What are the physical remnants of CG anime?

[BuraddoRun]

I've read about and understand the pre-CG age way anime is made. We have layouts, genga, douga, backgrounds, timing sheets and cels, but now with CG, what do we have? I mean, I guess I know, after reading posts and seeing stuff for sale, but I just wanted a quick rundown on how stuff is made nowadays.

I assume that the animators make the douga, scan them into the computer, and then colorists color them in. But is every frame hand-drawn 1st, or do the computer programs they use do some of the in-between work? Does every anime have hand-drawn stuff, or are some completely done on a computer or with those digital pad things? And they still hand-paint backgrounds? Do all of them have hand-painted backgrounds? I would assume that those would be easier done on computers.

And I guess another question is, why? Why still draw a bunch of stuff by hand on paper and paint backgrounds? Is it a throwback sorta thing? A compromise to keep some physical piece of things rather than go completely digital? Is it because now there is a definite market for these things and the studios make extra money that way?

[Rekka Alexiel]

CG works still have layouts, genga, douga, backgrounds, and timing sheets. I believe the only by product that no longer exists is the cels.

Take the artwork from the Senritsu no Stratus game in my gallery. There are layouts, genga, douga, and time sheets in those sets. I believe the backgrounds for this game may have also been created completely in the computer, but I have seen other CG shows (like Bleach) have sketch sets with backgrounds available. Take a look around auction sites and you'll find them.

I believe the reason CG is still drawn by hand and then scanned into the computer because it's much easier and less time consuming--and thusly less costly. I've seen videos of how QUICKLY a single frame is colored in the CG style and it's insane how fast they can do it. More work getting done in a certain amount of time = $$$ saved!

This switch over from from cels to CG art is kinda sad for us collectors, but there are still paper works to be collected, which some people have always valued more than cels. And some studios will make post-production repros for those who still love cels.

[Promethium]

Is it because now there is a definite market for these things and the studios make extra money that way?

The studios do not make their shows the way they do, just so they can make a buck (or yen in this case) post production - it's a money/time saving thing - by doing things digitally they can also outsource it to S.Korea and other places easily, where the labor is much cheaper. There is a very valid reason why the majority of JP collectors keep their collections private and hidden away if you get my drift... Rilezu cels should be seen as an exception and not a general gauge on how all the studios feel towards materials being sold and traded. (^_^;)

[cutiebunny]

Why still draw a bunch of stuff by hand on paper and paint backgrounds?

I think this varies based on the studio. For some studios, like Madhouse, backgrounds are still done by hand and then, if there are multiple layers involved in a particular background, the layers are merged by a computer. This gives the final product the traditional 2D look by incorporating the old 'cel' style (background) with the CG (the moving characters). But I think some studios, or maybe some productions in the studio, are all CG. I would venture a guess that all the recent PreCure backgrounds are CG, simply because everything looks so glossy.

I think that if a reasonably cheap and quicker method of making backgrounds look handpainted existed that all studios would adopt that process. The same goes for the paper used to make the animated images - If the price of the software, tablets and training was at a nominal level, studios would probably go that way as well. One nice thing, though, is that it will be easier to use and store stock backgrounds for reuse, rather than having to worry about properly storing the background.

[sensei]

Yeah, I'm seeing huge variations on how studios are doing and releasing CGI art. Often I can tell from watching a series whether the backgrounds are still hand-painted. Although I have never seen any original backgrounds from Asatte no Houkou, I'm certain that what I'm seeing behind the CGI images is scenery painted on paper. I'm equally sure that Mushishi backgrounds are all digitally painted, though -- beautifully, but dynamic on too many fields to be based on hard-copy painted images, even as scanned sources. The art boards I have often separate the scenery into as many as seven "book" layers, all of which rustle, quiver, and sparkle individually.

I think more and more series are going the latter way, and so it is interesting to follow Mandarake and see which series are popping up and what they look like. It was refreshing to see Spice and Wolf done the "old-fashioned way," with layouts, roughs, gengas, corrections, and dougas. I expect there will be a certain number of these holdouts for a while yet, as the labor is still relatively cheap and the end quality of the images worth the extra effort.

[BuraddoRun]

Interesting. Well, I'm glad it's still cost-effective to do things by hand, and that the business isn't 100% digital now. I guess we're all glad about that, actually. Hopefully we'll continue to see new stuff pop up for years to come.

[teppy]

Where does one go - what resources are available - to find production art from newer CG shows? I'm familiar with the same ol' cel collecting routes, but what about the new shows with no cels?

Thanks

[sensei]

One good way is to keep an eye on Mandarake, where art from newly released shows (often photocopies, alas) will pop up regularly. There are a few Japanside dealers who seem to have a special connection. One of these is Sakurasaku -- have not ordered from this person, though, but find it a useful guide to what series are still done "the old pencil and paper way."

[teppy]

One good way is to keep an eye on Mandarake, where art from newly released shows (often photocopies, alas) will pop up regularly. There are a few Japanside dealers who seem to have a special connection. One of these is Sakurasaku -- have not ordered from this person, though, but find it a useful guide to what series are still done "the old pencil and paper way."

Thanks for these pointers. If you know of other Japanese dealers, it would be great to learn about them.

Since a lot of anime is based on light novels, one has to wonder if art from light novels are available to purchase as well...