The Digital Matte Painting Handbook

Peter Ellenshaw

Peter Ellenshaw (1913–2007) grew up in a small village in England. His chances of becoming a matte artist were highly unlikely until fate played a hand. In 1934, when Ellenshaw was 21, an artist named Percy “Pop” Day (1878–1965) moved in across the street from the Ellenshaw family. Day was a noted matte painter whose work appeared in Abel Gance’s Napoléon (1927) and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Ring (1927). He later went on to contribute the matte paintings for a number of English feature films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and Black Narcissus (1947).

Ellenshaw had aspirations to be an artist, and he took samples of his work across the street to Day in the hope of getting some advice and encouragement. The meeting proved fortuitous. ...