Sources

The references the direction rests on, with what was taken from each and what could not be confirmed.

No page, frame or still from any of these is in this repository. They are linked and described.

Points marked our reading come from looking at the published work and have no source in the artist's words. Quotes were read through a summarising fetch tool and are close paraphrases unless checked against the page.

Amulet (Kazu Kibuishi)

• Interview, SFF Planet: simple faces as the way into a detailed world.
• Interview, CBR: colour schemes follow "the mood of the sections".
• His colour tutorial, Bolt City: set down a midtone and work away from it.
• His flatting tutorial, Bolt City: line on its own layer; local colour first.
• Review, Lines and Colors: thin single-weight outlines; backgrounds "more implied than realized".
• Reference entry, EBSCO: fine-line characters against lush painterly backgrounds; book one dark, later books lighter.
• Interview, Mixed-Up Files: values first, then warm against cool.
• Division of labour, CBR and Bolt City team history.

Not confirmed: Kibuishi describing how he paints haze, light shafts, glow or grass. Our reading, from the published books: the stone's pink glow lights the face beside it; depth by paler, bluer layers; tiny figures against huge structures; one dominant hue per place.

Nordlys (Malin Falch)

• Profile, Barnebokinstituttet: Disney and Ghibli as inspirations; Photoshop on a Cintiq, aiming for "et mindre digitalt uttrykk".
• Interview, Empirix: manga for expressions, Kittelsen and Bauer for trolls; she photographs real forest.
• Nordlys, Store norske leksikon: origin and cast.
• Review, Barnebokkritikk: backgrounds built like Ghibli's; round forms for kind characters.
• Review, NRK: "vakre naturlandskap, drømmende og stemningsfulle farger".
• Review, Dagbladet: national-romantic landscapes; the northern lights as a portal.
• Review, Serienett: she paints backgrounds, another artist inks the figures.
• Further reviews: Empirix, book 1, Empirix, Trollriket, NRK on the folk tales.

Not confirmed: a statement by Falch on her colour or light. "Warm fire against a cold night" is our reading of the books.

Feature and series CGI

• Arcane (Fortiche): Riot on Piltover and Zaun, 80.lv, season 2, VFX Voice, SyncSketch, Fortiche FAQ, backgrounds, 80.lv.
• Klaus: It's Nice That, SIGGRAPH blog.
• Wolfwalkers: staging, VFX Voice.
• Frozen and Frozen 2: Giaimo on the look, CBR, Frozen 2 art direction, Awards Daily, Sami advisory group, Arctic Council.
• Raya and the Last Dragon: VFX Voice. Zootopia: districts. Encanto: colour.
• Wish: Before and Afters. Puss in Boots: Before and Afters. Spider-Verse: Before and Afters.
• The Sea Beast: Matthias Lechner. The Dragon Prince: Bardel. Nimona: interview.
• Colour scripts: Amid Amidi on Pixar's.

Games

• Breath of the Wild: art director on the style, field design notes (fan translation).
• Firewatch: GDC 2015 write-up. Sable: Game Developer.

The Alvheim and grass books list their own sources: Alvheim and the grass portfolio.