Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Watch Four Disney Artists Paint One Tree
MAKE: As parts of Walt Disney’s creations come out of the vault, some kind souls have taken it upon themselves to upload some old goodies on YouTube for our enjoyment. Four Artists Paint One Tree is an interesting documentary that surfaces ideas about art, style, and collaboration. In some ways, you can see the art studio of Walt Disney as a Open Source artistic culture where a plethora of artists come together to create each scene.
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8 comments:
I really loved this article; it hit a particular heartstring with me. As a child (even now) I used to imagine that every one of my characters was a real person, one that couldn't come alive until I colored them in. At first I did it step by step, and arm or a toe, and imagine that that part would wiggle as it tried to escape the page, but was still attached to the uncolored body. As I got older and learned more about the human body, I would rush to color the important parts, lungs, brain, etc., so they wouldn't be in any pain. I think every artist see life in their work, and while it may not manifest as rationally as mine did, creating for us is like a child growing in womb and completion is its birth. Every artist is different and every “child” is different but they all have the same origin, a thought, and from that come wonderful and wonderfully varied works of art.
This is really really awesome to see. A lot of the earlier Disney films have a very distinct art style, and I think that really shows in this article. Even in the video you can see how each of the artists have very different views and intentions behind their art, but the art all comes out in a cohesive manner that makes the films look like they were all drawn by the same artist. It also is reassuring, I think, for people who feel like they might not be showing their true style of art when they are commissioned out for a project like a film where there is a very particular art style that needs to be followed, because this video shows that the artists are still putting large parts of themselves into the art. It’s also kind of sad to see how the art style has changed quite a bit for Disney films as technology has developed.
I absolutely loved watching these artists paint the tree. But what struck me the most was hearing their thought processes while painting. Even thought many of them sounded very scripted and a bit stilted, they resonated with me, because I have a very similar thought process while I draw. When I'm drawing, specifically when I'm drawing in my own style and not for class, I have a very intricate thought process. I think about every artistic choice and why I made it as well as reminding myself how my drawing is supposed to turn out and how I feel about the subject.
In addition to that I, like Alex, would see my drawing take life as I finished them. I got really attached to my characters and I wanted everything to be perfect to allow me to call it a drawing I was proud of.
I loved the way they portrayed art in this video because they way the artists were thinking aloud really made me see that that's how all artists think, including myself, and it just shows how much thought and intention is put into people's art.
I really enjoyed this video and what it represents. Disney has always influenced my work because I ,like so many others, grew up watching disney films almost religiously. I've seen many documentaries and films on how disney animators and artists created snow white or sleeping beauty but I've never been able to see the artistic differences. in this video all of the artists are able to convey the same feeling, story, and actions while also maintaining their own sense of style and artistic genius. so much effort, time, and commitment goes into every piece. When I draw I always try to put as much of my self and my emotions into the illustration but these artists are amazing!
I am always astounded when I see old 2D Disney animators at work. Each frame is so well painted and precisely done that once the images are brought to life on screen it is almost hard to believe they were ever-single shot images. I miss this time on animation, and I think Disney’s current standards are definitely way below par considering works like Sleeping Beauty in their history. Seeing this animation at work was a treat but the most potent idea of the video is that there are times you may need to imitate, stylize and adhere your work, but individual expression is still the most important thing to do when allowed the freedom to. I loved hearing these artists many perspectives on the tree and seeing how each artist’s perspective may have been drastically different, however it didn’t mean that they didn’t capture the essence of the tree. I think working as an artist especially in a design program we often try to adhere our work to a standard we admire and would like to achieve rather than necessarily building our own style, yes imitation is useful, its great, even necessary on projects like animation, but even so we can’t undermine the importance of our own creative perspective and the development of it.
The collaboration talked about in the article and shown in the video is intensely cool. I feel it's cheap to think that sacrificing your individuality makes you less of an artist, when we can clearly see these four artists have their own personal styles yet are talented enough to blend their talents together to create a seamlessly beautiful tree. In fact, I can see how these four artists create the perfect blend that Disney wants to see in its art direction; they obviously chose these people because their styles are differently yet complimentary to each other. They bring a different shade and eye to the tree that, when combined, makes something interesting and unique to look at. I think it would be so very cool to see some of my favorite painters collaborate together on one masterpiece, to see how each of their distinct strokes came together to make something perfectly 'something else'.
I absolutely loved this. How each artist can have a completely different approach while painting their own work, each with an individual interpretation of the tree’s occupation of space, yet still work together so cohesively to create an animated film is astounding to me. That type of cooperation and consideration of other’s work and vision is something I really admire. When he spoke in the beginning about the cooperation needed to create a character, and how they each had to compromise their own personal ideas for the creation of the best possible character for the animated work, it reminded me that that same creative process is the same for everyone. Even though everyone views things differently and would take it in different directions individually, everyone on a creative team is working towards the same end goal and it is the completion of that goal that is the most important. It is also a good reminder that no matter how someone else is doing it, each person is an artist in their own right and can see something in a different light without being wrong.
This is a really amazing video. I especially liked watching the artists paint the tree and narrate what they are doing. It is amazing to see how different all their pictures are. One did a black and white drawing of the whole tree, another just the trunk, another with thick colors that combine on the canvas, and the last with very architectural lines. As they narrated, it was amusing to hear all the art terms that I have heard for years being used by these amazing animators. It really validates what my teachers have been saying because if these big animators use these techniques, they have to be good. It was also interesting to see how the artists all had to forgo their usual techniques and styles to make the animation of sleeping beauty all look the same, but when the got to draw the tree, they all turned out so vastly different.
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