Milt Kahl

So after mentioning Milt Kahl in my last post, I just had to look up some his old pencil tests. I love pencil tests, they emit so much raw energy compared to any finished animation in my opinion.

Milt Kahl - Mr. Snoops Pencil Test from David Nethery on Vimeo.

Bill Tytla - Stromboli Pencil Test from David Nethery on Vimeo.

One of my favourite things about Milt's animation, is the attention he pays to a characters hands, he perfectly integrates them into a characters expression, they're never just hanging limp. (exception being the Sher Khan piece, i guess he technically doesn't have hands.) All Milts work seems to have a majestic quality about them, and characters feel grounded, complete with a very definitive sense of volume and weight, the Stromboli piece being an excellent example of this, the he navigates the characters arm around his bulk, and how his loose body fay reacts and follows through accordingly when he swings about quickly.

For more pencil tests I highly recommend visiting Pencil Test Depot, there you can find pencil tests from old pros, current stars, and students alike.

Great stuff.