NETFLIX
STRANGER THINGS
ILLUSTRATED POSTER
In 2016 I was commissioned to produce a classic illustrated poster for the Netflix Original Series 'Stranger Things'.
I worked with the design agency Contend on behalf of Netflix to create a piece of artwork that celebrated the 80's era of hand-painted movie posters. I began by studying my favorite posters by several of the legendary poster artists such as Drew Struzan, Bob Peak, John Alvin and Richard Amsel. I then experimented with ways to create traditional paint work using digital tools.
I was given a loose composition by Contend and worked with their Art Director Nate Sherman to explore ideas for how best to communicate the story in a single image. Netflix gave me rough cuts of the first few episodes along with a library of still photography to work from.
After a few weeks of exploration, we settled on a composition and I was tasked with painting the finished poster. I used the Procreate app on my iPad Pro to do the preliminary sketches and for blocking the basic colors of the poster. I then exported these layers into Adobe Photoshop and began detailing the artwork at a much higher resolution.
The final poster is featured across all of Netflix' streaming platforms as the key art for the 'Stranger Things' series.
CREDITS
Design / Illustration : Kyle Lambert
Art Direction : Contend / Nate Sherman
Client : Netflix
BILLBOARDS
Stranger Things billboards have been spotted around Hollywood throughout July.
Photo taken by Jason of www.dailybillboardblog.com along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood and West L.A. on July 11, plus along Melrose Avenue on July 13, 2016.
TRAM / TRAIN WRAPS
The artwork was spotted as a vehicle wrap in Melbourne, Australia and in Vancouver Canada. Thank you to @camgould , @ebiember & @nickeagland for allowing me to share these photos.
IMDB #1 Most Popular TV Show
Since it's launch, Stranger Things has become the #1 Most Popular TV Show on IMDB
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
The artwork has also been used for the official Stranger Things OST, Vol. 1 & 2 by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein. The albums are available to purchase on iTunes https://itun.es/us/g2Sieb https://itun.es/us/ylVreb
AWARD SCREENER
A DVD Screener featuring the artwork was sent to members of the Screen Actors Guild in preparation for the award ceremony in 2017.
McFARLANE ACTION FIGURES
A line of Stranger Things action figures were released by McFarlane Toys, starting with Eleven and Hopper, and eventually expanding to a full range featuring the most popular cast members.
HOT TOPIC MERCHANDISE
A range of official Stranger Things Merchandise was released across the United States in Hot Topic stores.
BEAD ART
I found this amazing bead art version of the poster on Twitter. It was made by Matthew Ryerson @iamtorsoul who assembled the image using 16,820 Perler beads.
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