Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures,   ISBN:9780240810966

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Stanchfield's voice is so clear in his writing, you get the sense of his passion for the art, and his desire to teach and inspire the next generation of animators as if you were one of his students. His writing ranges the philosophical discussion of what it means to be an artist (animator) and it's place in society, to very specific instruction on what to draw and why. You should read this. Animators in any style should read this.

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This book is a real wonder of the animation art. Deep knowledge of how to bring our drawings & sketches to life. A must have/read/enjoy book for sure!

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I really enjoy this book, I find it great for beginners. He bashes into your brain the need for gesture and exaggeration. I found it repetitive... and at times some pages were repeated. I like the repetition because he really tattoos on your brain gesture drawing. I had a hard time getting through the 2nd volume... so repetitive. I also enjoyed his spiritual approach, and really shows you that to draw, you must love it with all your being.

Customer Rating: 

Drawn to Life, Volume 1 is an excellent book for aspiring animators and artists who want to improve their craft and take their work to the next level. Walt Stanchfield was an incredibly influential animator and instructor at Disney Animation. His conversational notes have been passed on from animator to animator for over 30 years. With this volume, artists the word over can now benefit from his wealth of knowledge.

He breadth of topics covered include major sections covering:

The Principles of Animation

Anatomy vs Gesture

Seeing (observation and 'talking' to your audience through drawing)

Action Analysis (Angles and tension, "essence" drawings)

Creativity - going beyond the gesture

Thinking - inspirational words of wisdom for artists

This book is all meat, no filler. Be aware, it is NOT a paint-by-numbers book on how to draw. Walt's lectures provide a lot of food for thought for artists - it's a treasure trove of valuable information for students, teachers, and anyone who loves to draw. Reading this book, you will learn about drawing for animation, motion, acting, and the core of underlying animation principles. Walt's lectures are the quintessential refresher course for fine artists, sequential artists and film professionals.

I am incredibly fortunate to have a copy of this book. It is written in a very conversational, and often times, humorous tone. There are several pictures and Walt's illustrations interspersed throughout the text, to clarify the author's talking points, but potential readers should bear in mind that this is primarily a text-heavy book.

"Drawn to Life" is excellent for anyone who has a serious interest in drawing. You do not need to be in animation to appreciate the wealth of techniques and words of wisdom that are in within this book. Highly recommended for the serious artist. Highly recommended.

Customer Rating: 

This is not a step-by-step, How To Draw book. It's better than that. Every artist of every skill level can benefit from this book because it doesn't just teach you the How of art, but the WHY. It forces you to really think about why you draw, how you can communicate more effectively with your audience, and just what purpose your art projects have. Drawing is just as much a mental act as it is a physical act. In fact, the physical act of drawing depends completely on the artist's experiences and intention. Without any sort of introspection, an artist's work can fall flat and just look like a lifeless collection of lines. Why we move our pencils is just as important as how we move them.

Along with a good mental jolt, there is a ton of instructional advice on drawing itself; such as keeping a sketchbook, analyzing the gesture of live models and people, constructing characters out of simple shapes, drawing with clarity, almost everything an artist would need (I say "almost" because the book is so dern chock full of information that I have yet to finish and digest it all yet!). There are also some insightful analyses of character art and rough animation frames, satisfying the Disney-ophile in us animators.

Even if this book isn't what you might have expected or feel that you need right now, if you are an aspiring artist or an established professional (or a tweenie, such as myself) I would still urge you to purchase it. At some point in your life you will need a book like this for a hearty inspirational boost, a pick-me-up when you're feeling down, or a good kick in the *ss when you've settled stubbornly in your ways. It has certainly helped me.

Besides, if Walt Stanchfield's teachings were good enough for Glen Keane, it d*mn sure is good enough for the rest of us!