Don Bluth's Art Of Animation Drawing

by Don Bluth

From Don Bluth - master animator, artist and director of such cartoon classics as The Secret of N.I.M.H., An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Anastasia, and Titan A.E. - comes The Art of Animation Drawing, a companion textbook to 2004's The Art of Storyboard. While Storyboard described in detail the technical and creative processes involved in crafting the visual blueprints for animated films, The Art of Animation Drawing focuses on the process of designing characters; adapting those characters to script, voice talent and music; directing the "performances" of your characters; the timing and rhythm of movement; analyzing action; and much more. Loaded with Bluth's gorgeous artwork and lively, inspirational commentary, The Art of Animation Drawing is a must for animators of any level and a delight for animation enthusiasts of any age.

Genres: Art, Drawing, Reference, Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2005

About the author

Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator, film director, producer, writer, production designer, video game designer, and animation instructor who is known for directing animated films.

He is also known for competing with former employer Walt Disney Productions during the years leading up to the films that would make up the Disney Renaissance.

Bluth has authored a series of books for students of animation: 2004's The Art of Storyboard, and 2005's The Art of Animation Drawing. Additional books are planned.

Reviews

[Alec Longstreth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some great insights into the animation process, and plenty of beautiful sequences of hand-drawn animation. Overall however, it felt a bit uneven. I feel like it either needed a bit more editing, or twice the page count to do every section justice. As it is, some sections felt rushed with very basic beginner information (bouncing ball), while others were incredibly in-depth (using the adjustable pegbars in an animation disc to follow a complicated run with a change of direction). There are also some person anecdotes which feel very out of place. There was a lot of Disney worship throughout, which I did not expect! Like all animation books with a ton of film stills, the book is thoroughly out of print, with almost no hope of it ever being back in print. It's a shame, I know a lot of people would love to be able to access this information more easily.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! I loved reading about Don Bluth's career in animation and his thoughts on life, drawing, music, animation, etc. I have no plans to go into animation myself, but I love it so much and would enjoy having this book on my shelf (I got it from the library, but will look into buying it).

[a dog who learned to read · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is less "the art of animation drawing" and more "Don Bluth's musings on being Don Bluth" but it's a nice enough little read. A few small insights on scriptwriting, timing, acting, and finally, animating, but this book is mostly about Don Bluth saying "ok so I made Mrs Brisby look really cute here". And honestly, so true.

[Azer · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think this is a great book for the master animator donn bluth

[Mike Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a mishmash of hard-earned wisdom, technique, philosophy, and autobiography, all orbiting the art of animation. Worthwhile just to study his outstanding pencil sketches alone.

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very few directors have a distinct look to their work. Some are Chuck Jones, Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Don Bluth is another that has a distinct look. Here he tells you how he works using examples from his feature films.