CE -- A lifetime of collecting comic related material :: Disney Studio Pt. 4 - Animation Drawings for Features/Featurettes *

Animation Drawing of Pinocchio, 1940

Artists: Frank Thomas (Penciller) , Walt Disney Studio (All)

1 Comment - 2,081 Views - 1 Like

Animation Drawing of Pinocchio, 1940 Comic Art

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Additional Images:

Scene from Pinocchio for which drawing was used

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Animation Drawing of Doc from Snow White, 1937

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Animation Drawing of Pinocchio on Stromboli's Stage, 1940

Artwork Details

Title:	Animation Drawing of Pinocchio, 1940
Artist:	Frank Thomas (Penciller)
Artist:	Walt Disney Studio (All)
Media Type:	Pencil
Art Type:	Animation
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	2,081
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	8/28/2006
Comic Art Archive:

Description

This is probably my favorite of all my animation drawings. It apparently was just a stray drawing that made it out of Disney's studio, since I have never seen another drawing from this scene in the 30+ years since I bought this one through an auction. It was the most expensive drawing that I have ever bought.

Things to Consider When Buying Animation Drawings:

Not all animation drawings from the same scene of a cartoon or animated feature are of equal quality. My friend, Howard Lowery, used to complain that I was too picky in selecting just the right drawing to buy from a scene of similar images, but he was wrong!

The best drawings are usually those which were drawn by the supervising animator assigned to draw a scene. There a several signs that a drawing was done by the main animator. Many times a grid/ ladder is present, usually on the right edge of a drawing. Typically the top and bottom, numbered, horizontal lines, and at times a few, longer horizontal lines in between, indicate the drawing numbers of the images drawn by the main animator. These drawings are often referred to as the "extremes," since they are the most extreme poses of the character being animated in that scene. There are other horizontal lines in between, which indicate the drawing numbers which assistant animators drew to fill in the movement. There are 24 drawings per minute of film and 16 per foot of film. If no grid is present, the extremes have drawing numbers which are circled. The extremes can also have colored pencil under-drawing which is different than found on the in-betweens. For example, the very small scene of Yensid, the sorcerer in the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence of Fantasia, where he parts the waters unleashed by a hapless Mickey Mouse, was a scene which Vladamir Tytla was the supervising animator. But most of the better drawings, those which had grids indicating that they were drawn by the main animator, are also initialed by Tytla's primary assistant. A single drawing, the first one in the scene, has red underdrawing and a circle around the drawing number -- it was the only drawing in the scene which was actually drawn by Bill Tytla.

The desirability of particular drawings which are clearly by the main animator can vary considerably, particularly in scenes which involve dramatic action. Certain poses which are necessary to show the movement of the character are just not that appealing when seen in isolation, while others are perfect still images within the sequence.

When portions of the character that is being animated do not change from drawing to drawing, those areas are not re-drawn on each drawing -- this is most often the case with the feet of characters when only upper portions of the body move. The held portions are often just sketched in roughly and an indication is made that the woman who inks the cels should go to a certain drawing for use in inking that part of the character. This is almost always indicated with the initials "t.r." and the drawing number that contains what is to be re-used. Depending on how carefully the incomplete portion of the figure is rendered, it can be hard from small, black and white reproductions in catalogues, to tell that a drawing has a traceback, which I consider to be a significant problem with many animation drawings. At times, when I have liked the expression of a character with trace back feet, I have bought both the drawing I like and the drawing with the feet to be traced again, but it is difficult to enjoy a figure that depends on two drawings to be complete. Dishonest dealers have been known to complete the unfinished portions that were intended to be traced by strengthening the areas that had originally only been roughly indicated on drawings.

A closely related problem occurs when a portion of a figure registers to background details and is left undrawn in the registered area. This is usually pretty obvious, but at times, small registered areas can be hard to detect unless the drawing is closely inspected. Depending on the nature of the registration, some such drawings can still be attractive, such as when it is obvious that the figure registers to a table at the bottom, a doorway, etc. Continued...

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	C E
Joined:	April 2006
Last Login:	August 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Mike W
Member Since 2007

Posted on 5/24/2009

This is REALLY nice!

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