Darkwing Duck model sheets on designer Toby Shelton's blog

[John Pannozzi]

Now this is pretty cool. Animation character designer Toby Shelton (who recently contributed to Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", and was the main character designer on Darkwing and Rescue Rangers back in the day), posted some model sheets from Darkwing Duck on his blog:

Darkwing (http://tobyshelton.blogspot.com/2010/06/darkwing-duck-model-sheet-1of-2.html)

Launchpad and Gosalyn (http://tobyshelton.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-model-sheets-from-darkwing-duck.html)

Interestingly, he mentions that someone named Skip Morgan did the original design of Launchpad for DuckTales. I wonder if Skip Morgan designed any other DuckTales characters, or for that matter designed characters for other Disney shows of the '80s like Gummi Bears?

Speaking of Gummi Bears, Disney veteran Floyd Norman has a few (http://web.me.com/floydnorman/Site/Blog_/Entries/2010/6/1_Gummi_Bear_Facts.html) posts on (http://web.me.com/floydnorman/Site/Blog_/Entries/2008/8/27_Ken_and_gummi_bears.html) his blog regarding his involvement in the development of that show.

[dothesmartthing]

Cool - they look great! I love seeing model sheets that were made years and years ago.

[launchpad20]

Great model sheets. I've hooked up with Tad Stones on Facebook, and commented on some of his work. It's a shame that people at Disney TV animation don't draw like that anymore. :sad:

[Classic Speedy]

Those are the way model sheets should be done: They aren't just profile pictures of the character standing straight from different angles; it shows the characters in action and with specific poses that inspire the animators and layout artists. Good stuff.

[wikawaka]

It's a shame that people at Disney TV animation don't draw like that anymore. http://www.toonzone.net/forums/images/smilies/disappointed.gif


Took the words right out of my mouth! Just looking it at you know its DIsney just from the art style, you dont get that with their newer cartoons these days.

I wonder if theres design sheets for Ducktales and chip n dale RR somewhere online, as anyone come across some?

[John Pannozzi]

Took the words right out of my mouth! Just looking it at you know its DIsney just from the art style, you dont get that with their newer cartoons these days.

I wonder if theres design sheets for Ducktales and chip n dale RR somewhere online, as anyone come across some?

All the Disney TV animation model sheets you could want:
http://animationarchive.net/TV/Series/index.php

[launchpad20]

Took the words right out of my mouth! Just looking it at you know its DIsney just from the art style, you dont get that with their newer cartoons these days.Indeed. Especially with shows like 'Recess', 'Pepper Ann', 'Teacher's pet', or 'Phineas and Ferb'. :sad:

[Conekiller]

All the Disney TV animation model sheets you could want:
http://animationarchive.net/TV/Series/index.php
Unless you want Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles or Buzz Lightyear models sheets.

[Trevor]

Those are the way model sheets should be done: They aren't just profile pictures of the character standing straight from different angles; it shows the characters in action and with specific poses that inspire the animators and layout artists. Good stuff.


I couldn't agree with you more. Those characters, even in penciled form, just seem to "jump right off" the paper, unlike some of the more recent cartoons.

[speedy fast]

These are great. I hope to someday see character model sheets for Honker and Megavolt.

I was wondering if Launchpad's model sheet showed him without his hat or not (though it could have used an angle of the back of his head). It seems he was rarely seen without it, on Darkwing Duck and Ducktales, and when his bare head was shown it was inconsistient between being limited to the hair shown whenever he wears his hat (as seen in this model sheet) and being a full head of hair. I sort of wonder if they purposely made it rare to see Launchpad without a hat. I do know of four Darkwing Duck and one Ducktales episodes where he is seen without his hat, so it's not like they were instructed to see him without it, but then there are also occasions where Launchpad obviously wears his hat under another hat (like when Launchpad dresses as Darkwing in the DD episode where Tuskernini thinks Launchpad is Darkwing Duck), plus times when he put on another hat without removing his usual hat (like in the DT episode Launchpad's Civil War... And in Double-O-Duck he doesn't bother to take his hat off when he puts his wig on).

I don't think it was a conspiracy, but I still think it was a little more than a coincidence that there'd be so many instances of Launchpad wearing another hat over his hat.

[John Pannozzi]

Indeed. Especially with shows like 'Recess', 'Pepper Ann', 'Teacher's pet', or 'Phineas and Ferb'. :sad:
But then who said everything made by Disney had to conform to the aesthetic set by Walt and co.? (is reminded of how John K. feels the post-Walt stuff Disney is more inspired by the older cartoons than by real life).


Unless you want Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles or Buzz Lightyear models sheets.

Funny, they used to have a lot of Gargoyles drawings and a small handful of Darkwing Duck model sheets.

Anyway, if you want to see modern drawings of Darkwing Duck from the creators, Tad Stones posted some drawings of DW, mostly interacting with Hellboy and the questionably canon Hellboy Jr. on this thread (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=5016) back in 2004. Funny stuff.