Lecture Series

February 18, 2015, 11:13 pm

≫ Next: Wilhelm M. Busch 1959

≪ Previous: Joe

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I did this illustration for the cover of Storyboard Magazine quite a few years ago. Characters like Scar and Hercules and Lilo were yet to come. I learned a lot during those years, just by animating a lot.

From my experience you can read about animation, its techniques and history, but you learn best by doing it.

How I go about animating a scene (from thumbnails to final tie down) will be the subject of my first 2015 online lecture with Virtual Animators this coming Saturday, February 21, at 11 AM US Pacific time.

I'll try and break down my working method as much as possible...and answer questions you might have.

If you are interested in joining me, go to Virtual Animators' web site:

http://www.virtualanimators.com/index.php/animation-insights

We are planning a new lecture about every other Saturday, covering all kinds of topics related to character animation. I look forward to diving into this new venture, let's have some fun!

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Wilhelm M. Busch 1959

February 23, 2015, 7:52 pm

≫ Next: Aristocats Doodles

≪ Previous: Lecture Series

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Busch illustrated Balzac's Les cent contes drôlatiques in 1959. This German 200 pages + edition has a ton of incredible drawings, spontaneous and bold, showing master draughtsmanship. Inventive staging and unconventional characters make these sketches a delight to study. Work like this inspires me to no end.
It is breathtaking!
Here is a selection of images from the first half of the book. If you'd like I can do a part II in a later post.   

Aristocats Doodles

February 25, 2015, 8:47 pm

≫ Next: Cinderella's Romanticism

≪ Previous: Wilhelm M. Busch 1959

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For the film The Aristocats individual assignments were given to each of the supervising animators. Milt Kahl developed the relationship between the movie's human characters like Madame Bonfamille, her lawyer George Hautecourt and Edgar, the butler. Ollie Johnston drew key scenes with Duchess and her three kittens, and Frank Thomas animated O'Malley's song as well as the two dogs in the countryside, Napoleon and Lafayette.
John Lounsbery was put in charge of designing and animating most scenes featuring O'Malley's jazzy musician friends. It was Ken Anderson's idea that the five of them would be from different ethnic backgrounds and speak with individual accents like Russian, British, Italian etc.

Here are a few of Lounsbery's character doodle sheets, in which he explores a variety of shapes and proportions for the cats, as well as props that might link them to their respective country.

I've had a number of posts featuring Lounsberys work, this was the first one with an overview of his characters:
http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2011/06/john-lounsbery.html

Cinderella's Romanticism

February 27, 2015, 11:46 pm

≫ Next: Think Magazine 1959

≪ Previous: Aristocats Doodles

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From the moment the storybook opens we find out that romance is the predominant visual theme of the film. What a lovely way to take us into this world through gorgeous book illustrations and the soulful narration by Betty Lou Gerson ( who would later voice Cruella De Vil).

Cinderella's background paintings remind me of grand stage sets for a Viennese Operetta by Johann Strauss. Everything is exaggerated in order to enhance a dreamlike, sentimental mood. The movie was made on a shoestring budget, yet the its visual presentation is opulent and luscious. You combine that with rich storytelling, and you get a classic for the ages.

Think Magazine 1959

March 1, 2015, 10:07 pm

≫ Next: Marc Davis, Fine Artist, Animator

≪ Previous: Cinderella's Romanticism

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A brief, but nice article on Walt Disney from 1959. I like the personal approach in the write up, you get to know Walt a little. What I don't understand is that there is no mention of Disney's latest animated spectacular Sleeping Beauty, which was released in theaters about three months before the article was published.
I enjoy the candid photos as well.

Some poster art from only a few of so many Walt Disney Productions.

Disney/Heritage Auctions

Marc Davis, Fine Artist, Animator

March 4, 2015, 1:57 am

≫ Next: Facial Expressions & Dialogue

≪ Previous: Think Magazine 1959

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I have written before about Marc Davis' many artistic talents. Here are a few more examples that showcase the wide scope of his skills. I just love the nude study above which goes all the way back to 1939. Marc had finished clean up animation on Snow White, and here he shows his expertise for depicting the female form. Come to think of it, that type of pose is actually quite ordinary, but loose brush strokes, gorgeous color and a semi abstract back drop make this an extraordinary image. I think Marc did about a handful of these bold, quick sketch nudes.

The confrontation of a bull with a big cat is not dated, but my guess would be the mid 1950s.
A beautiful composition in which the animals are pictured with "decorative anatomy", for lack of a better word.

At the studio Marc had no problem switching over to realistic animation. Many of you might not have known that beside his astounding portrayal of Tinker Bell in the film Peter Pan, he also animated Mary Darling.
An amazing man, who continued to experiment throughout his life as a fine artist as well as an animator.

Facial Expressions & Dialogue

March 4, 2015, 9:38 pm

≫ Next: Pinocchio, Age 75

≪ Previous: Marc Davis, Fine Artist, Animator

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...will be the topics of my next lecture with Virtual Animators this Saturday, March 7.

Over the years I've had the chance to animate characters with a variety of facial configurations. Each one of them required a unique approach to the way they talked. It was always fun to try and come up with new mouth shapes and expressions I hadn't used before. 

That's part of being an animator, putting your own personal stamp on your character, and doing it differently than your colleague next door would. That's the stuff I'll be talking about.

If you are interested in joining the lecture, here is the link to Virtual Animators:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/You-re-invited-to-a-LIVE-ANIMATION-INSIGHTS-SESSION-with-Andreas-Deja.html?soid=1111314412804&aid=Cv9Wg89xh8w

Pinocchio, Age 75

March 6, 2015, 11:29 pm

≫ Next: Tiger Inspiration

≪ Previous: Facial Expressions & Dialogue

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Walt Disney's film Pinocchio turned seventy-five years old last month. We have come a long way from this type of soulful, personal, compassionate, warmhearted and noble type of animated film making.

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Tiger Inspiration

March 8, 2015, 9:26 pm

≫ Next: 101 Dalmatians Background Styling

≪ Previous: Pinocchio, Age 75

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During my research about tigers for my film Mushka, I came across some remarkable art and other resources, that helped me develop an anatomical understanding, but also an artistic appreciation of this magnificent animal. Paul Jouve created this outrageously beautiful panel above. This complex casual pose, drawn and painted with such ease.

There are endless intriguing photos of tigers to admire online.

My friend Olivier sent me countless photos he took at the zoo. You learn something from each image.

I got a few well crafted Tiger figurines, they were inexpensive and help with certain drawing challenges.

Fine artist from around the world show various possibilities in depicting tigers.

Austrian artist Nobertine Bresselern-Roth (1891 - 1978) created amazing animal illustrations using the linocut technique.

Animal expert Wilhelm Kuhnert was great at drawing any type of wildlife, including big cats.

Another terrific illustration by French artist Paul Jouve.

101 Dalmatians Background Styling

March 10, 2015, 11:45 pm

≫ Next: Bacchus

≪ Previous: Tiger Inspiration

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If you think that creating backgrounds for Disney's 101 Dalmatians was a piece of cake compared to the preceding film Sleeping Beauty, think again. Sure, Eyvind Earl's renaissance styling is rich with sharp detail, but look at this layout from 101. Layout supervisors Don Griffith, Collin Campbell and Erni Nordli had their hands full, creating settings in accurate and finessed line drawings. It really was the layout department that took the brunt of the work to present meticulous backdrops for the animated characters. The background artists added simple washes of color, suggesting the overall mood of the scene in a sketchy way.
It's my guess that the layout folks were doing overtime, while the background artists took long lunches.
Below a screen grab from this gorgeous scene, just a truck in without characters.

Bacchus

March 12, 2015, 1:33 am

≫ Next: Mushka Teaser Poster Ideas

≪ Previous: 101 Dalmatians Background Styling

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Ward Kimball didn't really enjoy the assignment of animating the character of Bacchus for the Pastoral sequence in Fantasia. And I really don't know why. I do know that he had his eyes set on the segment Dance of the Hours, featuring dancing hippos and alligators, but he didn't end up being cast on that part of the film.
It is kind if fun to discover though, that there WAS a Disney artist who provided inspiration by having his expressive face photographed as an inspiration for story artists and animators.

Caravaggio's painting of the Roman God of wine had no influence on the Disney artists at all.

Story artist James Bodrero developed a cartoony version of the character, that started to show some  a resemblance to a certain Disney artist.

Even the beautiful maquette from Joe Grant's design department
was modeled after a particular Disney employee.

 

And that artist it is Dick Huemer, who co-wrote the movie Dumbo with colleague Joe Grant.

See for yourself, if you think that there is any resemblance  between Bacchus and Dick Huemer.

Boy, I sure think three is.

Mushka Teaser Poster Ideas

March 13, 2015, 12:01 am

≫ Next: Long Before...

≪ Previous: Bacchus

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I was determined to hand out some kind of teaser poster at last year's CTN Expo. Well, I did, but not before exploring several visual ideas that would represent the overall mood of the film. Here are some of the outtakes. I am not going to post the two final designs, it makes owning one of the two posters a little more special. (on the poster there is a tag line missing, because I haven't copyrighted it yet.)

As a general Mushka update:
I just about finished work on the story reel/animatic, even though some changes and improvements will happen as production continues. I am in love with this story, it is emotional, exciting (as in action) and funny.
I am extremely thrilled to announce that the one and only Richard Sherman has written a song for the film!! I'll tell you later how this came to be, but I am pinching myself knowing that Academy Award winning Richard Sherman, who cowrote the songs for Jungle Book with his brother Robert, among many other groundbreaking films, is a creative part of my film. As King Louie says: "Craaazy!"
As I am getting into full production on Mushka, I am looking for local LA 2D animation artists.

- Effects animator, experienced or new. But with high standards.
- Inbetweeners, experienced or new. But with high standards.
- Animators, experienced or new. But with high standards.
- Interns

If you are interested, leave your email, and I'll contact you. I won't be able to pay studio rates, but I WILL pay independent film $.

Long Before...

March 16, 2015, 12:21 am

≫ Next: Character Design Lecture

≪ Previous: Mushka Teaser Poster Ideas

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...Lily James and Richard Madden starred in Disney's current hit film Cinderella, and even before Disney's animators drew scenes with the heroine and the Prince for the 1950 classic movie, there were actors Helene Stanley and Jeffrey Stone, who provided life action reference footage.
Beautiful photo stat, what a charming couple!

Thanks to all of you who responded to my previous post. I will get back to you in the next few days.

Character Design Lecture

March 18, 2015, 11:01 pm

≫ Next: Cranky Milt

≪ Previous: Long Before...

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Character Design, and where to look for inspiration, will be the topic of my next online lecture with Virtual Animators. It will take place this Saturday, March 21. 

I will point out and demonstrate several approaches to achieving interesting, cliche free designs.

Here are works by just a few artists, who I admire, and who constantly remind me of high standards when it comes to visualizing unique graphic versions of human and animal characters.

In case you'd like to join the live lecture, here is the link to Virtual animators:

http://www.virtualanimators.com/index.php/animation-insights

I consider character designs for today's animated projects an important topic. Let's see how we can deviate from the sort of sameness that seems to have crept into today's animation.

Cranky Milt

March 21, 2015, 12:14 am

≫ Next: King Louie by Frank Thomas

≪ Previous: Character Design Lecture

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This coming Sunday, March 22, is Milt Kahl's birthday.
He doesn't seem too happy in the photo with the way things are going on the film The Aristocats.
In the end he didn't like the movie very much, though he enjoyed animating Edgar, the butler and George Hautecourt, the old lawyer, less so Madame Bonfamille and the horse Frou Frou.
To me ALL of his work on the film is outstanding. Milt was way too professional to let a weak story line stand in the way of his creativity.

Here is his first major character for a Disney feature, followed by his last.

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King Louie by Frank Thomas

March 24, 2015, 11:28 pm

≫ Next: Michelangelo...Yes, Michelangelo

≪ Previous: Cranky Milt

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King Louie is briefly annoyed during the jungle jam session, when he notices that his sidekick "Flunkey" has joined in, taking some of the spotlight.

This nice cel from the scene is currently being offered at Heritage Auctions.

Frank did all 58 drawings for the scene, there are no in-betweens. Throughout Louie is bouncing up and down to the beat of the music, so the overall motion is pretty involved. Because if the amount of work, there was no time to tie down the drawings. That task went to Frank's assistant Dale Oliver, who traced the poses on to new sheets of paper with thin, sketchy black pencil lines.

Frank's drawings might not look as polished as you might expect, but they sure have a soul, and they communicate beautifully. I like the way Louie turns his head, as the upper cranium leads the move with the mouth unit following through. 

It's a great scene, completely alive!

More on King Louie in this previous post:

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2012/03/king-louie.html

Michelangelo...Yes, Michelangelo

March 27, 2015, 12:14 am

≫ Next: A Lecture on The Nine Old Men

≪ Previous: King Louie by Frank Thomas

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As an animator, how can you NOT be fascinated and overwhelmed by the masters of the Italian Renaissance?! During that time the depiction of the human figure started to move, it has rhythm and life. As an art student I was utterly blown away by this Michelangelo sheet of anatomical studies for the Sistine Chapel. This is the Libyan Sibyl. She looks mighty masculine, because in those days only men modeled for artists. The artist's observation is intense, he is searching for the truth under the model's skin. A triumph of human artistry. A piece of art that makes you weep.

Below the final painting from the Sistine Chapel.

A Lecture on The Nine Old Men

March 30, 2015, 10:16 pm

≫ Next: Sir Giles

≪ Previous: Michelangelo...Yes, Michelangelo

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Some of you might know that I have been working on a book with Focal Press on the art of Disney's Nine Old Men. Right now it looks like the release date will be this coming August. (The subtitle has been changed to "Disney's Great Animators")

It has been super exciting to analyze their work again, and to show how individual each of their contributions were. Their work methods, drawing styles as well as their tastes contrasted each other immensely.

On this coming Saturday, April 4, I will give an online talk showcasing the work of the Nine Old Men. As usual this will happen in connection with my friends at Virtual Animators. 

I will also talk about these guys as people, the way I met them and stayed in touch. John Lounsbery and Les Clark had already passed away when I came to LA, but I did get to know members of their families. 

Aside from talking about the brilliant work of this group of artists, I will share with you anecdotes, because some fun stuff occured when I spent time with them. A visit with Kimball was never just a visit, I always drove home laughing my head of. 

If you are interested in joining me for the talk, here is the link to Virtual animators:

http://www.virtualanimators.com/index.php/insights

Here is a pic of Kimball and me, he is showing me a huge folder filled with studio gag drawings by himself, Fred Moore and Walt Kelly. Amazing!

Sir Giles

April 2, 2015, 12:35 am

≫ Next: Queen/Witch

≪ Previous: A Lecture on The Nine Old Men

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I've always loved Sir Giles as a personality from the 1941 film The Reluctant Dragon.

Skinny characters like him or Ichabod Crane have this wonderful gangly, lanky quality in their movements. When I look at the strong simplicity of Sir Giles' design, I think he would be a great character for any young animator to experiment with. His head is made up of two main masses, the cranium, and the very flexible mouth/jaw configuration. Squash and Stretch galore!

Fred Moore did some of his key scenes. I have no idea why somebody colored this rough key drawing...but it sure looks pretty! Joe Grant worked on the story for this short, and these drawings kind of resemble him.

Some of these sketches, if not all of them were offered at Howard Lowery's auctions, and I wished I had bid on them. They are stunning!! Long live Fred Moore!

Queen/Witch

April 3, 2015, 3:14 pm

≫ Next: Walt and Ludwig

≪ Previous: Sir Giles

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Joe Grant sure knew how to infuse the right amount of evil when he designed Snow White's Queen and Witch characters. His drawings were hardly changed at all for the film, I sure love all that dramatic black. (I remember having to argue to include the color black in the design for Jafar. Early versions showed him in fifty shades of red. Really, red only)
I love all of these sketches, they are graphically sound and scary in a groundbreaking way.

This scene was animated by a very young John Lounsbery.

Quick Mushka update:
Thanks again to everybody for your interest in the project. I started to hire only a few people, but as production continues, I will need more help. Please, keep your contacts in the comment section, so I can revisit portfolios and reels as time goes by.
The internship program will happen in connection with CTN, I will have more on that soon.
I apologize, but artists need to be local.