Anybody know what paint etc was used on batman the animated series?

[brucebatman]

Iv always loved the look of batman the animated series ( dark deco) and was wondering if anyone knew any details of the how the show was created because id like to do some reproductions to hang in frames.
I know the backgrounds was painted on black paper other than white and i have tried this technique myself using stencils and an airbrush on black paper,here is the outcome .
Does anyone have any details like what paint was used on what paper etc?thanks

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

I guess that they may have used acrylics (fluid and pencils) and pastels on heavy stock black drawing cardboard. This link may be over general interest to you. https://www.cbr.com/uncovered-batman-animated-series-art/

 

[brucebatman]

Thanks dude for the link very interesting read!. and ok cool i will give it a go.

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

When animated shows were shot on film and acetate, the paint most commonly used were called cel paint, and they're essentially a more watery acrylic to avoid visible paint strokes on the characters. Those solid colors on characters over detailed backgrounds, I think, is called "masking." It helps the characters stand out and keep focus on them. You can see this in all animated films.

As far as the backgrounds are concerned, it was whatever technique and paints required to create the scenery; there isn't a stock-standard way to go about it. BTAS used airbrushing, pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, and plenty more for the backgrounds. It was no different for the extreme close-ups, or (as the they became to be known from Ren and Stimpy) "grotesques," the realistic and detailed close-ups on a character. The image you tried to replicate would've been done over two or three layers, because the shot was the intro shot of Batman squinting at the rooftop baddies, set against the red sky. A detailed grotesque of Batman's head would have been made as a background, on top of the scenery, and the eyes would've been animated on separate acetate cel's on top of that.

 

[brucebatman]

wow thanks for the info dude, will defo give it a try. Regarding the paint on the characters i always wondered how the get them so solid with no strokes seen at all.
thanks again.

 

[Moviefreak]

wow thanks for the info dude, will defo give it a try. Regarding the paint on the characters i always wondered how the get them so solid with no strokes seen at all.
thanks again.

The other trick when painting cels, to avoid lines in the paint, (not only a runnier acrylic type of paint) but the ink and paint department was skilled at applying the paint more heavily than you would think. They almost put on too thick of paint and moved it around with the brush, sort of "puddling it" and moving it around. That allowed for the paint to dry more uniform.

 

[brucebatman]

Thanks for the info guys, the art department team on the show are some of the best i have ever seen, even 25 years later.

- - - Updated - - -

tried my hand at a clayface.

 

[Axlotl]

tried my hand at a clayface.

That's an improvement.
Look into a paint called "gouache" - I think it will give you the animation cel look you're trying to achieve.
It's a water-based paint, like acrylic, but has a very consistent opacity.
https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Designers-Gouache-Primary/dp/B001MQ0T7K

If you're super-serious about this, go ahead and invest in some acetate, and layer your art like they actually did for the animation.
https://www.amazon.com/Grafix-Acetate-Pad-Clear-Sheets/dp/B004QJX1JI

Also, use a heavy stock or illustration board for your backgrounds, so they don't warp when you paint on them.

 

[brucebatman]

Thanks dude for the help im going to go ahead on order some items. The clayface was made using acrylic, and i actually took the time to sketch it out unlike the batman was a quick 5 minute test. next time im going to take a few hours on the background and try to achieve the pastel hazy effect of the series.