Christmas Cards and Disney Movies, the Wonderful Art of Eyvind Earle

        Hey everybody! This week I wanted to talk about a really good illustrator that I like quite a bit, Eyvind Earle (1916-2000). Born in New York Earle had a difficult childhood, as his father kidnapped him and took him to Mexico for artistic training. He made Earle paint a picture every single day for a few years. During his first showing in Paris however, his half brother helped him escape back to the states to live with his mom. 

        When he was young, him and his mother lived in poverty during the great depression and in order to make money, they sold Christmas cards. Over the course of decades he became prolific at making cards every year. He also had art shows where he caught Walt Disney’s attention.  Disney asked him to be a part of his team as a background designer. He agreed and helped make movies like “Peter Pan”, “Lady and the Tramp”, and eventually becoming the art director for “Sleeping Beauty” before leaving animation and getting back to his illustrations. 

        Over the course of his lifetime he made hundreds of illustrations and hundreds of Christmas cards. Here are some of my favorite oil paintings. “Desert Skyscraper”, “Into the Distance”, and “California Hills”.

        Here are some of my favorite Christmas cards of his. “Red Barn and Tree Snow”, “Snow Laden Boughs”, and “Village and Star”:

        Lastly, here are some of his concept art from Disney movies. “Sleeping Beauty Concept Art”, “Peter Pan Concept Art”, and “Lady and the Tramp Concept Art”"

        His works have been a big inspiration for me to make my own Christmas cards. I love his simple, yet complex style, his love of landscapes and his medieval/Asian influences. Well thank you everyone for getting this far. Let me know in the comments how you feel about his work! Until next time, stay weird!