The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design by Tod Polson

Author:Tod Polson [Polson, Tod]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Animation, Artists, Autobiography, Biography, Non-Fiction, Performing Arts, Photographers
ISBN: 9781452102948
Google: 1Y83AAAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1452102945
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 2013-08-12T23:00:00+00:00

STACKING VALUE

As a young man, Maurice’s use of value was greatly influenced by artists such as Rockwell Kent, Paul Landacre, and Lynd Ward. One of my great treasures is a first edition copy of N by E (1930), signed and given to Maurice by Rockwell Kent, then signed and given to me by Maurice.

When I first interviewed with Maurice, I had no idea of his interest in printmakers of the 1920s and ’30s. By coincidence two of my student films had been inspired by the art of Rockwell Kent and Lynd Ward. He recognized the influence, studied my drawings, and told me that he thought I might have a knack for color. At the time I thought it was an odd statement because my portfolio was primarily black and white. But over time I came to recognize that an understanding of value was the first big hurdle in learning to use color.

One of the strengths of Rockwell Kent’s work is his use of value, and specifically the way that he stacked value. In Kent’s most complicated compositions, even though he allows certain portions of shape to fall into shadow, elements remain distinct. Stacking values means exactly that, stacking light on dark on light, and so on. When a portion of the composition gets light, a dark value goes against it to make sure the shape reads. When a portion of the composition gets dark, a light value is put against it. Compositions in color should be no different.

Maurice thought about stacking values in the same way, especially when it came to staging characters. He always made sure that the characters read by creating layers in front of and behind them that were of different values than the characters themselves. In this way he separated background, foreground, and midground layers with value to support the needs of staging and story.

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