Cel animation is a form of art in which we not only specialize -- but encourage our patrons to learn more about! We're passionate about animation art! Since the early 1900s animators have used cel animation to bring characters to life. During an animated scene there may be up to five separate layers of cels that make up each character, not including their background. Or, each cel may have its own character. Each cel is carefully positioned, then photographed sequentially in order to create the illusion of life you see as a movie.
There are usually two types of animation cels used in the hand-production of fine animation art. In the beginning, artists used cellulose
nitrate cels. These were very flammable and unstable in comparison to the type used today. With the multiple layers needed to display many characters in one scene,
nitrate cels caused noticeable differences in hue and brightness between scenes. Nitrate cels were also prone to wrinkling, yellowing and shrinking.
In the mid 20th century, animators began using different types of animation cels. The change to celluloid
acetate now made their characters more durable and colors more consistent in cartoon productions. Although some older films now show their age because the film stock itself is aging, you'd notice smoother, more accurate colors when watching productions photographed using
acetate cels.
Acetate animation cels are still in use today for shorter cartoons at most studios. But in larger-scale, feature-length films at many behemoth studios, cels have been all but abandoned. Computer-generated imagery is replacing classical animation processes. It's only a matter of time until the production of animated features and cartoons are done exclusively on computer.
Great American Ink is proud of its friendly, expert staff. We'd love to talk animation with you, so drop us an e-note at
 ! Or, call us at 800 552 2847 inside the U.S. and Canada, or 310 552 2847 from outside North America.
PEANUTS © United Feature Syndicate, Inc. | Other matter © and TM Great American Ink® |
