of a digitally rendered wire frame any day of the week. But it's more than just that. Miyazaki's storytelling exhibits so much affection for its characters and the world they inhabit, it's impossible not to be swept away by what's happening on-screen. And while my all-time favorite film of his would have to be Spirited Away, the number two spot belongs to Princess Mononoke (with the third going to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.) It goes without saying that Mononoke is easy on the eyes (this is Miyazake we're talking about, after all), but the movie's epic tale with its examination of man's eternal struggle to rule everything around him no matter the cost, and the Japanese folklore the director so effortlessly weaves in throughout its telling, is what really makes this film an infinitely rewatchable masterpiece. I mention all this because tonight I'll be writing about a print which, for me at least, captured that sense of awe and amazement I had when first seeing the movie. Without further ado, I humbly request you take a peek at Joe Wilson's stunning Princess Mononoke poster below.

Princess Mononoke Art Print (Variant)
Joe Wilson
500 mm x 700 mm (Screen Print) - Signed and Numbered
£65 (Around $103) - Limited to 40

I'm a big fan of Joe Wilson's work (you can read my review of his Blade Runner poster by clicking here), but this is without a doubt his best print yet. The detail is mesmerizing and even with its limited color palette, the poster evokes the lush and bountiful woodland depicted in the film to a tee. I'm also delighted that the artist chose not to include any of the human characters in the print's design, eschewing the conventions typically tied to a Mononoke poster (or any poster, for that matter) and instead focuses solely on the movie's more ecological elements (which, by the way, look freaking amazing.) Speaking of the ecological, Wilson's attention to every sinuous strand of gnarled tree bark is a testament to how much time must have gone into this artwork and speaks volumes about his interest in the film. Not sure if you could tell, but I'm really loving this print and I'm fairly certain this will be showing up somewhere in my top five posters of 2012. Honestly, the only negative I find myself contemplating now is that I won't have a Joe Wilson print for every Miyazaki film. Oh well, at least I'll always have Mononoke.

Close-Up of Joe Wilson's Princess Mononoke (Variant) Print

The Princess Mononoke variant will be available through Joe's online storefront and Print Club London's website either this week or next. The poster will be limited to an edition of 40 (i.e., very limited) and is going to cost £65 (approximately $103). For exact details on the drop, I'd highly recommend following @joe_wilson and @printclublondon on Twitter. For more info on the artist, head over to joe-wilson.com and check out his Tumblr blog.

*I know, I know, Princess Mononoke was the first film Miyazaki used computers to aid him in making sure he met release deadlines. Still, the majority of the work, as I understand it, was done with more traditional animation methods.

Heads Up: Simon C Page's "Neighbor Totoro" and "Porco Rosso" Movie Posters

Hopefully everyone knows how much I love Miyazaki's filmography at this point. If, however, this is news to you, then please let me assure you: I love Miyazaki's work. His films represent the gold standard in animation with respect to aesthetics, storytelling and just being plain fun. And wouldn't you know it, it seems I'm not alone. Case in point: artist Simon C. Page, who I last wrote about in July, has created two beautiful looking prints in tribute to My Neighbor Totoro and Porco Rosso.

My Neighbor Totoro Movie Poster (Regular)
Simon Page - 24" x 36" - Signed and Numbered

Neighbor Totoro Close-up

Neighbor Totoro Close-up

My Neighbor Totoro Movie Poster (Japanese Variant)
Simon Page - 24" x 36" - Signed and Numbered

The artist nailed the ebullient whimsy that became such an integral part of Hayao's tales. These are the kind of designs that make you want to be a kid again, running up, down, and around grass-covered hills under the light of a summer sun. Also, it's such a treat seeing a Porco Rosso poster. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Totoro, and the titular forest spirit is so wonderfully realized by Miyazaki it's nigh impossible to not want to illustrate the fellow, but I think we can all agree that Porco deserves some love too, right?!

Porco Rosso Movie Poster (Regular)
Simon Page - 24" x 36" - Signed and Numbered

Porco Rosso Movie Poster (Japanese Variant)
Simon Page - 24" x 36" - Signed and Numbered

While I don't have any specifics on price and / or edition size, you can find out more about purchasing one by directly emailing Simon at hello@excites.co.uk. To learn more about the artist be sure to visit excites.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @simoncpage. And if you haven't seen all of Miyazaki's films, well, change that!

Write Up: Joe Wilson's "Princess Mononoke" Print

I love Miyazaki's movies. On a completely surface level, his films are beautifully illustrated and a triumph of traditional animation over a more CGI-intensive process*. Don't get me wrong, Pixar and Dreamwork's offerings can be (and often are) great, but I would gladly choose something hand drawn in place of a digitally rendered wire frame any day of the week. But it's more than just that. Miyazaki's storytelling exhibits so much affection for its characters and the world they inhabit, it's impossible not to be swept away by what's happening on-screen. And while my all-time favorite film of his would have to be Spirited Away, the number two spot belongs to Princess Mononoke (with the third going to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.) It goes without saying that Mononoke is easy on the eyes (this is Miyazake we're talking about, after all), but the movie's epic tale with its examination of man's eternal struggle to rule everything around him no matter the cost, and the Japanese folklore the director so effortlessly weaves in throughout its telling, is what really makes this film an infinitely rewatchable masterpiece. I mention all this because tonight I'll be writing about a print which, for me at least, captured that sense of awe and amazement I had when first seeing the movie. Without further ado, I humbly request you take a peek at Joe Wilson's stunning Princess Mononoke poster below.

Princes Mononoke Print
Joe Wilson
500 mm x 700 mm (Screen Print) - Signed and Numbered
£40 - Limited to 40

I'm a big fan of Joe Wilson's work (you can read my review of his Blade Runner poster by clicking here), but this is without a doubt his best print yet. The detail is mesmerizing and even with its limited color palette, the poster evokes the lush and bountiful woodland depicted in the film to a tee. I'm also delighted that the artist chose not to include any of the human characters in the print's design, eschewing the conventions typically tied to a Mononoke poster (or any poster, for that matter) and instead focuses solely on the movie's more ecological elements (which, by the way, look freaking amazing.) Speaking of ecological, Wilson's attention to every sinuous strand of gnarled tree bark is a testament to how much time must have gone into this artwork and speaks volumes about his interest in the film. Not sure if you could tell, but I'm really loving this print and I'm fairly certain this will be showing up somewhere in my top five posters of 2012. Honestly, the only negative I find myself contemplating now is that I won't have a Joe Wilson print for every Miyazaki film. Oh well, at least I'll always have Mononoke.

Close-Up of Joe Wilson's Princess Mononoke Print

Joe Wilson's Princess Mononoke print will be on display at Print Club London's "The Directors Cut" show on Friday (8/31) and will be available for purchase to the lucky folks attending the exhibit's opening. Any remaining prints (here's hoping there's a few!) will go up on the Print Club's site after the show. The poster measures 500 mm x 700 mm (approximately 19.7" x 27.6"), is limited to an edition of only 40, and costs £40 (around $63). To learn more about Joe, be sure to follow him on Twitter @joe_wilson and visit his portfolio / shop / blog / everything at joe-wilson.com. You can also stay up to date on the goings-on at Print Club London by following @PrintClubLondon and heading over to printclublondon.com. Have a great night!

* I know, I know, Princess Mononoke was the first film Miyazaki used computers to aid him in making sure he met release deadlines. Still, the majority of the work, as I understand it, was done with more traditional animation methods.

Poster Per Diem: Victor Vercesi's "Tonari no Totoro" Art Print

For those wondering what the hell "Poster Per Diem" is / means / smells like, here's my not at all concise description. If you visit this site with any regularity, you already know I tend to write reviews for film and television inspired prints that are either currently on sale or are about to go on sale. And while I'll still be pouring the majority of my efforts into these sorts of posts, my daily "Poster Per Diem" feature will focus on awesome prints that have come and gone, never existed in the first place (AKA concept posters) or just bear mentioning. In other words: this is my chance to say, "I never got a chance, for whatever reason, to write about you on this here website, but I think you're really purty and I want to let the world know." Or something like that. Oh, and Per diem is latin for "per day" or "each day."

Tonari no Totoro Art Print
Victor Vercesi
Multiple Sizes (Giclée) - Open Edition
Price dependent on size
Inspired By: My Neighbor Totoro

Victor Vercesi's Tonari no Totoro print is breathtaking and easily one of the most beautiful Miyazaki inspired works of art I've ever seen. If you're a fan of My Neighbor Totoro, then this should be a no brainer. Even if you're not a fan of My Neighbor Totoro, you should still pick this one up - the art is that good. You can purchase this print through Society 6 for a fairly reasonable price and forever impress house guests with your impeccable taste in art. To learn more about Victor, check out his Tumblr page and buy lots and lots of his posters through his store.

Olly Moss' "My Neighbor Totoro" Movie Posters

UPDATE (12/16): Go figure, Olly Moss' My Neighbor Totoro prints sold out in about a minute. For the majority of people who weren't able to grab one, Olly has stated that he'll have some signed APs available through his website in 2012.

I'm exhausted and ready for bed, but I'd despise (that's right, despise!) myself if I didn't mention Olly Moss' newest creation (i.e. the biggest thing on the Internet come Friday). I'm almost positive I could hear the Internet's collective wheeze of excitement when this poster was first announced, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't one of the geeky masses praising Allah / Studio Ghibli / Olly Moss / Mondo / whatever you want to call the higher power that made this possible.

My Neighbor Totoro Movie Poster
Olly Moss
20" x 36" - Numbered
$50 - Limited to 420

If you have any interest in the work of Hayao Miyazaki, and let's be honest, who doesn't, then this is going to be a must buy for you. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure every Miyazaki fan in the world (with an Internet connection) also knows about it. Looking at these prints, I'm hard pressed to think of a better Moss design from 2011 that even approaches how amazing his Totoro print appears to be. First and foremost, I want to mention how fun and beautiful these posters are. I love Olly Moss, as does pretty much every art fan on planet Earth, but I feel that his prints can sometimes be a bit too clever. Don't get me wrong, it almost always works either way, but My Neighbor Totoro is a property that doesn't need clever as much as it needs optimism and innocence, and I think Moss absolutely nails it here. Secondly, how amazing is that variant? I know I say this all the time, but wow, you've really got to appreciate a variant that offers more than just a smaller edition size and a different colorway. Great stuff all around. I'll definitely be trying my hand tomorrow with the rest of you. Good luck!

My Neighbor Totoro Movie Poster (Japanese Variant)
Olly Moss
20" x 36" - Numbered
$90 - Limited to 170

Olly Moss' My Neighbor Totoro posters will be available on Friday (12/16) through Mondo at a random time. Both versions of the print measure 20" x 36" and are hand numbered. The regular version will cost $50 and is limited to an edition of 420, while the variant will cost $90 and is limited to 170. To find out the exact drop time be sure to follow @MondoNews on Twitter. And to learn more about artist Olly Moss, you can follow him @ollymoss and visit his website at ollymoss.com.

Matt Needle's "Spirited Away" Movie Poster

I don't think I've ever mentioned Matt Needle and I'm not entirely sure why. He's an insanely talented artist who seems to have a very loving opinion of cinema, be it western, drama, science fiction or animation; the man likes it all. Today's entry and celebration of the artist is in recognition of his recently released open edition Spirited Away movie poster.  If you've never seen this movie you're really missing out.

Spirited Away

I heard about Matt Needle for the first time a few months ago and have been very impressed with how beautifully each of his posters were put together. They seem to perfectly reflect the film and also seem to have a lot of fun with the characters or themes from the movie in question. Take his Spirited Away poster for example. Matt uses the body of Kaonashi (that's the kabuki ghost looking chap in the center) to delineate and outline the boundaries of the image as well as provide a solid background for the Spirited Away globe; the spirit's black body anchors the entire image. It's that sort of efficiency with space that really grabs me. The airy and playful tone of the film are also wonderfully conveyed through Matt's artwork by his inspired color choice, most notably the interchangeable ocean/sky blue (an important element in most, if not all, of Miyazaki's works). The colors and design are SO stunning in fact, that I'm a bit disappointed this isn't a screenprint. Oh well, maybe we'll see some screenprints from Matt in the future (fingers crossed).

This poster is a stunning celebration of a gorgeous film and deserves to be on the wall of anyone who claims to be a Miyazaki fan. The print is currently available at Matt Needle's BigCartel store, measures approximately 11.7" x 16.5" (I wasn't sure if the more exact 297mm x 420mm would translate very well for American audiences) and cost around £25 or $40 depending on your currency of choice. If Miyazaki isn't your thing, you should still check out the rest of Needle's offerings; he's got a ton of great movie and television related artwork available. Got some more time on your hands? Check out his portfolio and blog. Got even MORE free time? Watch Spirited Away - even if you don't have free time. You won't regret it.