Lili des Bellons on working as an background artist for the midnight gospel
There's something rather magical about an illustration piece that speaks a thousand words in a single frame. It awakens the imagination, the inner Morgan Freeman narrator voice, and creativity for a life time.
Lili des Bellons is no stranger to that phrase. Bellons' every artwork is filled with movement, a sense of captured memories and colours that give life.
Perhaps, it was this very reason the makers of Neflix series The Midnight Gospel decided to take Bellons on as one of the background artists. Having watched the series, yup, they made the perfect choice.
What do you do?
I am an illustrator.
When did you start your creative career?
I’ve been freelancing since 2014. Most often some press and editorial illustrations, advertisements, covers, ect... and now I have some requests for bigger projects.
How did you get involved in making The Midnight Gospel?
I was contacted by Titmouse Studio for work on the backgrounds. They saw my work on the internet. After a call, I worked on some art tests and they decided to take me on for the project. So, thanks to them I got this crazy opportunity.
What was your involvement with the show?
I was hired to work on several backgrounds based on an animatic and vision created by Titmouse for Episodes Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell. But this was a very large team. Very compartmentalized. Everyone knew what to do, with a team leader managing all illustrators. A separate team was responsible for standardising, homogenised and colouring our work.
What was it like to work on an animated series for Netflix?
Fantastic! Especially to work on such a strange and original project with a lot of freedom and a good atmosphere. Very conducive to creation.
What was the best part of the overall process?
In this type of project, for management reasons, everything is compartmentalized. I only worked on black and white images. Reworked afterwards by the studio (added colour). The backgrounds that I preferred to create: the castle (S01E04) and the end of the season (flying roads).
Any new projects or exhibitions coming up?
Yes, a small 2d animation (very short) in collaboration with Ezequiel Torres and Antoine Ronzon. [See images below]
Ez : instagram.com/rudoplayer1
Antoine : instagram.com/antoine_ronzon_animation
