Clik here to view.
Lecture Series
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wilhelm M. Busch 1959
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Aristocats Doodles
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cinderella's Romanticism
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Think Magazine 1959
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Marc Davis, Fine Artist, Animator
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Facial Expressions & Dialogue
...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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pinocchio, Age 75
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.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tiger Inspiration
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
101 Dalmatians Background Styling
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bacchus
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mushka Teaser Poster Ideas
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Long Before...
...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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Character Design Lecture
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cranky Milt
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,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
King Louie by Frank Thomas
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Michelangelo...Yes, Michelangelo
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Lecture on The Nine Old Men
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sir Giles
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Queen/Witch
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...
View Article