Joe Rinaldi II

Here are more luscious drawings by story artist Joe Rinaldi for Lady & the Tramp.

They are story sketches as well as publicity artwork. Full of charm and personality. It’s interesting to compare Rinaldi’s early version of the encounter with the beaver (above) to the later re-drawn sketch, which shows the characters closer to their final appearance in the film.  

I am sometimes startled to realize just how many great artists worked in Disney’s story department.

A publicity cel set up with the movie’s main characters.

If you'd like to see more of Rinaldi's work on this film, go to:

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2013/04/joe-rinaldi.html

Virtual Animators

A little while ago I was invited by my friends over at Virtual Animators to give an online lecture on character animation. We settled on this coming Saturday, Oct. 11. Buddies of mine like Don Hahn, Kathy Zielinski and James Lopez have already been involved in this lecture series, and I feel honored to be in their company. Click here for more details:

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

Since I am in the process of putting material together for Saturday, I thought I’d ask you what kind of specific subject I should talk about. Is there anything I haven’t covered on my blog, something that might be useful to you? My main objective is to give you ideas about what could help you make your characters come alive.

As you know there are no tricks or formulas to good character animation, but there are things I can point out that you might not have thought of. Let me know.

I look forward to interacting with some of you on Saturday.

A few throw-away roughs from the villains I animated, plus Mama Odie.

Pinocchio Art II

Atmospheric studies and layout sketches from Disney’s film Pinocchio show a level of sophistication and dedication that leaves the viewer mesmerized. There is attention to detail, but nothing is over-noodled. The lighting compares to Rembrandt’s work. Disney artists were on a high, following the incredible success of Snow White. 

Long before photoshop and cintiq tablets, these drawings were carved out on paper surfaces with PENCILS. I know, how ancient. 

But look at the feeling and love for the medium in these incredible images. They date back to a time when giving all you’ve got was required and even demanded from Disney. 

Breathtaking work like his was being produced on a daily basis at the studio. It is still unparalleled, to this day. But…what an inspiration!!

Here is the link to Pinocchio Art I :

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2013/06/pinocchio-art.html

Toot, Whistle Plunk and Boom

Looking at stills or artwork from this 1953 Disney short reminds us just how great the need had become for graphic change at the studio. While quite a few short films from the 1950s showed a  commitment and drive toward experimenting, the Disney animated features would continue the style that was established during the 1940s. It wasn’t until Sleeping Beauty came along in 1959 that a new modern approach toward drawing and animating became evident to audiences. Many Disney fans were disappointed with these flat graphic designs, but the Disney staff needed to go places, and modern art continued to influence the animated films. 

Artists like Ken O’Connor, Eyvind Earle and Tom Oreb would lead the way toward re-shaping the Disney look. While animators like Marc Davis and Milt Kahl were delighted at facing these new challenges, others struggled at the beginning while trying to incorporate strong design into their animation.

Jiří Trnka

Jiří Trnka (1912-1969) was a Czech puppet animator/director, children book illustrator and fine artist. Some people called him the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe, even though the content of their films differed greatly. Trnka’s work often deals with social-political themes and therefor goes beyond entertainment.

I am absolutely in awe of this artist. Everything he did was an intense labor of love, but also a reflection of post WW II in Eastern Europe.

Michael Sporn, who is so terribly missed within the animation community, has posted a lot of great material on Trnka’s life and work:

http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/index.php?s=trnka&submit=Search

I will have more on Trnka in the future, today I just want to show a few of his incredible book illustrations. These images take you to different worlds, full of wonder and surprise.

What a masterpiece!!!

Trnka, genius, one of a kind!

Fritz Hug- Animals from the Bible

More awesome drawings from Swiss animal artist Fritz Hug. This 1970 book edition, loosely translated from German, is titled:

Animals from the Bible, Part 1 , All kinds of Birds and other Creatures (I don’t think Hug ever did a Part 2)

These color illustration are such a delight to study. Hug is perfectly capable of capturing an animal through simple line work, but here his loose brush adds beautiful color and texture to his subjects. There is realism but also caricature. This man LOVED animals.

Go here for my first post on Fritz Hug:
http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2011/11/fritz-hug.html