Tim Burton Drawings

TIM BURTON DRAWINGS

Yesterday my sister & I were talking in the car, and the conversation somehow got onto Tim Burton's 2007 film Sweeney Todd.

My sister had finally convinced me to watch the film a couple of weeks earlier, and I had been so surprised and intrigued by what I saw. I was expecting a gory, over the top, predictable horror story, and whilst Sweeney Todd is gory at times, and its premise is rooted in horror, I wasn't expecting to find it beautiful. I wasn't expecting to come away feeling creatively inspired. I wasn't expecting to feel enlightened.

Yet I came away feeling all those things. The only logical conclusion I could reach, as to why I felt that way, was that is was Tim Burton's stunning filmmaking.

As me and my sister spoke about Tim Burton, we ended up discussing this, alongside Tim's unique creative vision and incredible talent. To make a film like Sweeney Todd, a throat slashing barber in gloomy 1800's London, something of beauty and awe, is a testament to the magic, innovation and unharnessed imagination of Tim Burton.

And when you think of the other films in Tim's back catalogue, including Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Beetlejuice, The Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, and Alice & Wonderland... iconic films with such striking and compelling visuals and eccentricities, it becomes apparent what a sheer genius Tim Burton is. One of the best filmmakers of all time.

Therefore, when my sister went on to mention how Tim publishes the concept drawings he produces for his films, I simply had to follow the stem right to the root of these otherworldly creations. Where did they all begin. How did the vision come to be.

I can assure you, I wasn't left disappointed.

In fact, I was surprised at how much magic and wonder is infused in the early stages of Tim's filmmaking process. Similarly, I thought it was just extraordinary, and so inspiring, to see how Tim's mind works, and how his vision translates to his drawings, and his drawings translate straight through to his films. These 2D drawings already seem fully formed and bursting with life, personality, charisma. And yet on the big screen they ooze with even more depth and authenticity.

I find Tim Burton so fascinating, and even more so, now that I've seen his concept art. It's impossible not to feel inspired by him, nor indebted for the thrilling escapism he creates. Which is why I would love to share some of my favourite Tim Burton illustrations with you, in the hopes that they might inspire you as much as they've inspired me.


Find the book here and the official website here!

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