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ANIMATION CEL ART (Originals)

About five years ago I got introduced to animation art by eBay. I saw this awesome shot of the Silver Surfer and thought it would look great to add to my collection. I remember this auction like it was yesterday. I was duking it out with another guy, and in the end I lost the auction. It sold for $110. This was the best auction I had ever lost. About 5 days after the auction I learned that the art was not a real production animation cel, but instead it was called a photo copy seri-cel and was a give away from Marvel. It's real value was about $5.

After that incident I vowed to learn more about animation art so I wouldn't be duped in the future. In this section of the web site I will share with you examples of all three types of animation cels.

PRODUCTION CEL

EXAMPLE #1
EXAMPLE #2
EXAMPLE #3
EXAMPLE #4
EXAMPLE #5
EXAMPLE #6
EXAMPLE #7

A production cel is the actual clear plastic animation cellulose (cel) used by the production studio to film the cartoon. The originals are drawn on paper using a pencil. Often times production notes or messages to the colorist are placed on the page to help in the upcoming painting process. Several pencil drawings are put together to make a scene. It takes thousands of these pages to make a 20 minute show. These hand drawn pencils are then photo copied onto clear cel sheets and individually hand painted. As you can see from the link above, each section of the painting process requires a layering technique to fit in all of various colors used. Each of these hand painted cels are a one of a kind art cel. The next page will progress the action and move the character in a slightly new position against the back ground. If minimal motion is required, then the penciled cel is photocopied several times and only the part that is moving is cut out and then redrawn for each advancing cel. The link shows an example of where the Silver Surfer's body remains still, but his arm is redrawn in pencil. This technique helps the animator to save time and money.
Often the back grounds are painted separately to minimize the complexity of each cel that must be hand painted. This is the same technique used in most early Walt Disney cartoons and animation features. The production cels are the most rare and are of the highest value. When purchasing, ask the seller if the background or the original pencil is available with the art. To verify if the cel is original, or not turn it over and visually check to make sure it looks hand painted vs. just being a color photo copy fake. The average price can run from $50 - $500 depending on the character, artist, background available, etc..

MODEL CEL

EXAMPLE #1
EXAMPLE #2

A model cel is the actual clear plastic animation cellulose used by the production studio to show off the character to be animated. It is normally the first step in the animation process to get the animator familiar with a character. The process is very similiar to the production cel process except this cel is never used in any filming. Instead this cel stays on the artists work bench and helps him/her to see various facial expressions or costume designs, or body shapes from various positions and angles. The originals are drawn on paper using a pencil. These hand drawn pencils are then photo copied and individually hand painted. Each of these hand painted cels are a one of a kind art cel. Most of these cels will cost ~ $30 - 150 depending on the character and artist.
For more examples of model cels, go to the Original Animation Models section of this web site.

SERI-CEL or SERIES CEL

EXAMPLE #1

A seri cel is a clear plastic animation cellulose or photo copy. It was often used as a promotional item or give-away to help promote a new show or event by the comic book company. The originals are drawn on paper using a pencil. These hand drawn pencils are then colorized on the computer. After the computer has the image captured, than the image is sent to a color printer and distributed to the target audience. Most of these carry a value of about $5.

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This webpage was designed by Mark Byrn. For more information on this website, e-mail byrnsurfer@hotmail.com. This site is in no way related to or associated with Marvel Comics. Characters are property of Marvel Comics and used without permission. Contact Marvel Comics at marvelmail@aol.com

Brought to you by ... Byrnsurfer@hotmail.com ... The Sentinel of the Webways

PRODUCTION CEL	EXAMPLE #1 EXAMPLE #2 EXAMPLE #3 EXAMPLE #4 EXAMPLE #5 EXAMPLE #6 EXAMPLE #7
A production cel is the actual clear plastic animation cellulose (cel) used by the production studio to film the cartoon. The originals are drawn on paper using a pencil. Often times production notes or messages to the colorist are placed on the page to help in the upcoming painting process. Several pencil drawings are put together to make a scene. It takes thousands of these pages to make a 20 minute show. These hand drawn pencils are then photo copied onto clear cel sheets and individually hand painted. As you can see from the link above, each section of the painting process requires a layering technique to fit in all of various colors used. Each of these hand painted cels are a one of a kind art cel. The next page will progress the action and move the character in a slightly new position against the back ground. If minimal motion is required, then the penciled cel is photocopied several times and only the part that is moving is cut out and then redrawn for each advancing cel. The link shows an example of where the Silver Surfer's body remains still, but his arm is redrawn in pencil. This technique helps the animator to save time and money. Often the back grounds are painted separately to minimize the complexity of each cel that must be hand painted. This is the same technique used in most early Walt Disney cartoons and animation features. The production cels are the most rare and are of the highest value. When purchasing, ask the seller if the background or the original pencil is available with the art. To verify if the cel is original, or not turn it over and visually check to make sure it looks hand painted vs. just being a color photo copy fake. The average price can run from $50 - $500 depending on the character, artist, background available, etc..

MODEL CEL	EXAMPLE #1 EXAMPLE #2
A model cel is the actual clear plastic animation cellulose used by the production studio to show off the character to be animated. It is normally the first step in the animation process to get the animator familiar with a character. The process is very similiar to the production cel process except this cel is never used in any filming. Instead this cel stays on the artists work bench and helps him/her to see various facial expressions or costume designs, or body shapes from various positions and angles. The originals are drawn on paper using a pencil. These hand drawn pencils are then photo copied and individually hand painted. Each of these hand painted cels are a one of a kind art cel. Most of these cels will cost ~ $30 - 150 depending on the character and artist. For more examples of model cels, go to the Original Animation Models section of this web site.	EXAMPLE #1 EXAMPLE #2

SERI-CEL or SERIES CEL	EXAMPLE #1
A seri cel is a clear plastic animation cellulose or photo copy. It was often used as a promotional item or give-away to help promote a new show or event by the comic book company. The originals are drawn on paper using a pencil. These hand drawn pencils are then colorized on the computer. After the computer has the image captured, than the image is sent to a color printer and distributed to the target audience. Most of these carry a value of about $5.	EXAMPLE #1