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

Customer Rating: 

This book is better than I expected. It's a very big book full of amazing tips for animators at any level of knowledge. The way it explains how you can give life and shape to characters is very simple and efficient, it can be used for animators, illustrators and character designers. I bought the two volumes and they are both really helpful.

Customer Rating: 

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.

Customer Rating: 

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!

Customer Rating: 

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.