Sleep of Reason: The Fantasical Sketches of Guillermo del Toro

Fueled by his monstrous imagination and an appetite for fully immersible worlds, Guillermo del Toro is thought to be by many a visionary director with uncompromising ideals that challenge our very preconceptions of reality. One might wonder with such a finely tuned vision how del Toro manages to craft every aspect of his films. Is it through luck, experienced training or sheer lunacy; the celluloid creations of some subconscious universe? The answer may surprise you. It all begins with a rather modest leather bound notebook.

“[The notebook] contains visual ideas, character notes and plot details,” says del Toro in an interview with The Guardian,* “sketching a film can sometimes be more fun than actually making one.” With these same sketches, del Toro is able to establish the mood, style and presence of whatever world he’s currently creating and the characters that reside within. As it happens, many of these creatures are rather horrific in nature whether it be internally or externally, a trait that del Toro seems to be endlessly fascinated by as he told the New York Times in 2008**, “There’s nothing I enjoy more than creating fables about monsters, human or otherwise.”

Having turned this obsession with monsters into a successful career I find his work to be both an inspiration as well as an impressive feat considering that he’s had no formal training. He did, however, spend eight years tutelage of SFX legend Dick Smith which might explain his attention to costume and character design. Among his many influences del Toro has credited Arthur Rackham, Francisco Goya, and William Stout as specific inspirations during his time on Pan’s Labyrinth and for those interested in hearing more about his sketches for Hellboy II I suggest checking out these soundbytes courtesy of The New York Times.

*Pan’s people, The Guardian, November 2006
**Elves and Killer Beanstalks From Director’s Personal ‘Hell’, The New York Times, July 2008