A little over a year ago I was approached by Arrow Video to provide artwork for the cover of the 15th anniversary limited edition 4K restoration of Donnie Darko.
Now that the release is public, I'm free to share the images that I frankly sweated over - and to be clear, that was perspiration wrought of sheer dread and anxiety over what The Internet might feel of my efforts. I'd been handed the opportunity to kill the cover (in the good or bad sense) of a movie that was the favourite of so many people and the only thing worse than wasting the chance would be to pass it up and watch someone else do it.
If I knew how many times I repainted Cherita's face in a squint, I'd admit it. Suffice it to say, I agonised over details so small that even I could barely make them out.
Thankfully, the The Fear arrived pasted to the front of a speeding deadline and completion graduated from a sweet notion to actuality.
A bunch of things happened that I didn't expect; the BFI held a screening followed by a Q & A with the director, Richard Kelly. I was invited to go and incredibly, had a chance to meet him. I nearly climbed out of my skin with delight when he checked that I was definitely a Stephen King fan "YES, YES, YES!" and then spoke about him as a huge influence (I MEAN, CHRIST, YOU GUYS, can you believe that shit?) Chut the front door!
As the picture above proves, I simply oozed cool as I thanked him several times for no specific thing (for simply existing is largely the gist of it) and then swiftly left.
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