Originally Posted By friarthe My apologies for this very, very geeky question, but is anyone on the board familiar with how the concept sketches were done back in the day, esp Herb Ryman's? It seems that Herb would do a big sketch in charcoal, that was then reproduced and tested out with various color schemes, and touched up with paint/ink/watercolor. So there wasn't exactly an "original" per se. I noticed this first in the big Ryman book I got last year, that a Liberty Square drawing showed up with various color attempts side-by-side. And then I found what looked like an original Adventureland painting by Ryman in a gallery, but the exact same one was in the book with only the charcoal outlines. (A folded/torn corner in the top left was identical between the two, as well.) Were there "color assistants" around to work on these after Herb did the first sketch? I always imagined the initial WED team being a small, tight-knit bunch. Anybody know a REALLY thorough resource for 50s/60s Imagineering lore?
Originally Posted By smd4 The E Ticket would probably your best (if not only) source for "REALLY thorough 50s/60s Imagineering lore."
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I just googled for info on this magazine. <a href="http://www.the-e-ticket.com" target="_blank">http://www.the-e-ticket.com</a> A trip to the new Walt Disney Museum might be your only solution...
Originally Posted By DlandDug I know that Herb Ryman was capable of producing anything from a quick sketch to a fully rendered oil painting. The famous first sketch of Disneyland (the "lost weekend" piece from 1954) was done on vellum, a light weight, extremely tough paper that is typically used for blueprints. Prints were pulled from the sketch and hastily hand colored for Roy DIsney to take back to New York. Later versions were pulled and colored more carefully. The original has been displayed over the years, and has no color at all. Yet, in some reproductions, the coloring varies widely. Possibly, some of the pieces you describe were produced in the same way.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox You might find your info in the Gordon/Mumford book, "A Brush With Disney," about Ryman's life and career: <a href="http://www.ryman.org/therymanlegacy/brushwithdisney.stm" target="_blank">http://www.ryman.org/therymanl...sney.stm</a>
Originally Posted By friarthe Thanks everybody! Love how much knowledge is collectively on this site. DlandDug - I guess my specific question is the process they used to pull the prints. Mimeographs? Some sort of black ink ditto machine? The folks at the gallery don't know. skinnerbox - LOVE that book, read it cover to cover before posting. If only Disney put their resources to produce others like that! I was a little disappointed with Art & Flair of Mary Blair since, at that size, it pales in comparison (though I'm grateful Art & Flair exists, and love the copious info on Blair in it). Designing Disney (John Hench) was similarly mixed -- MUCH too small, very little fresh info, but an amazing array of art. It's a little like trying to watch Gone With the Wind on an iPhone! The other Disney art book I think really measures up to what they can do is the Art of Walt Disney World. BIG pictures, LOTS of pictures, good info.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>I guess my specific question is the process they used to pull the prints. Mimeographs?<< I would assume a blackline print, pulled from the original vellum in the case of the large Disneyland piece from 1954. The "torn" corner you describe is almost a dead giveaway for this sort of thing. If the print gets torn or the corner folds back, it looks like that. They could then use any number of media to color in the prints. Other possibilities: diazo or blueline ("white prints").
Originally Posted By DlandDug Some of the mystery is solved! The two identical pieces you describe are on pages 152 and 153 of "Brush With Disney," right? They are described fully in the caption. Page 152: Watercolor on Photostat. Page 153: Pen & Ink and Watercolor. Note the dimensions are virtually identical. My guess: The illustration on page 153 was done in pen and ink, then reproduced via photostat. The original and any copies were then watercolored. This would let them try out different color schemes. If you have the book "Architecture of Reassurance" or the catalogue of the traveling exhibit, there are very good descriptions of the various illustrations shown. Among the ones dating from 1954-56 are the following: --Graphite on paper (the original Herb Ryman Disneyland drawing); --Tempera an photostatic copy; --Watercolor on brownline (yet another variation on blueline/blackline!); --Watercolor and graphite on photostat; --Watercolor and crayon on brownline. As for who did what, even the Imagineers weren't always sure. The famous "crossing monorails" piece was reproduced several years ago. When it came time to decide which artist should sign the new prints, both John Hench and Sam McKim pointed to each other! In the haste to get things produced for Walt, the Imagineers didn't spend a lot of time on personal style. Of course, a couple (Herb Ryman, John Hench, etc.) did manage to produce some stunning concept pieces, mostly in later years when they had more time to spend on each piece.
Originally Posted By friarthe Can't thank you enough, DlandDug. I will check out the Architecture of Reassurance as well. Good stuff!
