Introduction to Collecting

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If you have wandered into an Animation Art Gallery, and thought OH, MY GOD, somebody must be crazy to pay those outrages prices for a crude painting of a rabbit, on plastic, then you may be on the wrong page. If, on the other hand, you wandered into a Animation Art Gallery, and thought, WOW, I remember that cartoon. Or, maybe you’re a baby boomer, who grew up in front of the TV on Saturday mornings, and now wonder whether you could buy back one of those memories. You are probably on the right page.


The first piece of advice I can give is shop around. Don’t buy a cel just because it has Bugs Bunny on it. Lots of cels have Bugs Bunny. Lots of galleries have Bugs Bunny. Look at, and price as many of them as you can before you spend your cash.


Find a gallery you trust, and get to know the people there. Let them get to know you. Tell them HONESTLY what you want and what you can AFFORD. They will do their best to find the right piece for you. Once a gallery knows my tastes, they don’t waste time showing me cels I don’t want, or are way out of my price range.


Look, Look, LOOK! I get catalogs from several galleries. By comparing them, I can tell who has the best prices and the best selection. Every chance I get, I wander into new galleries. Some of my best buys were from a gallery I found in the phone book, and wandered into one day.


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Now for some examples...


I have gotten several E-mails asking about the many different types of animation art. I have put representative cels from my other pages onto this page to give examples of many of the different types available.

[pongo] PONGO from Disney's 101 Dalmatians.

This is one of my best (most collectable) Cels. A CEL (short for CELLULOSE) is the term used for the clear plastic that the image is painted on. Cels come in many different types. Most of my cels, like this one, are original production. That means the this piece of plastic and paint was actually used by the studio to produce the film. Disney animation fans should look in the Disney animation news group linked from the main page.

[Pencil sketch of Mickey Mouse] Pencil sketch of Mickey Mouse from Mickey and the Bean Stalk.

This animation was originally called The Legend of Happy Valley. This was my first pencil sketch. This is what a frame of a cartoon looks like before the lines are transferred to the plastic sheet, either by hand inking or more commonly, photocopying.

[Jerry, from Tom & Jerry] Jerry from an unknown Tom and Jerry short.

This cel is special because of it's background. Most cels come with either no background, or a color photo of the original background. Very few cels are like this one, and come with the actual original background. Only one other in my collection has the original production background. I know very little about this cel except that it is Jerry, done by MGM studios, probably in the 60's. If you recognize this cel or have any additional information please e-mail me.
Since I wrote that description I got an E-mail from someone who recognized this cel... That cel, originally from my collection, was apparently done from drawings by Chuck Jones for MGM in 1965(?). I have forgotten which cartoon it is from... I think it was "Ah--Sweet Mouse Story of Life."
Thanks, Bob.

[Babs Bunny] Babs Bunny Color Model Cel - NOT

This cel has two unseen flaw in it. The first, is the certificate. This cel was misidentified as a color model. It’s not. The second problem is much worse. The cel was not inked properly, and as a result, the ink lines will bubble and fade with time. Both of these problems were brought to my attention by a Warner Brothers gallery manager. This illustrates several points. First of all, ASK QUESTIONS. He never would have known about this cel if I hadn’t asked. Secondly, a good gallery will take care of its customers. I was told that the certificate will be corrected, and that the cel will be re-inked at no charge, if the cel ever needs it. On the other hand, not all WB galleries, and managers are this good. Shop around. By the way, The WB cels that have this ink flaw are from Tiny Toons and Batman. If you have any cels from these animations, check them for ink problems. Check with your gallery manager to be sure.

[Woody Woodpecker] Woody Woodpecker Limited Edition Hand Painted Cel

All of the cels above this one are unique pieces of art. They are each a one of a kind painting, that has been seen by millions of people in movies or on TV. This cel is different. A few hundred exactly like it were made just for collectors and signed by Walter Lantz specifically to be sold to collectors. Normally I don't collect limited edition cels, but this one was a good buy and had a signature I wanted. Often Limited Editions are less expensive than original productions. Except that Disney seems to be a special case. Their recent movies were created without using cels. To compensate for this, Disney studios has started releasing limited edition cels, & sericels. The cost of these cels is in a word, unbelievable. If you have seen the prices for these pieces and thought that Originals must be priced even higher, you’re wrong. Check around, Even from Disney, production cels are less than most of there limited editions.

[Pepe Le Pew (SeriCel)] Pepe Le Pew, From Warner Brothers.

This is a sericel, they are created using a Lithographic like process to produce a collectors cel. sericels are usually printed with quantities in the thousands. Limited Edition sericels may be somewhat less. Sericels are usually the lowest priced Animation Art. Most galleries sell sericels, but most animation collectors do not value them much as an investment. This is the first piece of animation art I bought. I only own a few of this type. (only one from Disney, not pictured on my web page)


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Intro. to Animation Art Classic Warner Brothers WB Tiny Toons WB Animaniacs

Art of Disney (1) Art of Disney (2) Art of Disney (3) Art of Pete Docter,
Toy Story's
Supervising Animator

MisCELaneous Studios MisCELaneous Studios Art of Commercials Art of Commercials (2)


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