Animation Artifacts &Bill Peckmann &Models &Rowland B. Wilson 03 Sep 2009 07:20 am
Rowland Wilson models
- In the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen a large group of Disney model sheets from some of the early shorts and features. I thought it’d be a good time to look at something more recent. Thanks to Bill Peckmann‘s extraordinary collection of design material, I have access to quite a few model sheets by Rowland B. Wilson.
His models for Don Bluth‘s feature, Thumbelina, fill a binder. I’m gong to have to break it up into two posts.
In this first one I’ll reproduce the article Rowland had written for the in-house organ “Studio News.” This follows with models for some of the lead character models.
These models were done in pencil and ink, sometimes in color. Unfortunately, all of these are 8½ x 11 xerox copies. Blacks wash out and washes blacken. Regardless, they all come across fine enough to get the idea.
Any feature takes a lot of work. You can understand that just in the large number of model sheets that grace the production. When you have a talented artist such as Rowland Wilson doing that modelling for you, your art is off to a good start.
1(Click any image to enlarge.)
2 
3
1
Here we have the model that Rowland drew for Thumbelina.
This is definitely not the rotoscoped princess that we saw in the film.
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Here we have a lot of different costumes Thumbelina
will wear as she travels on her expeditions.
4 
5
An original idea – a character who wears
more than one costume in a film!
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9
Jacquimo Swallow
In color but copied in B&W.
Jacquimo 1
Jacquimo 2
Jacquimo 3
Jacquimo 4
Jacquimo 5
Jacquimo 6
Some other birds in the course of the film.
Plenty of other models to follow tomorrow. Again, thanks to Bill Peckmann for the loan. It’s always great to showcase Rowland Wilson’s work.
on 03 Sep 2009 at 2:58 pm 1.Stephen Worth said …
Those costume designs are a paint pop waiting to happen!
on 03 Sep 2009 at 4:10 pm 2.Michael said …
But they seem to have made it through the film without the so called “paint pop.” Good checking I suppose.
on 03 Sep 2009 at 4:36 pm 3.Stephen Worth said …
They appear to have used a totally different costume for the girl (and a different girl). But here is an astounding “design” from this film that did make it through! Yow!
on 03 Sep 2009 at 8:11 pm 4.David Nethery said …
Oh, Stephen Worth, that image … wow, had forgotten that … a very odd sequence from a very odd film.
on 03 Sep 2009 at 11:05 pm 5.Thad said …
So why did they scrap these designs? Too wholesome and uncomplicated?
on 04 Sep 2009 at 7:49 am 6.Ray Kosarin said …
This Roland Wilson article is smart and wonderful. It deserves (and now has) a much wider readership than the Sullivan-Bluth employees who first got to read it. Every animator should read this!
Interesting how much more secure a grip Wilson has here on what makes characters interesting than, unfortunately, much of the finished work from the studio. As with Disney’s, it’s fascinating to see glimpses like these of the best and brightest in the studio system whose work otherwise gets scant recognition. These people are animation’s unsung heroes–and yet, all too often, the engines of animation history.
on 04 Sep 2009 at 2:23 pm 7.Em said …
What a shame that these lovely designs were scrapped for generic technicolor vomit. Oh, well.
on 05 Sep 2009 at 3:14 pm 8.Suzanne "Skeezix" Wilson said …
Dear Michael, Thank you for bringing to light the original designs of Thumbelina. These represent her in a pure form, as dark-haired, more compact and configured to her namesake before inevitably giving way to a more “barbi” shape and macaroni-and-cheese colored tresses!
The costume designs were endless, including a whack at the wedding gown made from spider webs mentioned in the original story!
Many thanks also to Bill Peckmann for sharing them.
on 11 Sep 2009 at 7:28 pm 9.Ricardo Cantoral said …
Love these designs. Too bad they went through the “saturday morning” machine in the final product.
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