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Monday, March 16, 2009

"Alice In Wonderland" (1951) [Series] - David Hall Watercolor Sketches

[Edited based on comment]

This is the end of the series -- the last "Alice In Wonderland" item in the collection that I wanted to post...

This is not a very good image of what I believe to be a wonderful piece of art. The colors are fantastic. The sheer number of characters on the page are unusual. One of the reasons I like the piece is that it is a window into the flow of the creative process of character development. You can see the morphing of the character as you move across the page and as difference scenes are sketched.

David Hall Watercolor Sketches



Matt, at his site, has some great Alice material and some fantastic items drawn by David Hall. Be sure and check it out!

I thought this was an interesting comment on the Disney Archives site:

This animated feature had been on Walt's mind since 1933, when he considered a live-action version starring Mary Pickford. He shelved the project after Paramount made a version, but later had artist David Hall, a Hollywood artist and designer, create some concepts for an all-animated film. World War II intervened, and it was not until the late 1940s that work began again in earnest. One of Walt's big problems with this film was that here he was dealing with a highly regarded classic, and what was charming and appropriately bizarre in book form seemed oddly out of place on the motion picture screen. Walt's feeling, expressed in later years, was that "Alice" had no "heart."

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Alice In Wonderland” (1951). A watercolor color model sheet by artist David Hall. Hall did the concept work after Disney bought the rights to “Alice In Wonderland” and “Peter Pan.” SeqID-1947

Seller's Notes: "Alice in Wonderland" Original artwork painted in 1939. This Disney Studio artwork is a watercolor painting on Studio peg hole board and was created as a Character Model of 'Alice' for the film and has multiple images of her styled by the Disney artist David Hall. This Conceptual artwork was used in the creation of the animated film version of "Alice in Wonderland" which was released by the Studio in 1951. David Hall is a very well known artist and reference can be found on him in a number of Disney related art books, such as "Before the Animation Begins" , "Paper Dreams" and "The Treasury of Disney Animation" all by author John Canemaker. This Original artwork is in Mint Condition. Size: 10" x 12"

2 comments:

  1. I think it's more a sketch pad for him trying out poses and colours than a model sheet. But it's wonderful!!!
    Artwork like this tells so much about the way an artist works.
    A great find!

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  2. Joakim - You're exactly right... I think they are sketches as well. I changed the wording in the post to eliminate references to "concept." I would agree that sketches to give you a wonderful insight into the artist's creative process -- I think that's one reason why I love these pieces so much.

    Thanks, again... Bob

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