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Art Terms & Definitions

Production Cel: The final result of creating animation using traditional ink and paint techniques, this is the art which we see on the movie screen. Cel inkers transfer the animator's drawings onto transparent acetate sheets, and cel painters paint the character's colors on the reverse side. Each cel is then photographed against a background by a special movie film camera...typically two film frames for each cel. The word "cel" comes from "cellulose nitrate," an early form of the acetate material used today. 'Vintage Production Cel' usually refers to artwork prior to 1970...it is estimated that 95% of the production artwork from prior to 1970 was destroyed or discarded.

Production Drawing: Production Drawing describes the animator's drawings which are used as the basis for creating animation cels. An 'Animator's Rough' is typically very sketchy and loose, created to establish the look and emotions of a character in that particular moment... an 'Extreme Drawing' is often two rough drawings that show the character at the beginning and end of a movement or action. From the Rough Drawings, 'clean-up' artists refine these drawings and 'fill in the blanks' between the extreme drawings (called 'tweening'). Finally, when the most refined and usually precise drawings are approved, they are used to transfer the image (called 'inking') onto a clear acetate cel. Usually rendered in graphite and/or colored pencil on paper, drawings illustrate an animator's creative process of bringing characters to life.

Limited Edition Hand-painted Cel: Limited Edition hand-painted cels are created in very limited numbers using the same hand-painting technique as production cels. They may be derived from actual artwork used in the film or cartoon moment, or from artwork created by an animator or director inspired by a favorite moment. Limited edition cels are often signed by the artist or director. They are frequently the only images available reflecting the Golden Age of Animation (1930's, 40's and 50's) since most of the production artwork prior to the 1970's was destroyed or washed for reuse. Also, with the advent of computer-finished animation, hand-painted production cels are no longer the end result of the animation process. Therefore limited edition cels give collectors an opportunity to own important works of art representing classic moments in animation filmmaking which may otherwise be unavailable. Nearly all animation artists and studios create animation artwork in limited edition form.

Sericel & Serigraph: Serigraphy, the printing term for the silk-screen process, is a fine art process in which limited editions are created by meticulously screening the colors of an image onto the back of an acetate cel or the surface of fine art paper or canvas - one color at a time. The image is separated into its individual colors, then each is transferred onto a stretched screen of silk which acts like a stencil. Inks are forced through the stretched screen onto a cel, fine art paper or canvas, one color at a time. When all of the individual colors are screened onto the cel or paper, together they form the complete image. Silk-screened cels - called sericels - are typically modest in price since their edition sizes are usually large, and are not hand-signed. Limited edition serigraphs on paper or canvas are typically hand-signed by the artist indicating their personal approval of each work of art, then individually numbered to identify each work of art as a part of the total edition.

Giclee: The evolution of computer technologies has created a benefit for fine art printing. A fine art Giclee is created from the artist's original artwork. An extremely high resolution digital image of the artwork is made, then loaded into specially enhanced printers which output the digital image onto fine art paper or canvas. Since the digital image includes every subtlety and nuance of the original - including the smallest details of light and shadow such as the textures of the paint and canvas or paper - the fine art giclee is often indistinguishable from the original work of art. Brush strokes have the appearance of brush strokes, even though they are only two dimensional images on paper. Typically, limited edition artwork is hand-signed by the artist indicating their personal approval of each work of art, then individually numbered to identify each work of art as a part of the total edition.

Lithograph: Fine art lithography utilizes a traditional printing process whereby the artist's original image is transferred onto stone or metal lithography plates, usually by hand, or chemically. Each color must be separated from the original image, then transferred to the stone or plate. Under very heavy pressure, each color is printed onto fine art paper, one color at a time. When all of the image's individual colors have been printed together onto the paper, the combined colors create the final and complete art. Typically, limited edition lithographs are hand-signed by the artist indicating their personal approval of each work of art, then individually numbered to identify each lithograph as a part of the total edition.

Limited Edition Sculpture: Limited Edition sculptures are typically created in limited numbers using various casting methods. "Lost Wax Casting" is a technique for making sculpture in which a model is carved in wax, encased in a plaster mold and heated so that the wax melts away and is thus removed from the plaster mold. The mold can then be filled with molten casting bronze. When cool, the mold is broken to release the sculpture. Often used by sculptors working in bronze, the mold can also be made in two halves in order that the mold can be used again and again for limited edition cast sculptures.

"Cold Casting" is a process of casting by using resin (cold-cast resin) or combining resin with porcelain powder (cold-cast porcelain) or bronze powder (cold-cast bronze) and pouring it into a mold. Various techniques and materials can be used to achieve a metallic finish with a resin. Another casting material used is a mixture of marble powder and resin. The finished casting gives the appearance and weight of solid metal or stone. Typically, limited edition sculptures are individually numbered to identify each sculpture as a part of the total edition.

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