The Making of 'Planet Erf'

It will not surprise anybody to learn that the BBC's 'Planet Earth' documentary series took a painstaking five years to make and presented gruelling challenges of physical and mental endurance to everyone involved. The dedicated team travelled to every corner of the globe, braving not only the extremes of climate but also the dangers lurking in the natural world. They traipsed bare-footed through crocodile infested swamps, they suffered stingray attacks and they were forced to defend their provisions from hungry boa constrictors. They had to exhibit exceptional patience, travelling for days and waiting for weeks, often without so much as a change of clothes, all in the pursuit of that spectacular, jaw-dropping, never-before-seen footage of the world around us.

One might draw parallels with the making of 'Planet Erf', a collection of brand new greeting cards by Lanther Black. Production took place in the depths of October, when U.K. temperatures plummeted marginally below the seasonal averages of 10ºC, and the crew were forced to don dressing gowns and fluffy socks as the heating system, which had remained unused during the long, hot summer, struggled to kick back into action.

Directors Dominique and Jack survived for weeks on a diet of Super Noodles and red wine as they researched the behaviours of penguins and the attitudes of ostriches. They completed tens of sketches and they worked their pencils to the wood, writing and rewriting poems and puns. At times, they faltered. At times, the going was tough. But they did not quit until they had answered the big question: If a dragon had a hangover, how would it look?

The collection of 12 designs is now complete and covers occasions such as open love and friendship, birthdays and even a mousewarming. Dominique and Jack are taking a couple of days off to eat some food that contains actual nutrients and take a look at the boiler, but talks have already begun for the sequel, Planet Erf II: Space Monsters, scheduled for release in 2019.