Animation Art Glossary of Terms CEL Short for celluloid; a sheet of clear plastic containing the images that are placed over a background to be photographed in succession to form the action of a completed film. The outline of the image, whether hand-inked or Xerox, is applied to the front of the cel. The colors are painted by hand onto the back of the cel, with certain colors, notably black, sometimes painted onto the front (for glare reduction). Most cels are "still cels" with only one set of peg-holes. NITRATE: Refers to cels made of cellulose nitrate used throughout the 1920's - 1940's in the case of Disney, into the late 1950's for certain other studios. Contrary to popular belief, nitrate cel stock was not as highly flammable as nitrate film base, but it was subject to discoloration and shrinkage, causing a warping or rippling effect in cels, when exposed to light or heat for long periods of time. ACETATE: Refers to cels made of cellulose acetate, a much more stable material than nitrate, and still in use today. Early acetate was hard, thus susceptible to cel denting; and, it had a dark tint, making it difficult to stack up more than two or three cel levels. CEL TYPES HAND-INKED: Prior to the late 1950's, the animation drawings were traced onto cels by hand with quill-pen or brush, using ink of one or more colors. Although Xerography is the current industry standard, handinking is still used when budgets allow. XEROGRAPHIC-LINE: In the late 1950's, Disney Studios developed a Xerography process to transfer the animator's drawings directly onto the cel and for this reason, they appear "sketchier" than hand-inked cels. Sleeping Beauty was the transition film - certain scenes used the Xerographic process. Black toner was originally used; later, browns, greys, and other colors were developed. The cels were handpainted on the back as before. PRODUCTION: ANY cel (or other artwork) created for the production of an animated film. NOTE: "Production" does NOT mean "under the camera" or "appears in film." In addition to each frame shot for the film, this may include art from a sequence not used or cut from the final film, a frame edited from a final scene, or a Color Model. Creative Moments makes every effort to determine the exact nature of the production artwork and indicates such if known. COLOR MODEL: A cel created by the Ink and Paint Department for accurate colorreferencing during production. Color Models may be exact duplications of cels appearing in the film or original creations from a similar drawing, the only criterion being that it contain all the colors in the given scene. They can be superior in quality to the regular production cels and can only be identified by their markings: Color Models are typically inscribed at the bottom with the production, sequence, and scene numbers, and may additionally be stamped "Color Model." Cels shot for the film simply have the frame number in lower right corner. COLOR TEST: Rarely seen are preliminary Color Test cels which were created for the purpose of working out the color styling of a particular character. Color test cels are easily identifiable by having different colors than appear in the final film. INKER'S TEST: An unpainted non-production cel containing only the inked outline of a character. These were practice cels by inkers created in the process of studio training. TITLE CARD: The held image at the beginning of a cartoon depicting the title of the production, often with a character(s) in full color or silhouette. Formats include full-color painting or painted board (background scene or solid color) with cel overlay. "Main Title" refers to the single card shown at the opening of every cartoon before the production title card, used to identify the series or star throughout the season or year. 74 PUBLICITY/PROMOTIONAL: A non-production cel used for promotional purposes. Always a "perfect pose" usually created specifically for this purpose. LIMITED EDITION: A non-production cel created specifically for the collector market, produced in fixed limited quantities, with each cel in the edition numbered and typically featuring a Studio seal and set against a color print background. Originally intended to recreate original production cels, some studios and artists now create completely new "cels" based on new, non-production art. Both handinking and xerography are used for the outlines; all are hand-painted on the back. Modern color palettes are used to approximate original colors. SERIGRAPH or SERICEL: A new marketing concept to capitalize on the popularity of Limited Edition cels, serigraphy is a printing process made by silk-screening an image onto acetate material. No hand-painting or inking is involved. May be produced as a limited edition. CEL SIZES 12-FIELD: An industry standard cel (and drawing paper) size approximately 10" x 12", depending on the studio and year. The term 12-field can also refer to the size of a background. 16-FIELD: An industry standard cel (and drawing paper) size approximately 12" x 16", depending on the studio and year. The term 16-field can also refer to the size of a background. CINEMASCOPE: A wide screen film format. CinemaScope or Technirama films, such as Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty, often used cels measuring approximately 12" x 30". REGISTERED: Refers to a portion of a character on a cel that appears incomplete or cut off because it has been drawn to align with a background, another character, effects, or other elements.
CUT-OUT: The character has been cut from the cel, often around the outline of the image, then usually attached to a backing cel or directly to a background. CEL SET-UP A combination of two or more cel levels or a cel with background or other elements, whether matching or non-matching. CEL LEVELS: Denotes the number of individual cels in a set-up, including characters and any effects overlays, but excluding backgrounds. This differs from the studio production definition which pertains to the four thickness of celluloids that were used at all times when photographing a scene. Blank cels were used at times to make up the four levels so as to compensate for the loss in density caused by varying cel levels. MATCHING PRODUCTION: Two or more matching cel levels, or cel(s) with a background that corresponds to the cel image as it appears in the film. COURVOISIER: Refers to a cel set-up marketed by Courvoisier's original galleries from 1937 to 1946. In original condition, all have similar distinctive features - a cream colored mat with the character and/or film name inscribed in pencil below the mat opening, plus an encircled "WDP" (or "WDE" prior to 1939) stamped or embossed on the mat and/or background. Characters were usually, but not always, cut out and glued to the background with a protective cel over the image. Certain cels, most notably from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, were also "enhanced" with additional airbrushing on the edges of the characters to presumably create a more subtle three dimensional appearance. STUDIO SET-UP: Cel and background, matching or non-matching set-up prepared at the studio. Often used by the studio as a presentation to a VIP. DISNEYLAND ART CORNER: Refers to cels and cel set-ups sold at the Disneyland "Art Corner Store" or other Disneyland locations from 1955 to the early 1970's. Various character cel images were sold in plain mats which included a gold foil sticker approximately 2-1/2" x 4-1/4" on the back of the art board. Cels were trimmed and mounted in a simple cardboard mat, often against a lithographic background or set against colored art board. BACKGROUND A painting or other artwork, usually in watercolor, acrylic, oil, sometimes in airbrush or tempera on paper, over which a series of cels is photographed to make up a scene in an animated film. PRODUCTION: Any background created for the production of an animated film. Most backgrounds are still backgrounds, as opposed to "pan" backgrounds, which do not move and are usually made to be held by the pegs. Creative Moments makes every attempt to determine whether or not artwork appears in the final film. MATCHING PRODUCTION: Applicable only to a cel set-up; signifying that the background corresponds to the cel as it appears in the film. PRELIMINARY: A background created during production but not actually used in the final version of the film. COURVOISIER PRESENTATION: The presentation backgrounds were of many different types, including simple airbrushed settings, elaborate watercolor paintings, paper with polka dots or stars, and wood veneer with shadow effects. The better backgrounds and packaging were hand-done by Disney artists; in the later years, Courvoisier took over and quality slipped. Courvoisier also began laminating trimmed and cut-out cels starting with artwork from Fantasia, then, most notably artwork from Dumbo and Bambi. PAN: Short for "panoramic" refers to a wide sweeping camera shot accomplished by moving art material under the camera to give the effect of the camera following alongside the action. Pan sized backgrounds and corresponding cels are larger than standard field types and can be up to 8 feet or more depending on the format of the film. ART PROPS/STUDIO: Denotes a STUDIO-prepared background, hand-painted or other, created specifically for enhancement of an individual cel for marketing or promotional purposes. CUSTOM-PREPARED: Denotes a custom background created by a private individual to enhance a particular cel. REPRODUCTION: A color or black and white copy of a production, custom, or patterned background printed by means of Photograph, Xerox, and Lithograph. DISNEYLAND LITHOGRAPHIC: A color reproduction of production backgrounds from several Disney films of the period used to enhance the cel image in a Disneyland Art Corner set-up. They did not necessarily match the cels with which they were sold. PUBLICATION: A background taken from a book or other publication and used like a hand background to enhance a cel. LINE OVERLAY: Starting with Walt Disney's film, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, a new painting technique for creating backgrounds was conceived by Disney artist, Ken Anderson. General shapes and shading painted in flat colors on the production background were defined by a detailed line drawing done directly onto an overlay celluloid. This overlay finished creating the final film image used as the background. OVERLAY: An inanimate prop used as a foreground element of action in a scene. Usually painted on or applied to a cel and laid over the action to create the illusion of depth. UNDERLAY: Same as an overlay except that it is placed on a lower cel level to enable characters to pass in front of it. LINE TEST: A packaging term used by Disney to denote a Xerographic reproduction on acetate of a layout, or background line overlay. 75
ANIMATION DRAWING The original production drawings by the animators from which the cels are traced or Xeroxed. While cels may be beautiful examples of technical draftsmanship, it is often argued that animation drawings represent the "true art" of the animated film. The terms "clean-up" and "rough" are often used to refer to the line quality of a drawing. ROUGH DRAWING: Drawings made with only that detail which is essential to the presentation of the action. Animators usually work in roughs. CLEAN-UP DRAWING: Clean-ups or finished drawings are necessary for tracing onto the cels and are usually done by the assistant animator. Clean-ups may be done directly over the animator's roughs, either erasing or leaving the original lines, or may be fresh drawings traced from roughs. Some animators did their own clean-ups. EXTREME DRAWING: A drawing indicating the beginning and end extreme points of a character's motion. Extremes are usually not in between two other drawings and are usually drawn by the lead animator. LAY-OUT DRAWING: Refers either to a detailed pencil drawing used as a reference for the background painter or a rough pencil drawing showing camera moves and positions of characters. CONCEPT ART Includes all pre-production artwork created before actual animation has begun. CHARACTER DESIGN: Pre-production sketches, drawings, and cels depicting preliminary character studies. INSPIRATIONAL/CONCEPT SKETCH: Created by different artists in a wide variety of media to suggest the mood, look, color styling or overall atmosphere of a film. STORY DRAWINGS: These drawings, created in series, are used to describe the story and action, or other conceptual aspect of an animated film during the developmental stage. Done in various media, they can be anything from thumbnail sketches to beautifully colored finished pieces of art. STORYBOARD: Board on which story sketches are pinned in strip fashion in an order that tells the complete story. THUMBNAIL SKETCH: A very rough drawing that is approximately 1" to 3" in size. MODEL: Drawings made as a guide for the establishment of color and form and detail of a character. MODEL SHEETS/DRAWINGS A grouping of characters or a single character in a variety of poses and expressions used as a reference guide for animators to ensure consistency of drawing during a production. Both preliminary and final production designs can be found. Model sheets exist in two forms:; ORIGINAL MOCK-UP: Consists of a large poster board with the original model drawings cut-out and pasted on, plus production numbers and notes. PHOTOSTATS/PRINT: These are copies of the original mockup on 11" x 14" photographic paper or paper prints, made for distribution to the animators. While not original art, these copies are considered collectible production art, if produced by the studio. LABELS COURVOISIER LABELS: Labels, which are often damaged or missing, included several types of 1" x 2" labels with the handwritten name of the film, or copyright and framing information, and later the common 3" x 5" Courvoisier label which includes the hand-written name of the film. Disney also used similar packaging and labels for their own promotional pieces during and after the Courvoisier period. 76 DISNEY GOLD ART CORNER LABEL: Refers to cels sold at Disneyland (the Art Corner or other locations) from 1955 to the early 1970's, which included a gold foil sticker approximately 2-1/2" x 4-1/4" on the back of the mat. At least four variations of this label are encountered - all state This is an original (hand-painted) celluloid drawing actually used in a Walt Disney production." May also include mention of Disneyland, the Art Corner, or promotional giveaways. Cels were trimmed and mounted in a simple cardboard mat, often against a litho background. WDP LABEL & SEAL: Refers to cels marketed by Disney beginning in 1973 in a new format, now under the "Walt Disney Company" name. The full cels were laminated (in hopes of preserving the paint) and the top cel is embossed with a 1-1/2" diameter seal stating "Original Hand- Painted Movie Film Cel - Walt Disney Productions (or WDC)." A 3-3/4" x 5-1/4" label similar to the Courvoisier-type labels is included. Those purchased from the Disneyana Shop also included an additional 5" x 7" card of authenticity. PAINT This is a subject too complex for a brief description could suffice, so we will not attempt to go into the many known and unknown paint formulas and types. However, three pertinent categories should be identified. GUM-BASED: A re-wetable watercolor that consisted of three main components: filler, pigment and binder. Used by many studios, including Disney, until acrylic watercolors were developed in the early 1960's. Disney was the only studio to maintain a system of gum-based paint beyond this period. The Disney paint formula contained a humectant, which absorbed humidity from the atmosphere to keep the paint flexible, and to maintain a strong attachment with the cel. It is because of this humectant that Disney painted cels of the period have sustained their original look over time while other studio's cel paint deteriorated. ACRYLIC/VINYL: A non re-wetable watercolor more durable than gum-based; currently the industry standard.
GOUACHE: Cel paint is sometimes incorrectly referred to as gouache. Gouache refers either to a style of painting or a different type of opaque watercolor not usable on acetate. Note: Regarding restoration, CREATIVE MOMENTS will describe paint only if restored with a type different than originally was used. No mention of paint signifies that the new paint has the same look and characteristics as that originally on the cel. CONDITION GRADING This is a subjective topic which is a source of great confusion among collectors. Rather than use ambiguous terms, CREATIVE MOMENTS instead describes all imperfections and has only one defined term should the art be free of imperfections: FLAWLESS: No defects of any kind; If a cel image - paint, inking, celluloid in perfect, original condition or is acceptable for a final under the camera production shot. ANOMALIES Various types of deterioration or alteration of cels are sometimes seen which include the following: LAMINATION: The controversial process of "sandwiching" a cel between two sheets of plastic as an effort toward preservation. Used to some extent by Courvoisier in the 1940's and revived in the early 1970's by Disney Studios as a method of packaging. "Haloing" is a term that refers to separation of the plastic sheets around the outline of the image. SEALANT: Lacquer, nail polish, or similar material applied to the back of the cel, intended to prevent paint from cracking, or to hold already cracked, loose paint in place. Both lamination and sealant can cause color fading or mottling in paint. If desired, can usually be removed by a professional. SEPARATION: Refers to separation of paint from the back of a cel, with or without cracking. Separated section will have a discolored appearance. Sometimes referred to as "lifting" or "glassing." CRACKING: Appears as a single, or series of, lines or "tears" in the paint, generally accompanied by some degree of separation. No paint is missing. PAINT LOSS: A portion of paint, from a chip to entire sections, has cracked and separated from the cel and is completely missing. PAINT MOTTLING: A portion or area(s) of paint that appear to exhibit a color shift from the original color. INK WEAR: Refers to missing, broken, or smeared ink lines, generally only applicable to handinking. Line wear refers to the condition description pertaining to Xerographicline cels only. NOTE: Anomalies in the condition of all artwork are described as accurately as possible at the time of inclusion in the catalogue, however due to the specific nature of the artwork (in particular cels with gum based paint), the condition from the initial inspection may vary. ADDITIONAL TERMS DYE TRANSFER: High quality photographic reproduction of key scenes from Disney movies. Produced at the Disney studio in limited quantity for promotional purposes or as gifts for special studio guests and originally packaged in an inscribed mat with a Walt Disney Productions label. BOOK ILLUSTRATION: Refers to original art created for reproduction in a book, in any media. MODEL STATUE OR MAQUETTE: A three dimensional statue or figurine, produced in the studio in very limited numbers as a reference to assist the animators in visualizing what a character will look like from varying perspectives. Usually constructed of plaster with wire armature and painted in colors. IMAGE SIZE: The height by width dimensions, given in inches of 1/8th increments, of the character or combination of characters including effects if any but excluding backgrounds or/and packaging. Measured from highest to lowest vertical point, and widest opposing horizontal points. OBJECT SIZE: Refers to height by width dimensions of the object if painting, drawing, or cel, the size of the paper or cel stock. ANIMATOR: An artist who draws characters in motion. One is not classed as an Animator until he is able to take a scene and put the character into motion so as to get the desired result on the screen. The actors of the animation process. ASSISTANT ANIMATOR: An artist who works in direct contact with the animator. His duties are to keep the scenes in workable order and to clean up enough drawings (rough drawing) of a scene so as to enable the inbetweener to finish the scene preparatory to inking. BACKGROUND SKETCH: A pencil sketch from which the background is made. BALANCE: Proper distribution of weight in a drawn figure or object. BREAKDOWN ARTIST: An artist who "breaks down" the action of a scene and follows up the assistant animator. BRIDGE ANIMATION: Animation produced to bridge or tie together shorter segments into a longer film. CALL-OUTS: Color notes found on animation drawings as guidelines for the Ink and Paint Department. CLEAN-UP: The process of refining the lines of rough animation and adding minor details. DIRECTOR: Supervisor of the timing, animation, sound, music, and general processing of a picture. 77
EFFECTS DRAWINGS: Any drawings in a scene that are animated by the Effects Department. The Effects Department handled animation of special effects, such as fireworks, clouds, smoke, double exposed shadows, trick shots, etc.. EXPOSURE SHEET: A form used as a guide by the animators, assistants, inkers and cameraman to establish the proper relationship of one drawing to another. FIELD: The area photographed by the camera. FRAME: An individual picture on the film. FULL ANIMATION: A type of animation using one cel for every one or two frames of film. This is the oldest form of film animation and always provides the best quality of movement. Because of its extreme cost, full animation is rarely used today, with the exception of occasional full-length feature films. HELD CEL: An inked and painted celluloid which is used when animation ceases motion. HOLD: A stop of action four or more times in length. HOOK-UP: A drawing between two different forms of animation procedures such as the last drawing between action and a cut-out or held image, or the drawing(s) connecting action on one cel to the action on two cels. IN-BETWEENER: Also known as an apprentice. The artist who finishes the needed number of drawings in between those created by the assistant animator and breakdown man. INKER: Person who traces with different colored inks the outlines from drawings to blank cels. LIMITED ANIMATION: A short cut from full animation which reduces the amount of drawings and cels necessary to give an illustration of movement. Developed during the television era, this form of animation is much more cost effective than full animation and allows producers to successfully meet TV budgets. Though limited animation takes considerably less time to create than full animation, the resulting sequence, which contains less character movement, is not as pleasing. PAINTER: Sometimes referred to as an "Opaquer." A person who paints the opaque color on the cels. PEGS: The registration pins upon which drawings, cels, backgrounds, and other materials are held in proper position on the drawing boards and on the camera. PEG HOLES: The system of registration points found on animation drawings, cels, backgrounds, and other materials that fit over the pegs. Using a studio's "pegging" system is one way for collectors to date their artwork as different studios used different systems at various times over the course of the studio's history. Peg holes can be found on the top, bottom, or sides of the object that is to be held in registry as they move through the studio and were of circular, oval, or rectangular shapes in various configurations. PENCIL TEST: A test film made from drawings rather than cels, affording an opportunity to view how a film or scene is turning out. ROTOSCOPING: A method for the animation of live action by tracing actual film onto drawing paper on a frame by frame basis. SCENE: A portion of a picture depicting one action or a series of action using one background. SEQUENCE: Usually a series of scenes depicting the continuation of one action or series of actions with the same character or characters. SEQUENCE DIRECTOR: A member on the staff of directors, who handles an episode or episodes of an animated film. SLIDING CEL/SLIDING CEL PAPER: Long celluoid or paper with two or more sets of peg holes. STICK-ONS: Gummed reinforcements for worn out peg holes. TIMING: In reference to action as a whole - the time used to present an action in terms of feet and frames. In reference to individual drawings, the spacing of one drawing to another in actual distance. TIMER'S CHART: An animator's scale indicating the rate of movement for the sequence. NOTE: There may be exceptions or additions to these definitions, especially in the case of the lesser-known studios. Many of these terms refer only to, or reflect information regarding Walt Disney Studios. 78