all images in this post © Enrico Scheri / artFive 2009
For Il re dell'isola I did also some matte painting (still backgrounds behind 3D elements). This is an example of the historical research demanded by this movie, as I had to reconstruct the look of the now-destroyed promontory that once linked the big lighthouse called Lanterna to the hills behind the city.
For the skyline and the shape of the main buildings I referred to a selection of ancient black-and-white photos, and for the colors to a fresco on the roof of the main hall of ducal palace here in Genoa. A bit of imagination was necessary here and there, but the general result seems to me quite believable. 3D clouds, sea and atmospheric effects were added to this background to create the final image you can see in the movie.
media: pencil, digital colouring
As the story is settled in the early 20th century, I chose a charcoal-like style with thin frame lines and classical lettering to recall the popular illustrations of that age.
The image at the beginning of this series shows the main character, Gioanin, as an old man that let his memory return to the childhood days, starting the movie.
The fourth image illustrates Gioanin's dream of the savage island in a daylight version, alternative to the one used in the actual movie. This is the only full-coloured concept artwork with the intent to suggest a different visual style for the dream sequence.
The artworks posted here are just a few of the series I drawn. You can see a larger sample on the gallery section of The King of the Island official website, where you can also compare how the same scene developed from concept artworks through color studies and storyboard to the actual frames of the movie. 
Some studies for the sets I designed for Il Re dell'isola, an animated 3D short film directed by Raimondo Della Calce and settled in Genoa at the beginning of the 20th century.
Some other sketches I did for the sets of the short film Il Re dell'isola. This is the house where the main character of the movie, a child called Gioanin, live with his mother. The exterior of the house is a real existing building, hidden somewhere in Genoa's medieval heart, while the interior is pure invention, with props based on old-times photos.
