Arizona Artist Jephyr (aka Jeff Curtis): 2018

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Very Cool: Animation Tutorial - Krita

Video Below Commentary

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Hi!

Are you ready to begin a new year?

I hope you had a GREAT 2018—and 2019 brings you all the best!

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Screen Capture From The Video Below

Whether you are an artist or just a fan of all things creative—today's video may be very interesting to you.

When viewing 2D animation (unless you are already an animator), we sometimes forget the HOURS of time that went into making even a few seconds of action.

The excellent time-lapse video below—made by Ed Tadeo shows his process from the initial "key poses" for two characters, cleaning up original roughs, making placement and timing adjustments, adding inbetweening, details, color, and shading to the characters, and ultimately a background—all with multiple animation tests along the way.

A Look At Some "Process" Steps From The Video

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If you want a quick over-view—I recommend changing the play-back speed to 1.5X after he shows a look at the final animation in the beginning..

Also—if the music isn't your taste—just hit that mute button.

: )

Tadeo uses Krita software for the animation—and you'll find a link to it below the video. *

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Hope you enjoy this very cool vid.

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* Krita "freeware" drawing/painting and animation software:

https://krita.org/en/features/highlights/

(BTW—I watched an additional review of Krita and it looks like it's a very good "no cost" option for artists and animators)

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Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

Saturday, December 15, 2018

A Passing Dog - Digital Painting

Hi!

I hope all is well for you as we wind down another year and that you are going to have a great Christmas and holiday season!

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Recently—I found a very cool photo of a jackal—and was inspired to do a quick digital painting / study of it.

As I worked—I tried out a BUNCH of brushes that came with the software I was using.

I was having trouble getting the the jackal's fur to look right, though—and wondered if I could find any good FREE brushes that I could download to make the job easier.

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Then after searching around a bit for those—I happened upon some excellent tutorials showing how to create your own brushes.

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After some experimenting with those ideas—I made several custom brushes that I began trying out.

One was definitely a "home run"—and IMO allowed me to quickly create more realistic looking fur that was better looking than I'd been making with other brushes I had already.

It's kinda the equivalent of using ratty old brushes in the "real world"—with their bristles sticking this way and that.

I'm sure I'll use these new brushes a LOT—and will now create many more—and in time will get better at using them too.

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Anywho—here's a look at my brand spankin' new Jackal Digital Painting / Photo Study.

As you may notice—I ended up taking some liberties with my painting—and my "jackal" began to look more like a domestic dog—with more of a rounded head and a longer snout.

Click the image to see a larger view.

^ ^ ^ BTW—As I painted—this went through my mind more than once:

Proverbs 26:17

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

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See other Jephyr! digital paintings—as well as links to other artwork at jephyr.com.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

December 2018— Still More Sketches

Hi!

So another year is drawing to a close. Unbelievable!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year—and that you are surrounded by people who love ya!

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I just finished scanning some of my latest character concepts from my sketchbook and wanted to share them here with you.

They're in no particular order from the last month or so.

^ ^ ^ I went to a Pizza joint one afternoon for a bite and had fun sketching this after a slice.

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As I've written here before—I use a scribble method to start a LOT of my drawings.

That means I just lightly scribble random squiggles on the page—erase some lines—add a few more until I start to "see" a face or shape jump out at me.

I try not to guide too much whatever happens during that initial process—and I'm often surprised and entertained by the characters that emerge.

^ ^ ^ Early one morning—I went out to a Greasy Spoon that's open 24 hours to have some breakfast and sketch afterwards.

I had the place to myself for a while—but after eating—when I started to sketch—the tables around me started to fill up with "regulars."

Even though "Cliff" looks like he's not one of the good guys—he sparked an enjoyable conversation with a couple seated near me.

^ ^ ^ Of course this sketch started out as a just scribble one morning at a coffee shop—and this alien/other-worldly guy, with the regal, far-away look in his eyes "appeared" on the page.

I wanted to put him in some kind of background—and his expression combined with some left-over lines from my original scribbles led me to put him on that throne.

Even though this Prince Nadda looks a bit scary—I like his "look" and had fun creating him.

(PS: Nada in Spanish means nothing)

^ ^ ^ I'm working on a digital painting with a horse featured in it.

Although that one looks more realistic—I drew this horse caricature one day after I'd put in some time working on that painting.

Later—after I added this SUPER muscular body—I decided to call him: Arnold Horse-Neigh-Grrr—after the former Gov-ah-nate-ah of Cal-ee-forn-yah.

: )

^ ^ ^ If you've ever read history about the early US west—you'll know MASSIVE herds Buffalo filled the plains—but in a short period of time they were almost completely wiped out.

Billy - Der Vunder Bison's forlorn look might be a result of looking for romance—but not being able to find a Lady Love.

: )

^ ^ ^ When I lived in L.A. I saw elderly women in Hollywood who looked like they'd moved there when they were young in hopes of becoming a movie star—but time and opportunity had passed them by—yet they still clung on to the youthful "look" and styles of those long gone days.

I think my sketch of Liz comes from that place in my mind.

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The next two drawing are the last I'll share today—and don't really have a story attached to them.

Well that'll do it.

Hope you enjoyed a peek into my art-world.

Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

God Bless!

Monday, December 3, 2018

Draco! New Digital Painting

Hi!

I just finished a new digital painting and wanted to share it with you.

( Learn more about "digital painting" below. * )

This image started out LONG ago as a quick digital "sketch." I wasn't at all pleased with that rough idea—but something kept drawing < art humor ) me back to it.

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You'll find an early concept sketch—along with the final painting and a "detail" view of it below.

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Over-time—I'd open that sketch in my software and fiddle around with it—trying to refine and improve on it.

I'd move things around, change this or that, and paint a bit—but frustration with those efforts would quickly set in—and I'd move on to other things.

Recently—I was going through my "Works In Progress" files and opened it and was inspired to began work on it yet again.

As I did—I finally felt like I was making some progress—and was able to finish it just today.

I think part of the reason for that creative burst—is that since I made the earliest concept sketches—I've developed more confidence and skill in my digital painting abilities (fully knowing I'm just beginning to scratch the surface with that)—but also because I'm starting to loosen up my painting style a little.

Part of that transformation has come about in part by simply putting in a lot of hours digitally painting various projects—but also by looking through TONS of real world and digital painting masterpieces that people have posted on-line.

Seeing all that amazing art has truly helped.

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Here are a couple of my favorite sites where they post lot of exceptional artwork:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork?sorting=picks < Primarily digital art

http://tvorchestvof.blogspot.com/ < All kinds of mediums - but leans towards mostly traditional painting both old and new.

^^ Please be advised that while these sites have a huge variety of excellent masterworks—there is artistic nudity and arty weirdness on them as well.

: )

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Anywho—without further ado— here's my newest digital painting (along with a "detail" and an early concept sketch).

^ ^ ^ One night after putting in some time working this—I had most of the final layout done including the dragon, sky, and guy on the mountain—but was still refining it.

I went to bed and suddenly "saw" the dragon in my minds-eye—with a border along the left going under its wing.

As I envisioned that—text from the book of Revelation 12—about the Dragon filled with fury came into my thoughts—and I wondered if I could add that to the border as well.

The next day that was still bubbling around in my thoughts—and I set about seeing if I could incorporate that.

As I worked—I was pleased to find that the border and text aspects came together very quickly.

Although as you can see—I did end up extending the border all the way around the painting—and used only select verses from Chapter 12.

^ ^ ^ Here's a look at the painting—without border and text.

^ ^ ^ Finally a look at one of the early ROUGH sketches that started it all.

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So—that's my story about my latest digital painting—and I'm stickin' to it.

: )

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See other Jephyr! digital paintings—as well as links to other artwork at jephyr.com.

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* Digital paintings are created with computer software and a tablet interface.

A stylus used with the tablet acts as a paint-brush, pencil or pen—depending on what tool and options you've selected—and an image can be hand-painted onto a digital canvas in the software just as you would with a tradition medium like oil paint—that can be shared on the Internet or printed out.

After the initial investment of the computer, software, and tablet—there are no other supplies needed.

This means no trips to the art store to purchase paints, brushes, turpenoid, canvases and so-on—and best of all there are no toxic fumes or brushes to clean, etc.

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Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

Monday, November 5, 2018

Amazing Painting: Gérôme - The Grey Eminence

Hi!

Recently I was reminded of this quote by 19th Century Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich:

"A picture must not be invented but felt."

Today I'll share a painting from Jean-Léon Gérôme — "L'Eminence Grise" (The Grey Eminence) — that definitely does just that for me.

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According to Wikipedia: Gérôme (1824 – 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism.

The range of his [works] included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits, and other subjects, bringing the academic painting tradition to an artistic climax.

He is considered one of the most important painters from this academic period. He was also a teacher with a long list of students.

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There is a lovely realism to the figures and environments that populate his pieces — but many of his paintings also "tell a story" — while often stirring impassioned feelings from art lovers throughout the years.

"The Grey Eminence" is certainly in that category.

Masterfully painted and composed - this image creates a stark contrast between the elegantly dressed gentlemen — all either ascending up an elegant staircase in an opulent setting — or gazing directly at the lone priest to the right — revealing a reverence and respect for him as he descends the stairs — seemingly oblivious to everything and everyone except his Bible.

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Rather than trying to convey what this painting means to me — I'll let you draw your own conclusions about it.

But I'll give just a hint: I don't think this priest is completely worthy of their utter reverence....

Whether you agree or not I hope you'll enjoy looking at this amazing painting.

You'll find the entire image — along with some cropped "details" from it below.

* Please see the additional note about this painting below

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Click on the first two images to see the larger views

Jean-Léon Gérôme - L'Eminence Grise - 1873

Detail — Color and pageantry of the men to the left

Detail of the priest to the right - This image is posted at its full resolution

Detail of the colorfully dressed guard to the left - Also looking directly at the priest
— This image is posted at its full resolution —

* Note (11-8-18): I did a little research about this painting. It turns out that Gérôme intended this painting to represent a historical figure.

The priest is none other than "François Leclerc du Tremblay (1577 – 1638), also known as Père Joseph, who was a French Capuchin friar.

He was the original éminence grise — the French term ("grey eminence") — for a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially.

(Leclerc is referred to in Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers as the character Father Joseph, a powerful associate of Richelieu and one to be feared.)

He became a WAR MINISTER, and, though maintaining a personal austerity of life, gave himself up to diplomacy and politics."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89minence_grise
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Leclerc_du_Tremblay

So it seems this was no ordinary "humble" priest descending the stairs — was a powerful man — pulling strings behind the scenes in government.

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I hope you appreciate this awesome painting as much as I do.

Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

Monday, October 22, 2018

Arizona Water Bird Photos

Hello!

Recently I posted these photos on my photography blog — but have decided to post them here on my art blog.

I'll share the comments/text as originally written over there as well.

Hope you enjoy a loo-see at few of my boid pics.

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I was going through some photo files looking for references for a painting I'm working on and found some photographs I'd never shared here.

There were taken with my much loved and trusty Canon EOS 5D Mark II — along with the latest Canon 100-400 II L Lens.

Let's start with this guy:

^ ^ ^ After a bit of research on this handsome creature — I believe it is a Snowy Egret — which according to a Wikipedia entry on the Birds of Arizona is a wild bird seen frequently in the state.

This is definitely true in my experience — as I've seen these beautiful boids all around riparian preserves and lakes near my home in the Phoenix area.

This guy stood contentedly on that branch for as long as I was there — and I'm pretty sure I heard it say it was ready for its close-up.

: )

BTW — until I saw this photo on my computer screen I had no idea how BIG their feet are!!

^ ^ ^ Pelicans are also surprisingly found on lakes in the Phoenix desert

I think this is an American White Pelican - although with all the spots and color on it I'm not certain. .

I've been told Pelicans fly in from California — but are also listed in the Wikipedia entry on Birds of Arizona.

I love the texture on it's beak and it really comes out on this photo.

You can see the large version of this pic by clicking on it.

^ ^ ^ This charming little fellow — grabbing some supper — is a Black-Necked Stilt — also seen at a riparian preserve near my home.

These birds are called "waders" — and those long legs definitely give that away.

The late afternoon sun added some soft reflective light on the normally VERY white parts of this little bird's body.

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Hope you enjoyed seeing deez boids as much as I do.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Lotza New Doodles

Hi!

Today I'll be posting some newish sketches for your perusal — mostly from the last few months — and one from last summer.

Let's get to it!

^ ^ ^ One morning I got up early and went to a local greasy spoon to sketch and came up with this other-worldly guy "photo bombing" an alien dood in the background.

While he doesn't seem to pleased about it — this sketch makes me happy — and it was the first in a new sketchbook — so a good way to begin.

: )

^ ^ ^ As I've mentioned in numerous posts through-out this blog — I start a lot — if not most — of my "just for fun" sketches by lightly scribbling on the page and looking for shapes and ideas to jump out at me from those lines.

This cows head was the first thing I "saw" — and I added his body and other details to him as I went along.

The background "logo" and the milk carton and glass were some ideas I came up with towards the end of this sketch.

I imagined our determined looking friend the "Cow King" — negotiating a new contract for his herd with the Milk Council.

: )

^ ^ ^ Last summer my artist friend Chad had some serious on-going health issues and passed away after a long battle.

Although this might seem like a very dark tribute — I thought about him as I worked on this.

^ ^ ^ I went to a local coffee house to sketch and of course started with some scribbles. Pretty quickly I "saw" this guy's monkey-like head and tried to add a matching monkey-like body.

Later at home — I looked on-line for monkey reference photos to help me finish this off — and printed out a bunch. <banana humor)

But when I tried and tried to make something like that work it just wasn't happening — so at one point I erased everything except his head — and the lines that were left on the page led me to putting this costume on him instead.

Ultimately I was way more satisfied with that.

By the way — the banana the Prime Minister is pondering — began life as a few lines I hadn't erased from my initial scribble.

Life is good sometimes!

Oh...and the caption in the sketch is just one of the MANY ways I entertain myself.

: )

^ ^ ^ Towards the end of last summer and through September I began a routine of going out to various places to sketch — and one day drew the basic idea for this one after lunch in a local dive.

When I was a kid my mom had a Christian book with amazing illustrations in it called Sermons by the Devil — I still have that old book published in 1904 and find myself going through it from time to time.

It's written from the perspective of the Devil laying traps for the unwary — and beguiling people with his words and charm — and contrasts those dark "sermons" with life in the light as a Christian.

This drawing would fit in well with a lot of the illustrations found in it.

BTW: This is the way many people see Satan — as a scary tough guy — but I always think about the verse from the Bible and what it says about him — Isaiah 14:15-17:

12
How you have fallen from heaven,
    morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!
13
You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
15
But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
    to the depths of the pit.

16
Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
17
the man who made the world a wilderness,
    who overthrew its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”

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v v v That equally applies to this somewhat more cartoony — but sad creature with a tear in his eye — whose home is also in the "lake of fire":

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^ ^ ^ Someone on the Concept Art Sketchbook Forum recommended I do more backgrounds and so I put this Native American looking guy in a village scene.

The name I came up for him makes me laugh.

^ ^ ^ I've been going through old sketchbooks and realize how much I used to LOVE to draw figures — but have been doing mostly portraits for quite a while now.

This one of a few recent attempts at doing an entire body — and I'm obviously very rusty at it....

: /

^ ^ ^ This cranky old pup started as another scribble.

I really love drawing all kinds of creatures and critters!!

^ ^ ^ This one also started out as a scribble.

I "saw" both the bird and this guys nose as I went along.

At first I wondered how I could make both of them work together in a final drawing — and initially thought — maybe the bird was something like a coon-skin cap.

But as its proud expression emerged — I decided that Pigeon-Head Jones was allowing it to nestle down on his aging noggin'.

: )

^ ^ ^ Just another wacky character concept that started life as a scribble

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^ ^ ^ This character concept started eons ago.

I was really never happy with that original sketch and decided to rework it one day more recently — and eventually came up with this — which I'm much happier with.

While it wasn't what I intended to do when I started out — this sketch reminds me of something Marvel Comics might do as a concept for a creature that is part man — part sea-creature.

: ?

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v v v Last one:

^ ^ ^ This guy may look a bit intimidating — but he's actually quite good with kids and teaches Sunday School at St. Troll's under the old bridge down on Main Street .

: D

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Thanks as always for stopping by!

See you again soon!

Friday, September 28, 2018

Latest Digital Painting

Hi!

I have tons of new work to show and am looking forward to posting some of that soon.

I also just updated my website's "Digital Art Links" — so you can easily see a lot of my digital paintings there as well as links to other media I work with.

Jephyr's Digital Art < opens in a new window)

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Today — I'll share a new digital painting* I've been working on.

I posted the original idea I had for it LONG ago (2013) which I'll include under the final image here.

As you'll see if you compare the two — the main difference is that the character in the final piece "lost his wings." ; )

Anyway I put the final touches on it today.

I'm calling this one: "Da Boid."

: )

(click on the images to see them larger)

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And here's the original sketch.

I used a photo "filter" on the scan which gave it the grainy-swirly lines and look — and incorporated that into the digital painting.

Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

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See other Jephyr! digital paintings—as well as links to other artwork at jephyr.com.

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* Painting digitally using a computer is much like painting or drawing in the "real-world" using oil, acrylic, charcoal, graphite, etc.

It requires computer painting software and a tablet interface — and those tools imitate paint, brushes, charcoal sticks, pens, pencils and so on.

I use the Wacom Intuos Tablet Interface which I've had for years and LOVE it!! ~

One advantage of using a computer is that there are no brushes to clean, no pastel or charcoal dust, no solvents or dangerous fumes etc — and revisions and edits are easy to make.

Another big advantage is that after the initial cost of the computer, software, and tablet — there are no paints, brushes, pens, paper, canvases, and so on, to buy.

I still love working with all kinds of media though — and am working at completing an oil painting right now.

https://artmusicpoliticsfaithhopeandlove.blogspot.com/2018/06/jephyr-oil-painting-again-eagle.html

: )

Monday, June 25, 2018

Video: Principles Of Animation By Disney's "Old Men"—Adding Believably & Personality To Animation & Artwork

Video Below!

Image: Amazon Documentary
Video About Frank & Ollie

Hi!

Vimeo user cento lodigiani shared a very cool video several years ago.

It's an a adaption from information found in a book by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson—two of Disney's famous "nine old men."

The video is excellent and gives a quick overview of techniques that give believably and personality to animation—and is only 2 and a half minutes long.

It covers animation principles like "squash and stretch," "anticipation," "arcs,' "secondary action," "staging," and seven others.

Knowing these principles will help with all kinds of art—allowing artists in all kinds of mediums to think about the action we're trying to represent with our work.

Hope you agree!

The illusion of life from cento lodigiani on Vimeo.

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Thanks as always for stopping by!

See you again soon!

God Bless!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Jephyr - Oil Painting Again! Eagle Painting Preview

Eagle Painting Preview - Copyright 2018 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved

Hello!

I'm painting with oils again! : )

I've been saying for a LONG time that I wanted to return oil painting—and although I've worked with a lot of various media over the last several years (pencils, pastels, oil pastels, digital painting, animation etc)—I haven't done ANY oil painting in ages.

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It's sad to admit that I was more than a little concerned that all of my paints had dried up—and wondered if I could even get the tubes open.

: )

Finally one day I sat down and decided to see if I had any good paint left—and set about organizing and trying to open all the old tubes I had lying around.

Once time years ago—I discovered that if you just take pliers and start trying to twist the caps off—the whole tube will start to twist with it—and will eventually tear it—leaving the paint to squeeze out of the torn tube—(and with no way to seal it again)—ruining any remaining paint.

So I sat down with a razor blade—and carefully went around the dry paint gluing the caps on. Once I'd removed most of that paint—I took a small screw driver and gently worked it under the caps—slowly working them loose.

Then I'd gab my pliers and test to see if I'd loosened the cap enough—and would repeat the steps above if necessary.

After some effort—the first cap came off without damaging the tube—and I found that the paint was still perfect!!

So with renewed enthusiasm I worked on every tube I had—and after a bit had every cap off—and had my palette filled with dabs of colorful paint.

A Look At My Palette

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Since then I've been painting an eagle on a 10" x 20" canvas—as you see in the photo below .

I created a concept for its background on my computer—digitally hand-painting a craggy old tree and cactus over a photo I took of an Arizona sunset (see image at top).

Here's a look at my easel and what I have so far:

I hope to be able to post a photo of the finished painting soon!

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Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

God Bless!

Monday, May 21, 2018

The Movie—Darkest Hour—Is BRILLIANT!

Trailer Below

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Hi!

Sir Winston Churchill Portrait

I've felt utter disappointment with so many movies over the years.

Super heroes running around in goofy costumes—endless car chases and fighting—bullets flying and piles of dead bodies—fill way too many of them for my taste.

Often they are overflowing with extremely heavy handed moralizing as well—which almost always pushes a narrative that grates against my beliefs and principles.

Many plots are drab, pointless, incomprehensible, or just plain silly—featuring characters uttering stilted dialog in far fetched scenarios—and I'm beginning to hate that CORNY faux Shakespearean/English accent that's put on by far too many hugely over-rated actors who populate these abysmal films.

Sch-pahhh-tahh! : )

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If I sound bitter—I'm not at all—because occasionally a film breaks through all of the nonsensical movie-making dreck—and shines like a bright light in the "Hollywood" darkness—reminding me that good movies are still being made!

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Just recently—I was able to finally see Darkest Hour—staring Gary Oldman.

Oldman first came on my radar many years ago—when he played a ruthless drug dealer in the movie True Romance.

There are some very violent scenes in TR—and language and situations that would melt poor granny's hair—(so a word of caution if you haven't seen it yet)—but Oldman's portrayal is completely amazing—adding depth and believably to a character—that in a lesser actor's hands might have been over-the-top or cartoonish.

Nothing I'd seen of him since then however—had equaled that performance IMHO.

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But I began hearing good things about a recent movie he starred in called Darkest Hour—and figured I'd want to see it.

When I finally got the chance recently—I was absolutely blown away by it!!

Oldman is so convincing as Winston Churchill there is little wonder that people are already talking about awards for his performance.

If you've ever seen old footage of Churchill—you know in a moment that Oldman perfectly captured his voice and mannerisms—walking, standing and speaking like him—and the make-up artists allowed him to perfectly complete this transformation.

Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour & Winston Churchill - Image: Focus Features/Getty

The actors surrounding Oldman are ALL superb—and the casting was ideal for each of their roles.

The direction, story/plot, sets, cinematography, lighting, and editing, are all phenomenal.

In the words of a YouTuber—"Every Frame [Is] A Painting"—and I found myself marveling about the film-maker's choices regarding the staging of actors within stunning and often atmospheric locations.

And finally—the musical score completely complimented it all—never drawing attention to itself other than to add emotional intensity to scenes.

Darkest Hour is a truly BEAUTIFULLY made film!

Screen Shot From The Darkest Hour - Showing the Beautiful Atmospheric Lighting

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Brief Plot Summary

The film presents the historic time period around Churchill's rise to Prime Minister of England—and Hitler's attempt to take over Europe and Great Britain.

Some have rightly drawn comparisons with President Trump—in the sense that many of the people in power then in Great Britain—including even those in Churchill's own party—were not happy (to say the least) with his ascension to Prime Minister—and many (directly and indirectly) were working to remove him—and/or thwart decisions he made—and negotiate a "peace" deal with Hitler.

Imagine how differently our world would look without Churchill's determination to fight on.

The film portrays Churchill agonizing about his decisions while being buffeted by those around him—spending sleepless nights—and bearing the "weight of the world" on his shoulders.

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Troops being evacuated from Dunkirk, May 31, 1940

There are plot references to the British evacuation of Dunkirk during this time—which was also made into a movie recently.

While that film was very poorly made—seeing it did give me a greater understanding certain plot points in Darkest Hour.

So I'd recommend learning a bit about Dunkirk before watching Darkest Hour.

There are several documentaries about Dunkirk on-line—and of course many articles about it all over the internet.

Or you could slog your way through the painfully awful movie made about it........

; )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk

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OK—so I have strong tastes—that much is clear.

But in case I haven't made my opinion about Darkest Hour obvious—I LOVED IT!

Thanks for stopping by!

See you soon!

Ciao fer now.............

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