Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Ken O'Connor on Cheating Perspective


This is an interesting mini lecture by Disney layout artist and art director Ken O'Connor on how to cheat perspective effectively.
Ken worked on many of the Disney classics and shorts for a period of over thirty years.
I had the chance to meet him on a couple of occasions when he gave talks at Disney Animation.
The man knew what he was talking about. He was extremely skilled and enjoyed problem solving when planning layouts for animation. 
Born in Australia in 1908, Ken moved with his family to the US in 1930. He started at Disney in 1935 and before retiring in 1978 he taught at CalArts. He passed away in 1998. Ken was an artistic giant within the Disney organization.


14 comments:

  1. It's great to hear a top draftsman talk about the nuts and bolts of perspective in such a clear way. Thanks for this gem!

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  2. Thank you, oh man that was great and intersting. Hope there´s more videos where´s Ken (or someone else) tells techiques and making animation backgrounds.

    What books would you recommend about drawing animation layouts and backgrounds?

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    1. Two books:
      Setting the Scene-The Art and Evolution of Animation Layout
      By Fraser Maclean, Chronicle Books

      Layout & Background-Walt Disney Animation Studios-The Archive Series
      Disney Editions

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    2. Thank you very much for info. Have to check them out.

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  3. I love animation, but really the layouts and backgrounds Disney always enchanted.

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  4. It's the layout equivalent of breaking the joints...gives you the correct feeling by breaking the rules...Note that this worked well because there was the verticle pan. Also extra work for the animator as this shot would have been on ones to account for the camera movement.And timed to the music score with dancing bits...do we know who did Goofy in this one? was it Art Babbit?

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  6. I'm really enjoying these insightful clips on this blog! Sometimes, it's simply great to just listen to top artists explain things. So clear. :D

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  7. Hi, my friend and I saw you at Destination D last year and thought that you were one of the major highlights. You were personable, funny, and very informative. We REALLY enjoyed it. We're not animators... at all. BUT we are huge fans of animation and everything you do!
    We have a podcast called "The Animation Addicts podcast with The Rotoscopers" and just as a shot in the dark were wondering if you'd like to do an interview sometime. :D If you would like to make a few fan's day, email us here: therotoscopers@gmail.com and say yes! Thanks so much!

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  8. Funny I was watching Clock Cleaners recently on youtube. Very cool to get some insight on the production of the short. I absolutely love Goofy's animation in the short.

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  9. thank you for posting great material to read and learn from. Much appreciated

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  10. This is a great clip . Thanks for posting it. I'm curious: what is the origin of the clip ? It seems familiar to me, but I can't place it ...

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    Replies
    1. It is from a UK TV show on Walt Disney from around 1977.

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