The Chip and Dale Animation Cel Project

[singhcr]

I am in the process of restarting my animation cel project after a two year hiatus. I'm feeling much better and have the energy and support to tackle this once more. I have already done a great deal of work up to this point so I will be posting my original comments so you can follow this from start to finish. Who knows? There might be a Watership Down cel someday too! Enjoy!

Comments and questions are most welcome. This is not only fun for me to post my work and share what I have learned, but I hope you learn something as well. The traditional animation methods are gorgeous and require a great deal of labor and attention to detail. In my opinion a hand painted cel and background photographed on film gives a level of detail that is unmatched by modern methods. I view this project as a love letter to this method and to all the people who worked so tirelessly over the years to bring our childhood friends and heroes to life.

[singhcr]

Original Post on 5/9/15

As you know, I am a huge fan of the old school style of animation.

Paper, pencil, cels, paint, and film is the gold standard of animation in my mind. So I figured if studios don't do hand drawn, photo chemically sourced animation anymore (let alone 2D animation in general), why not do it myself? The goal here is to transfer my pencil sketches to a transparency, paint it by hand, and photograph it on 35mm film. If I have time, I may also make a background cel too in the same manner.

I bought these cute Chip and Dale pins and was inspired to draw them. This is a hard one for me. I have never drawn Chip and Dale at the same time. I have never drawn a side view, or a sitting position. It was very frustrating at first.



Step 1: Pencil Sketches

But, like anything, you start from nothing but a dream in your head and a blank sheet of paper....



You give it your best first attempt based on your skillset....



It doesn't always look very pretty at first, but you erase and keep going.



Sometimes, you need to step away and try again when you're in a better mood. It will start to take shape.



What's this? I think we have Chip's head drawn very nicely now. Progress is fun to see.  



That gave me the confidence to keep going. Now, I'd say Chipper is finished and looking cuter than ever.



My lines are more graceful, calm, and cleaner compared to the last time I drew these guys. The faces are more expressive and everything just feels more relaxed and refined overall. Keep it up, my fellow newbies. Dedication and hard work does pay off. I promise.

Now, off to draw Dale! Photos to come.

[singhcr]

5/11/15

Well, I thought Dale would be a breeze as I completed Chip very quickly. I guess I was just on that night. For whatever reason, Dale's a lot harder to draw. I must have erased his head a good 8 times, but it is taking shape.

[Chipster-roo]

This is a really nice project.

I like how you've posted several pictures, showing how the drawings evolved from rough shapes to detailed drawings of the characters.

I'll be looking forward to seeing more.

[singhcr]

Thank you! As an engineer I try to make things as objective as I can. I was always intimidated by advanced works of other artists. When I saw step by step instructions of how to draw Chip and Dale, it made the process seem attainable. Anyone can be an artist if they put the work in. If you can draw circles you can draw anything you want if you learn the basics of construction, drawing techniques, and put in a lot of practice.

I also save these construction photos as a reminder to myself if I get frustrated with a new piece of art, because every drawing looks rough at first.

It's also fun to make a documentary of the process! I am a very happy wolf when I am learning and sharing with my friends *wags tail*

I am most happy that you are enjoying this!

[singhcr]

5/16/15

Dale is really hard for me to get right. The head is done, at least.

I think his body is a bit long and his butt isn't the right shape, either, so I decided to trim it a bit. It may not be apparent from the photos (crappy cell phone camera, sorry!) but I've erased Dale many, many times and he's pretty messy by now. Good thing the drawing is just an intermediary step!

[singhcr]

5/17/15

Getting closer...

The body is basically done now. The darn peanut is the last nut to crack. Heh.

[singhcr]

5/23/15

Who'd have thought the hardest part to finish off was the darn peanut next to Dale?  

It is getting closer to reality, though.

[singhcr]

5/26/15

I think I have a problem, my friends... I felt very compelled to get some *ahem* drawing references.

[singhcr]

5/26/15

I modified the drawing and I'm very happy with it. The lines are a bit smudged now, but that's no big deal.

Thanks to Sara for the impromptu art lesson.

[Carnation264]

This looks really nice, and I love how you showed the process of the picture. I think it's pretty nice to see that sort of thing.

[singhcr]

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it so far. That makes me very happy.

[Acacia Heartstrings]

An animation cell ?. It would be interesting to see.

[singhcr]

6/7/15

Background Cel Pencil Sketch

It's time to move on to the background cel. First, I need to create the pencil sketch. What do I use for inspiration? The classic 1950 Chip and Dale short "Out On A Limb", of course!

I have my sketchbook, pencil, eraser, my Indian masala tea, and my lucky Dale shirt. I'm all ready.





It's starting to take shape...

[singhcr]

6/7/15

Nearly done...

BTW, thanks to Sara again for the tip about using the kneaded eraser. The graphite just lifts off the page, with no smudges. My lines are so much cleaner looking now!



I'm actually shocked at how quickly I got this far with my drawing. This was more or less posted in real time.