Not so random inspiration - Winsor McCay
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While browsing a book shop in Italy I came across a book I HAD to buy - there was no choice. It was the complete collection of Winsor McCay "Little Nemo in Slumberland" pages - a gigantic book with all 549 episodes of Little Nemo in the original print size (that is, newspaper size). The book is very difficult to find and normally quite expensive:
It has just now been reprinted - a few weeks ago. Which means there is a very small window where you can get a copy at a reasonable price, if you are so inclined.
The book is enriched by a 150 pages introduction which is exceptionally well researched and written. I am enjoying every page of it, not only the drawings.I had a strong admiration for Winsor McCay already, and from all I knew it ranks among the most genial draughtsman in the history of illustration - side-by-side with Gustave Dore' and maybe with today's Kim Jung Gi. That is, people that can draw anything, perfectly and out of their mind, without any reference or second thought. This makes them extremely productive, of course, and Winsor McCay was no exception. Apart from the volume of work, each page of Little Nemo (which was only one of the many cartoons he drew) is a masterpiece - the inventiveness, composition and the way he played with the panels is an endless source of inspiration.
It is also worth remembering that McCay was the first to do high quality animation - at a level that was not paralleled for many decades to come, until Disney came along...
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@smceccarelli It seems the book is no longer available, but I so appreciate your taking the time to share all of this here.
This is my first introduction to Winsor McCay, and he sounds like someone I'd like to learn more about! (And study his gorgeous pictutes--wow!) -
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this!
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@K.-W. Try on Amazon. The new edition was still available at ca. 50 USD when I posted this.
