You don't hear or read much about Les Clark in regards to the production of Sleeping Beauty.
That's him in the photo, examining a color model cel with various poses of Aurora, held by Grace Bailey, who was then head of the ink & paint department.
Les directed the enormously complex opening sequence of the film with endless crowds of well wishers approaching the castle. (Ruthie Thompson, who did scene planning on the sequence said recently that this was the most difficult and involved work she ever did at the studio.)
Below are a couple of sheets showing sketches of Aurora by the very talented modernist designer Tom Oreb. They date back to April and May of 1954. Oreb was a huge influence, as the Disney style underwent a transformation from round dimensional imagery to flat and graphic sophistication.
Marc Davis used these inspirational sketches and made the design his own.
