scanning those cels for web display

[toonybabe]

I also think it depends on the cel. Most of my Unico and Secret of NIMH cels were scanned with a white background. I do have some cels floating around in my gallery with copy unmatching backgrounds and they really enhance the cel. This is one great example from All Dogs Go to Heaven. I found this background from the Rubberslug background gallery and stuck it in w/ Photoshop before uploading the image. I think it looks frickin awesome.



If I ever get the time, I would LOVE to go through all of my DVD's and find the exact screen caps of my cels so that I could pair them with their backgrounds.

[hgeek23]

I'm more a purist at this point. I frame things for my bro without backgrounds if I don't have one but I am definitely changing though. I know this has been brought up before, but just to ask where I think it's appropriate to, when you guys print a background, if it's not on acid free archival paper, aren't you worried it will contribute to cel decay? I ask because blick made me a printout for a mini fortune on archivalpaper and if that's unnecessary I'd like to avoid paying for that again.

[sensei]

Worth keeping in mind that cels have a bad habit (an intrinsic vice to be exact) of oozing fumes of acetic acid, which is what puckers the cel bags so that they need to be changed. So it's much more likely that the cel will hurt the paper background than vice versa. Microchamber paper, which soaks up and neutralizes such emissions, might be a better investment.

[hgeek23]

I'll look into that then. Just wondering, is that what you use?

[sensei]

I'm a non-framer, so I'll have to duck this. Probably if I did frame a cel, I'd float it over the background and include a sheet or two of microchamber paper behind the bg. But I'll defer to Betarians with practical framing experience on this one.

With older cels, especially those with musty or pungent smells, I have been in the habit of adding a sheet of microchamber paper in the cel bag in the front rather than the back. Ones with serious vinegar syndrome problems I've been sandwiching in such paper and replacing it as it seems to get saturated with the smell after a while, in the hopes of halting or at least slowing the process, which eventually will destroy the cel if left unchecked.

[hgeek23]

I frame without the cel bag. Cause for concern?

[star-phoenix]

I frame without the cel bag. Cause for concern?

I do too. I have some cels framed for 14 years, and have yet to notice any problems. In fact, line fading is significantly less in my framed cels than unframed. I generally space the cels (over backgrounds or over the backing boards) by using acid free matte boards. For my vintage pieces, I just push them up against the background for the extra support. Reason for this is they are super duper fragile, and easily chip the paint with the smallest bump. Also, with cels that old, their oxygenation, and chemical reactions have stabilized...

[hgeek23]

Thanks star Phoenix!

[kizu]

OK I thought I'd leave this poll alone for a while and see what the concensus is... I'm actually quite surprised by the results! I expected the "anything as long as it looks good" would take over this poll. Well it's not scientific or anything but its good to know.

[graymouser]

I am also surprised by the results. I tend to be a purist (though there are a few rare exceptions in my gallery), but I had always assumed I was in the minority.

[tex-chan]

I voted for "anything as long as it looks good", which probably isn't much of a surprise. Anyone who has stopped by my gallery knows I often use non-matching backgrounds -- both laser copies and original watercolors. Sometimes, I try to grab a screencap and recreate a "matching" copy background in photoshop. But, for me, it all depends on the cel and on how I want to see it. First and foremost, the cels and gallery are put together for my pleasure. And, for the most part, I prefer seeing them backgrounded -- even if I don't have something matching.

I'm not all that surprised at the poll results, though. I've been doing the "non-matching" thing for years, and I've gotten several emails from others telling me that what I was doing was improper, wrong, and irresponsible. Not recently, but I got quite a few of these when I first started collecting and my gallery was still small. Now that my collection has grown a lot, I hardly ever get "how dare you use unmatching backgrounds!!" emails. Anyhow, receiving those types of messages, particularly when I was new to the hobby, pretty much always made me think I was out of step with most of the cel community and its accepted practices.

[kizu]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience tex-chan. I've not had that issue at all however at one point in time while I had opened my gallery for offers I had a meticulous buyer that at one point made me feel like showing a "clean" cel or a cel that was helped by a background in my gallery (during a sale) was not a good thing. Now I don't fault them or anything, but it was also not possible for me to update my entire gallery just to show each flaw or what not. So I was thinking, some of the flaws are actually a good thing to show in a gallery. To actually show a true state of a cel, not simply for sale purposes but just to show history. I have a few "aged" cels, most of which are from toei which is notorious for being sold stapled, stickered, yellowing, sticking, and the list goes on. I always cleaned this up first in photoshop but now I think maybe it's okay to show it for what it is. A cel from an old show.

[tex-chan]

I've had a number of "unusual" experiences in this hobby. I'm not sure if I just bring out the worst in people somehow ... or if I just got "lucky" or something.

Anyhow, I agree with you that it's definitely OK to show a cel's flaws and such in a gallery. Heck, I pretty much think it's OK to show whatever you want in your own gallery. It's all a matter of personal preference, and the cels are going to look beautiful and amazing no matter what. And no matter how you display them. Because, at the end of the day, they really are incredible pieces of artwork, even if they are old. Or maybe the fact that they are older and have survived this long makes them even more special.

For me, on the very rare instances when I sold anything (which doesn't happen often), I've always offered to make a "clean" (non-photoshopped, non-backgrounded) scan of the cel in question. That way the person who is interested in buying can feel like they made the best decision they can make.