Mad Max, Marvel, Barbie, Star Wars… it revisits movies and pop culture in the middle ages and it’s great!

Furious Road

kill billy

Titanic (Titanic)

Ghosts

Star Wars – A New Hope (Star Wars – A New Hope)

Bike Bar (Barbie)

Allen, The Eighth Passenger (Alien, The Eighth Passenger)

Pulp Fiction

Rototo (My Neighbor Totoro)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Die Hard: Crystal Trap

Cubby Du

Spiderman

This is the way (The Mandalorian)

Sir Arnold de Soirtz and Nagere (Arnold Schwarzenegger))

Nobody Has My Aunt (Hakuna Matata)

Issuance of free passage (certificate of release from prison)

AlloCiné: Mister Simon de Tillier, who are you then?

I am a mysterious illuminator who rewrites every element of modern pop culture, movies, TV series, video games and internet memes using medieval aesthetic and symbolic codes. When I’m not wearing a cape, I’m a scriptwriter for commercials, movies, and animation. I am also a medievalist and have been doing medieval reconstruction in the south of France for 20 years. I have always been passionate about the art of lighting.

How was the idea of ​​combining illuminations and pop culture born?

When we were all confined to leprosy during the Great Pangolin Plague (meaning imprisonment), the most catastrophists told us that society would collapse and we would return to the Middle Ages. This was a completely acceptable prospect for me! Then I wondered what we could go to the movies to see in this new Middle Ages. Therefore, my first illustration was the Ghostbusters to chase away a nasty plague that hit the kingdom. Everything else followed quickly, the new illuminations, then “L’Octroi de franc passage” (the medieval version of the prison release certificate), a striking document of administration that echoes exactly the vague idea of ​​the age.

How do you choose the artworks you intend to restore and how much work time does it require?

I choose first of all what I like! Movies that made a special impression on me and pop culture classics. So I started by touching cult movies, cartoons and series of the 80s and 90s, and quickly video games. I’m an avid gamer and fan of video games, which I believe are as integral a part of popular culture as movies or comic books. For about a year now, I’ve been covering current affairs more regularly, and this exercise has been very successful with my audience. I suppose that there is a dearth after the disappearance of the Guignols, and that people still have some appetite for publications that make fun of monarchs and the powerful. As for the work required to create an illustration, it will of course vary depending on the subject, but it takes at least an hour for a drawing and often two hours for a format with all the decorations, drop hats and lettering. .

What are your working methods? By hand and “the old fashioned way” or with the magic brush of “enluminureéchoppe” (Photoshop)?

I’m pretty good at hand drawing and that’s how I learned to draw. However, in my work I switched to a graphics tablet and everything you can see was done using a free drawing software called Krita. It’s an absolutely fantastic and very powerful digital drawing tool that I highly recommend to all designers because unlike Photoshop it’s free!!!

Tell us about the codex that brings together your beautiful creations, but not only? What will the reader find there?

In the Middle Ages, a codex is a collection of selected parts, classified according to the interests of the time, which is exactly how my divine codex was formed. The codex also contains quotes from readers who have commented on my illuminations online, the quality of the comments being such that I consider them to be part of my creation as a whole. I am also very lucky to have a brilliant, polite and intelligent community that expresses itself with its quality witty thinking. The best commentaries are often formulated in the “Vétuste François,” a general public adaptation of Old French that remains accessible but still requires some effort to discover the best subtleties. It’s gratifying that so many people spontaneously engage in role-playing around my illustrations in this way.

You also offer other original creations on your site: games and witty notebook, Pochon Dextre, games, etc.

Games and mind notebook is a medieval (and movie buff) holiday notebook with lots of games and entertainment: word crusades, occultism, beauty tips, politeness test, map of the underworld, toy illuminations, horoscope, all with lots of humor. Everything you need to spend a good vacation and laugh alone or with friends, in any situation.

Dexter Pochon is a hunting book of the medieval ancestors of Pokémon, based on the 15th century hunting book Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix. This precious work on hunting and poaching is by La Chocoline for the sublime watercolors and Martin Foret for the playful texts and beast names, incredibly precise and effective.

I also created a board game, Portholes, for 2 to 5 players from 7 to 777. The goal is to create a beautiful collection of lights. It’s a resource management game with lots of twists and real strategic depth, with games lasting 20 to 30 minutes. I developed it for a year and a half and I am happy and proud that it has already found its place in many homes and that people share moments of good humor around my illuminations presented on the half of the 120 card game.

I also created illustrations Pugilism of Ruel II By Jordy Questeur, an excruciatingly violent game for two players. Each plays an ancestor of the Street Fighter II fighters in brutal unarmed duels, including special moves, combos and rage.

Beyond your site (which offers a medieval avatar generator as a bonus!), where can we see you next?

is turned on Simondethuilieres.com It’s possible to subscribe to my newsletter to receive new highlights by email every two weeks. You can find me at geek conventions and fairs, I’ll be in touch on my social media and in my newsletter about the locations and dates of the events I’m attending. At my stands you will be able to discover a fun exhibition of some of my best illuminations, I am also there to greet you, meet you and sign the works you own (know that I sign everything you create, even if it was not purchased on the spot). There are also activities waiting for you in my exhibitions, such as options to immerse yourself in my lights, or immortalize yourself in hellfire, or quick games with friends.

• Simone de Thuillier on Instagram

• Simon De Thuillieres on X/Twitter

• Simon De Thuillières, official website

Which creation are you most proud of to date?

What I am most proud of is not the special lighting, but the ability to make people laugh with my illustrations and my books, which are my personal expression. I am also very pleased with the brilliance of the community that has gathered around my illuminations. My biggest satisfaction still comes from my board game PortholesWhich was a complete creative adventure in which I faced every step, from writing the rules to balancing the board game.

Comments collected by Ioan Sardet – thanks to Reno Garcia