To celebrate the home entertainment release of the emotional masterpiece A Monster Calls, we discovered our second calling in life – as artistes darling!
Nestled in Cass Art, a North London art shop, we joined forces with watercolour extraordinaire and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Goldsmiths University, Roxy Walsh, to host a bespoke masterclass for a handpicked selection of journalists and competition winners.
So what does watercolour painting have to do with A Monster Calls?
Well… A Monster Calls tells the heart-warming tale of a young boy named Connor and his journey to overcome the passing away of his mother through the power of imagination and creativity. Connor’s biggest comfort during this dark time is his mother’s sketchbook full of watercolours… and a monster in tree form conjured up by his imagination, guiding him on a journey to overcome his grief!
So what better way to encourage our target journalists to immerse themselves in the beautiful world of A Monster Calls than a watercolour masterclass?
Writers from The Huffington Post, and Virgin Radio presenter Lisa Mac took part in the masterclass, and we also partnered with Cosmopolitan to invite competition winners for an evening of escapism at this therapeutic experience. The majority of attendees hadn’t handled a paintbrush since primary school, so with Roxy’s guidance we were given a crash course on how to re-create some of the stunning artwork and visuals from the film, such as scenes of trees and monsters by blowing the watercolour onto paper through straws. Discussion around the film and its narrative flowed, just like our paintbrushes!
As the saying goes, ‘all art is subjective’, so although the end product may have looked more abstract than a mirror replica, everyone went away with a worthy piece of fridge art and a new lease on life.
A Monster Calls reached number 2 in the DVD charts in May 2017! An excellent result for a feature that isn’t relying on a franchise!
