News

Cut! How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation

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Last year I got to work with Greenwillow Books to illustrate the picture book “CUT! How Lotte Reiniger and a Pair of Scissors Revolutionized Animation” written by C.E. Winters. It's out now, and you can buy it here.

I'm also happy to see that the book has received some good reviews, including starred reviews from The Horn Book and School Library Journal:

“With a refrain of ‘snip, snip, snip!’ the story introduces readers to German film pioneer Lotte Reiniger (1899–1981). Schu’s exquisite digital illustrations possess a strong sense of illumination and depth, often suggesting a tactile quality, as if constructed from paper.” — excerpt from The Horn Book's starred review

"This story shines a light on artist, moviemaker, inventor, and trailblazer Lotte Reiniger. Born in Germany, Reiniger loved using paper and scissors to make beautiful art. One day her grandmother took her to the theater to see a silent movie. The child thought it was magical and decided that she wanted to make movies, making characters cut from paper called silhouettes. Winters and Schu do an excellent job in telling the story of Reiniger, who created the first animated film and is indirectly responsible for all of the animated cartoons and movies audiences have enjoyed for generations. It is story of hope, rejection, and determination, and is inspiring to all artists.VERDICT A wonderful addition to public, school, and classroom collections." –Laura Ellis, School Library Journal

And here are some pictures of the book:

Jan. 2023 Show at Nucleus House with Paper Puffin

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This month I have work up at the new Nucleus House gallery in Portland, alongside Paper Puffin. I’ve been working with oil on canvas recently, and the show is mostly that. Check it out in person if you’re in Portland, on weekends 12-4pm until the 29th, on NE 11th & Alberta St. You can check out the on their website, but here are a few from the show.

Dark Hour Books - New small press

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I’ve started a small zine press, Dark Hour Books, and this is one of the first books I’m releasing: Pickpocket the Big Top, 26 prose poems by Ben Niespodziany. I did the art & design. You can pick this up on the Dark Hour Etsy shop.

I’ve been working on starting this press for a while and I’m excited to be releasing stuff! Follow the @darkhourbooks Instagram page for updates on this and future titles!

Interview with Kathy Temean - Illustrator Saturday

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Kathy Temean kindly interviewed me for her blog this weekend, and I answered some questions and talked a bit about my process for making a digital drawing. Here’s a link to the interview:

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2021/08/21/illustrator-saturday-matt-schu/

Album Art and Animation for Chillhop Music

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I got to work with Chillhop Music on their new album by Psalm Trees and Guillaume Muschalle, “We Must Believe in Spring”. I made cover art and animation, and it’s been fun to see how they’ve been using it. Here’s a link to the full album on YouTube, and some images used for the cover and singles.

San Francisco Zine Fest 2019

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I drove down to San Francisco at the end of August to table at the San Francisco Zine Fest, and I’m happy to say it was a successful trip. I had a a great time at the fest and also had fun walking around the city. I was only there for a few days, but I brought my camera and shot a roll of color film as I was sightseeing. Here are some pics from my drive down and from walking around the city, August 30-31.