Animation Studio Setup
This is my animation work area. It's a combination of traditional animation board and computers for scanning my pencil art and importing into Toon Boom Studio. It's not glamorous, but it gets the job done.
Seen below is my animation drafting with my old Filmation disc. This can handle both 12 field and 16 field paper.
I've had this Acme Peg registration punch since 1987. I use it to punch cheap paper for my rough animation. I save the pre-punched Ingram Bond for my clean-ups.
Here are my 3 Computers: Moe, Larry, and Curly!
Moe (on the left) is a Mac G3 I've had since 2001 (along with an Epson
Scanner); Larry is a Mac Quadcore Tower (on the right) I've had since
2008; and Curly (in the center) is my iMac I bought in 2009.
My 15 year-old Epson Scanner...I call it Shemp (for those of you who know the Three Stooges and understand the inside gag)
I got the same hole puncher as you! Mine also has some sort of extender on the end for punching longer sheets for pans.
ReplyDeleteBrings back memories. Except that the computers used to be the size of refrigerators.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do need to get is a scanner like yours that would be big enough for those fields. Perhaps I'll get lucky one day at a thrift store.
ReplyDeleteFrancis, it's been a loooooong time since New York Tech!
ReplyDeleteChristopher, I believe that any scanner whose surface accommodates a regular letter size sheet of paper is big enough. The Fleischer and Terrytoons studios both used that size paper for animation up until 1937 or so.
ReplyDeleteThat's true (since I could begin using regular office paper anyway). I do have a scanner for that otherwise, though it's on it's last leg and is one of those types that also does faxes and printing though I don't really need all that but it was something I found at a garage sale one day. I just figured if I ever did something on 12 field, that would come in handy.
DeleteI heard from an animation teacher I had that those kind of hole punches were expensive.
ReplyDeleteSeeing this makes me wish I had an animation setup like this, particularly a good drafting table with an animation disc or a lightbox with a built in disc. All I have is a laptop computer, a Wacom tablet, a scanner, and a few different programs. I do have a lightbox and peg bars that accommodate for three round holes rather than two rectangular holes and a round hole in the middle, but it's kind of awkward to work with if I wanted to use it for drawn animation. Not exactly the type of set-up someone would want if they wanted to work with a combination of traditional techniques and modern technology, is it?
Nice set up, John! Really nice!
ReplyDeleteI have a lightbox and floating pegs. That's actually the norm in Japan, which doesn't use the disk system. Japan also uses top pegs.
Landon, check out Lightfoot Limited at http://www.lightfootltd.com/
ReplyDeleteThe company offers traditional 2D animation supplies and equipment at prices that are as reasonable as possible.
They certainly have good prices.
DeleteCharles (Brubaker): My animation work area is set up with the 2D disk equipment I acquired when it was normal for an animator to work out the calibrations for animation and background pan moves, before the scene went to checking and on to camera. So, it was crucial for the animator to have the same setup as the camera department.
ReplyDeleteActually, there were many Disney animators who didn't know how to figure out their own pan moves, or even know how to correctly fill out an exposure sheet. (Or at least that's what the late Johnny Gent and Marty Taras both told me.) That's why so many of the classic animator photos showing Disney animation disks just had stationary pegs...the moves were planned in a different department.
Christopher Sobieniak (and anyone else interested) - there are some reasonably priced 11 x 17 scanners which can handle 12 Field animation paper. Look for the Epson Workforce WF-7510 Scanner , or Brother MFC-J6920DW , Brother MFC-J6520DW , or Brother MFC-J6720DW . These run between $158 - $231 on Amazon . The EpsonScan scanner interface is good, but if you use one of the Brother scanners the default Brother scan interface is not so good , so you should use VueScan. http://www.hamrick.com/ . Check out: http://animation-studio-stuff.blogspot.com/2009/05/inexpensive-large-format-scanner-for.html .
ReplyDeleteThanks David!
DeleteDavid, thanks for the input regarding the scanners!
DeleteHello, you could help me ...
ReplyDeleteHow can you get the acme hole punch
Can you give me Links
Thanks
The only place I know of that offers the acme hole punch is Lightfoot Ltd, Animation Supplies. Here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lightfootltd.com/catalog/punches
Cartoon Colour in Los Angeles used to sell punches, but no more.
Thank you for giving posts and articles were very amazing. I really liked as a part of the article. With a nice and interesting topics. Has helped a lot of people who do not challenge things people should know. You need more publicize this because many people. Who know about it very few people know this. Success for you....!!!
ReplyDeleteI Have a 12-Field PRO-GRADE Cartoon Colour Animation Disc similar to your ACME Disc from Filmation, John Celestri!
ReplyDeleteI Bought that Animation Disc with the help of my mother, Jackie, around Christmas 2012 and, yes, I Have a small independent animation studio dubbed "Michael Igafo-Te'o Animation Studios" which runs on Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation!
Hello John! I just want to ask where can I buy Acme Peg registration punch because I can't find it anywhere.... Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello, Kroy. I'll repeat my answer I gave to Softimage. The only place I know of that offers the acme hole punch is Lightfoot Ltd, Animation Supplies. Here's the link: http://www.lightfootltd.com/content/acme-pro-punch-excalibur-traditional-acme-holes
DeleteIf that's too expensive, then I suggest you order prepunched paper from them.:-)
In search of the unique hole punch for my son (14) and I believe to be very talented and loves cell creating and more Scott from West Chazy
ReplyDeleteTritricountyinspectors@gmail.
Scott: I suggest you buy the less expensive 3-hole round punch and an accompanying peg bar for your son. It's similar to the registration system the Warner Brothers Studio used for their classic Bugs Bunny, etc cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s. The only place I know you can get the punch and peg bar is from Lightfoot Limited Animation Supplies at
Deletehttp://www.lightfootltd.com/content/round-3-hole-punch-our-round-pegbars
http://www.lightfootltd.com/catalog/pegbars
Good luck to your son!
Hi i am from Nepal i need 3 hole achme animation punching machine and 10 pc. Pegbar how can i get and how ?
DeleteYou don't need an "official" registration system. You can make up your own using any office paper puncher for paper, and then creating a registration bar with wooden pegs corresponding to the holes.
Delete