I'd love feedback on my gallery

[GundamGeek]

I'm rather new to this forum, but I've been a member of a forum for animation cel collectors for a couple of years. Most of us cel collectors have online galleries where we post scans of our own cels (original production art from the making of the anime) and I'd love feedback from non-cel collectors as to the layout and presentation of mine. I've redone a few of the thumbnail pages (like in my Big O section) to make them larger and more interesting to non cel collectors, but what do you "normal people" think? heehee! If you have suggestions for layout, color or clarity that would help you enjoy my site more, I'd love to hear them. My gallery is broken up into individual shows, and each thumbnail image is clickable to enlarge it and give some random drivel about why I bought that particular shot. Take a gander if you have a minute! Thanks!

http://shelliesgallery.rubberslug.com/gallery/home.asp

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I'm confused. Are you saying all these images are done by you and you've been employed by various anime studios? If so I envy you and greatly admire your skills. I don't know anything about it but the cropping of the pics are just enough to be interesting but not so much as too lose direction or detail. Great! The colours are vibrant and the landscape scenes - atmospheric. I don't no exactly what sort of comments you are looking for.

God Bless!

[GundamGeek]

Thanks for your comments, W4J! I guess I should have been a bit more clear. I collect the actual animation cels used to film the shows we love... when the artist paints frame-by-frame the action of the anime, that is then filmed.... the individual pieces of painted plastic (cels) are what I collect because they are pieces of art to me. New shows are completely computer made (CG or Computer Graphics), but every move in the older shows were all individually hand-painted on acetate (plastic) then shot frame by frame. (Like the Disney animators hand inking and painting old Mickey cartoons.) So I can find my exact cels when I watch G Gundam or Big O or Rurouni Kenshin, etc. Is that clear as mud?? I don't personally know anyone who likes anime, so the only people I talk anime to are my cel collector friends on-line... and I guess that's exactly what I wanted to know about my on-line gallery: if people who don't know cels could still enjoy my gallery images and if it was self-expanatory enough. I guess the answer is NO, huh! Ha!

Thanks for the nice compliments on the colors, etc. Perhaps I'll put a little "What is a Cel?" or something on my home page. Food for thought! Thank you!

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Oh, now I understand! Thanks for the explanation! I know what cels are I just misunderstood your post.
I think your collection is great, although I haven't seen many of the said shows, (only Pokemon and Rurouni Kenshin) but I know of the others. I think you made the right decision by using thumbnails for your gallery, thinking of the visitors to your website is one of the keys to good website design. Its easy to navigate and the colours are quite legible and pleasing. There is good contrast there. Simplicity is the key to good design, and you seem to have that down pat.

[GundamGeek]

Thanks again for taking the time to reply, W4J. Sorry if I overexplained the cel thing there... I'm never quite sure if my typing is getting my ideas across. I have another package coming from Japan soon, so I should be adding to my website soon! Yay!!

[CreatureArt]

Very nice. As Warrior4J said, it's nicely uncomplicated and the colours seem to work well.
I also looked at a couple of your cells - very cool. Could I ask what correction copies are? I think I have a little of an idea, but I'm not completely sure. The sketch sheets in particular I liked being able to have a look at. I can see why you like collecting cells - I agree, they are works of art. Congratulations on such a cool collection!

[GundamGeek]

Thanks for the nice compliments, CreatureArt!

If you're talking about my Wolf's Rain correction copies, those are what the animators draw for the computer guys to change certain shots or scenes that have already been put together by the computer animators in CG series. (Like if they didn't like how the character's hair blew around or the look on a characters face, they'd draw how they wanted it to look and pass it on to the computer guys.) I actually have more cuts of my original Wolf's Rain sketches, and if I was better at putting .gif images together, I could show how Kiba's hair blew around and his coat flapped in the breeze as he runs across the page. I love that stuff!

Thanks so much for taking a look!! I really appreciate it.

[Knives]

Very nice site, you have got me interestid in collecting animation cels. I especially like the Kenshin cels.

[CreatureArt]

Oh, so that's what correction copies are. Thanks for the explanation, GG. I love that animated stuff of hair blowing, etc. too. I love how they work things with such detail and skill.

[RefractedAhav]

What type of paints are used on the cels? because I don't think that watercolor would stick to a cel very well, and I don't think that anime is done with acrylic or temper paints. Also would you be able to tell me where I can find some blank cels?