A mini dictionary to explain common terms you will hear on the road of your cel/animation artcollecting journey.

Background (背景)Cel (セル画)Production Cel Types

Opening (OP) Cel, Ending Cel (ED)END cels / "A1 END" cels / Tome (止) CelsKey CelBank CelEyecatch CelBook CelBacklit CelKabuse Cel (Correction Layer)SFX Cel (Special Effects Cel)Pan / Oversized Cel (大判 セル画)HarmonyHanken Cel (版権セル) / Hanken sketch (版権原動画)Color Test/Model Cels

Concept ArtDouga (動画)Genga (原画)In-BetweensLayout (レイアウト)Rough Genga

Animation ArtTerminology

Settei Sets/Model Sheets (設定)Shuusei/CorrectionStoryboard (絵コンテ)Timing Sheet (タイムシート)Non-Production Cels

Fan Cel (同人セル)RilezuReproduction Cel (Repro)DIY Cel

Backgrounds are usually drawn and painted with watercolor or gouache paint. Acrylic is notnormally used for backgrounds because it has a nasty habit of sticking to itself and thus mightstick to and damage the paint on cels. Backgrounds are a specialized field of animation. Theyrequire a lot of talent and a good understanding of blocking.  Even though modern day animationhas switched to digital many studios still utilize hand painted backgrounds. While some can bepricey they generally will not cost as much as you would think.

 

Original Background from Saiyuki Reload: Burial OVA Episode 1, Sanzo's Chapter

Background (背景)

Cels (celga/セル画) are the finished product of the animation process.  A cel is made from transferringdougas (finished pencil drawings) onto a clear sheet of acetate by various methods such as xeroxor more rarely they may be hand painted. They are then painted on the back with cel paints usinga master color key for the character (s) as a guide.  Most cels are farmed out to offshore studiosthat churn them out in bulk commonly leading to mistakes. Every cel that goes under the cameramust be checked by someone to check for errors. Mistakes such as incorrect paint colors anddisappearing objects from frame to frame can lead to entire cuts getting reanimated. 

Cel (セル画)

A further breakdown of the types of cels you will run into and what people are generally talkingabout when they are talking about them.

Production Cel Types

Production Cel Types

These are the cels that make up the opening of the show. Most shows have 1 opening that isanimated per season and then the sequence is reused for every episode. The same applies to Endcredits. Only one set of cels is made for each opening or ending.  These cels are generally themost sought after as most fans of the show find them easily recognizable.  They also tend to besuper pricey as well so they are often a target for for fakes and reproductions being sold as thereal thing, so watch out!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zjkXzHzUIGA

This is an example of the SDFM Macross TV series opening credits.  Artwork from this sequence isvery rare and expensive.

Opening (OP) Cel, EndingCel (ED)

Production Cel Types

An END cel (marked with either END/ E/ or the kanji 止) is the last cel in an animation sequence.A1END cel setups are sometimes referred to as Tome/止 cels. When a cel is marked with a letterA/B/C/E..+ 1 + END/E/止 then that means it is the only cel for that particular animation sequence. Soan A1END cel setup starts and ends with only that frame. Since there is only a single frame in thistype of setup it will generally bring up the value of a cel/setup depending on the quality of theimage.  In the case of a multiple cel setup, a B1End/止 will increase the value of the setup, becauseany other setups with the A2 or C3 for example will always be missing that B1End/E.

Below are examples of how an A1 end cel can be labeled

1st is "END"

2nd is "E" with a circle around it

3rd has the kanji "止" 

END cels / "A1 END" cels /Tome (止) Cels

Production Cel Types

Key Cel

Production Cel Types

A bank cel refers to a cel that is used/filmed repeatedly rather than remade for every instance thatit is needed. A good example is a cel used in a opening or ending sequence.  Other notable usesfor bank cels are for the transformation or attack sequences in Sailor Moon. Rather than redrawthe cel each time they just reuse the same bank cels. 

Bank Cel

Production Cel Types

In many anime series', there is a commercial break about halfway through the episode (dependingon its length).  To demarcate these breaks, sometimes a quick animation will play. These are oftenrepeated throughout a season.  In some cases—Sailor Moon is an example—there is an animationboth before and after a commercial break.  In other shows (Fullmetal Alchemist is one), there issimply an image that flashes, and they are different for every episode.

Eyecatch Cel

Production Cel Types

Book cels usually refer to a full setup of multiple layers including backgrounds.  The setup willinclude the main background, the characters or character involved in the scene, and then anotherlayer that is actually part of the background. The example below shows the background includingthe trees, blue sky, and building, two separate layers of the characters Sakura and Yukito, andfinally notice how the bench arm is in front of Sakura's arm that is the top background layer.  Thissetup helps to give 2D animation the illusion of depth.

Weird JD Note: I never thought book made much sense I always personally called them sandwichcels cause you have two layers of background around a nice cel center. ^_^;;

Book Cel from Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie 2 - Sakura and Yukito

Book Cel

Production Cel Types

A backlit cel is a type of special effects cel.  The typical way to figure out if your cel is backlit, is,when you look at the back of your cel the paint on the back has been covered with another layerof black acrylic paint.  This was done so that when they shine a light from the back of the celcausing a bright effect when filming, i.e. power ups and attacks are typical examples of this, thereare no points of light coming through that break up the character image.

A backlit cel of Asuka from episode 9 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Note that the white areas arepaper leftovers from the douga being torn off.

Backlit Cel

Production Cel Types

Kabuse cels (also known as correction layers) are layers added to fix mistakes in the original celpainting. These mistakes can be anything from using the wrong color to messing up the paintedcel itself. Depending on the scene, budget, and animation procedures, it can be more effective toadd a corrected layer on top instead of completely repainting the cel. In this case, the tracing linesare Xerox'd onto a new cel and the relevant area is repainted.

Correction cels can be labeled in many different ways, even within the same series:

Sometimes it is labeled with かぶせ, the Japanese writing for "kabuse"Sometimes it is labeled with the same frame information as the cel the it is correctingEven yet, sometimes it has no label at all

A correction cel (right) that is fixing a painting mistake (left). In this case, the kabuse cel is labeledwith the same frame information as the original layer.

The final product that the audience sees.

Kabuse Cel (CorrectionLayer)

Production Cel Types

Special Effects cels refers any cels made to create special effects. This includes airbrushing andother methods like backlighting/masking.

SFX Cel (Special Effects Cel)

Production Cel Types

Pan or oversized cels are larger-than-normal cels which are used for a panning effect. "Pan" isshort for "panoramic" and refers to how the camera has to pan/travel across the frame to revealmore of the image.  Pan cels can be horizontally, vertically, and sometimes even diagonally long.The camera can also do a zoom-in or zoom-out of an oversized cel. The sizes of a pan cel varygreatly, but are all larger than a normal cel.

Horizontal pan cels refer to cels where the camera moves right to left or left to right. These celsare wider than they are tall.

Horizontal Pan Cel from Ayashi No Ceres

With Vertical Pan Cels, the camera takes a picture using the same cel (or multiple pan cels) whilemoving  up or down after each shot. When each of these shots is combined, it creates a panningmotion in one direction.

A pan cel of Misato from End of Evangelion. In this shot, several pan cels are used to create abreathing effect during the pan. The right-hand side shows the section of each shot that is inframe.

Diagonal pan cel from Metal Armor Dragonar ( image taken from Yahoo Japan Auctions)

Pan / Oversized Cel (大判 セル画)

Pan Cel - Horizontal

Pan Cel - Vertical

Pan Cel - Diagonal

Production Cel Types

Harmonies are traditionally highly sought after cels, as they area made differently from thetraditional cel.  In the case of a harmony there is little to no paint on the cel and only lines on theacetate, and the colors are traditionally only painted on the background.  Giving the piece anoverall water color effect.  Harmonies are generally done as A1Ends and are usually stills that areeither panned, zoomed in on, or will just serve as a freeze frame to the end of an episode.  Theyare typically pivotal scenes of said episode or anime to deserve the harmony treatment.

Harmony

Production Cel Types

Hanken cels are super rare one of kind cels made for use in for in promotional items likemagazines, cards, merchandise, posters, calendars, etc. They are usually made by an animationdirector, character designer, or senior animator. Hanken cels are usually hand inked and hand-painted. Because hankens are generally very recognizable, high quality, and one of kind they areusually very pricey and can be very hard to get as most studios do not sell them to art dealers forsale. In some cases studios produced copy Hankens in numbered editions of around 100specifically for collectors to buy.

Hanken drawings also come up for sale. The rough (genga) and finished ( douga) sketches used tomake the final Hanken cels are generally a bit easily to find and more affordable.

Sailor Moon Hanken  (image taken from Mandarake Auctions)

Sailor Mars / Rei Hanken (image taken from Mandarake Auctions)

Card Captor Sakura Hanken Douga (image taken from Mandarake Auctions)

Card Captor Sakura Hanken Douga Copy with Shadow Designation (image taken from MandarakeAuctions)

Hanken Cel (版権セル) / Hankensketch (版権原動画)

Production Cel Types

Like settei/character models, model cels are references that help a film/series remain consistent.While character models define how a character should look, model cels define what color(s) theyshould be. These cels are often simple and may feature one or several characters. Model cels arefar more common in pre-2001 animation, having fallen out of use as digital coloring becamecommon practice. As a replacement for model cels, modern character models will often include acolor guide that references the digital colors.

Collector's Note: The rarity and value of a model cel will vary from series to series and characterto character. See some examples of model cels below:

 

The main character model cel for The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley.

 

Color Test/Model Cels

Model Cel of Tsukishiro Yukito from Card Captor Sakura the Movie in a traditional Chinese outfit. This movie had a complete set of model cels made for each outfit used in the movie.

This type of art is created and used during the pre-production phase of a project; often when theproduction committee is deciding whether to give it the green light.  This may include: proposals,cels, sketches, and painted art.  Disney has been known to use sculpture as well.  The medium(s)used will depend on the artists' preference and the requirements of the committee.  Concept artcan be much more difficult to find than other types of art created during the animation process.

See some examples of concept art below.

A background concept painting from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (80s/90s). 

A scene color concept painting from All Dogs Go To Heaven. 

A vehicle concept sketch from Mummies Alive!

 

Concept Art

Douga (動画) roughly translates to moving image and is sometimes translated into "video". Douga arethe cleaned up/polished versions of genga sketches.  During the animation process genga ( keyframe drawings) are made and then in the next step are sent to the douga-men. There thedrawings get cleaned up and retraced onto clean white paper with the sketch number in the topright corner. Additional in between frames are made at this point as well. This is usually done byyounger or new animators. These douga sketches are what finally makes it onto the screen. If it isa computer animated show the douga sketches are scanned and then digitally colored. If it's a pre-2001 show they were copied onto acetate and then painted to make Cels.

 

 

Douga (動画)

The genga (原画) step takes the rough movements and polishes them into more detailed sketchesthese are drawn and redrawn again and again as needed, at this step the Key animator will workclosely with the animation director to get the exact key points in the movement correctly.  Gengaare easy to identify in that they are usually numbered in the middle of the page with a circlearound them.  And pencil colors are usually numerous in Gengas, especially with the newcomputer animated shows. 

A genga from Pokemon (episode 148) of the original series featuring Jessie and Wobbuffet (i.e.Musashi and Sonans in Japan). This portion of the Pokemon series was animated in the traditional

way.

Genga (原画)

 

A genga of Agamatsu Soubi from Loveless (episode 1). Loveless was digitally animated, but all ofthe sketch work was done on paper.

The cleaned dougas are then sent to the in-betweeners to animate the weird in between piecesthat are between key cels/sketches.  Some are great looking others can just be awkward becausethey were never meant to be seen!  The way to identify an in-between is the number will besomething like A2 with no circle, triangle, box, or dash around the number.  A notation around thenumber would mean it is a key cel.

In-Betweens

Layout  drawings (?????) are sketches of a scene. They will be more detailed than a storyboard,but still rougher than the final animation. Where a final animation drawing will be dedicated to aparticular cel layer, a layout drawings will generally contain elements of the entire cut (oftenincluding multiple characters, objects, and background elements). The drawings literally "lay out"the scene in deference to the storyboard and are a reference for both the key animator and thebackground artist. Original layout drawings are often produced by the key animator of a scene. Insome larger productions studios, specialized layout artists may be hired.

Collector's Note: Layout drawings will often come as a set with backgrounds or final animationdrawings. However, you may also see them being sold separately.

 

Original Hand-drawn Layout from Saiyuki Reload: Burial OVA - Of Son Goku Episode 2, this showwas computer animated although all of the sketch work and backgrounds were done on paper.

Layout (レイアウト)

Layout Copy from Episode 54 of Card Captor Sakura of a young Kinomoto Touya came with originalcel, Douga, and Copy BG.  I posit the BG and the original layout were sold separately.

This is a photocopy of an original layout drawing. It is common practice for the layout to be copiedand distributed to the necessary people in a studio (key animator, background artist(s), etc).

Collector's Note: Like original layout drawings, layout copies are commonly paired withbackgrounds or other drawings when sold on the collector's market. Unsurprisingly, layout copiesare more common, less desirable, and less expensive than their hand drawn counterparts.

 

Layout Copy

Rough gengas are usually a precursor to the next step they can be detailed bet generally they areVERY rough and in some cases almost stick figures to help plan out the movement of the character(s)  in the sequence.  Most times these sketches are not numbered at all or misnumbered...numbering most times is worked out in the next step.

Rough Genga

Settei/Models (設定) are drawn by a character designer and define what a character should look like.Everyone involved in production (primary animators, "in-betweeners", directors, etc.) willreference settei/models to ensure that the characters look uniform. When the animation isconsistent, this is often referred to as being "on model."  Conversely, when someone says that aportion of animation is "off model", it means that it does not match what the character designerintended.

Collector's Note: You will most often find these as photocopies. The hand drawn sets will comeup occasionally, but they are rare and often expensive.

Settei Sets/Model Sheets (設定)

A Shuusei is another word for a correction, a shuusei is drawn by the Animation Director of theepisode and sometimes if you are lucky you will find one done by the Chief Animation Director...  Itdepends on how hands on both directors are and how important the image is for a full correction. A lot if shuusei are partials of a hand or small detail that needs fixing.  Shuusei are drawn on arainbow of colored paper, and generally will have a higher quality than the other sketches in theset.A partial shuusei/correction sketch from the film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

Animated GIF showing a close up of the correction (yellow paper) sketch laid over thecorresponding genga (white paper).

Shuusei/Correction

Like live action TV, animation production involves storyboards. In both cases, storyboards are usedto show the flow of a scene, character positions, movement, camera angles, tone, etc. Astoryboard may include notes about or lines from a scene. Additionally, a storyboard sheet mayinclude only one image or several, often hand drawn within printed boxes with space left below forany notes.

Collector's Note: Storyboard sheets are often copied during production. It is important todetermine whether a storyboard is the hand drawn original or a production copy. The pricedifference between the two is usually quite large.

See some examples of storyboards below.

 

An early storyboard from Disney's Gummi Bears. (Original)

Storyboard (絵コンテ)

 

A storyboard from the film Titan A.E. (Original)

 

A storyboard from the film Balto. (Original)

 

Timing sheets contain instructions on how each part of a sequence/cut are to be animated for ascene. 

Please see "How to Read a Timing Sheet" for even more detail. 

Front of timing sheet from Episode 23 Cut 225 of anime Darker Than Black.

 

Back of timing sheet from Episode 23 Cut 225 of anime Darker Than Black.

Timing Sheet (タイムシート)

Cels that were not created in the regular production of Anime creation

Non-Production Cels

Non-Production Cels

Fan cels are unofficial fan made works. They are typically made by hand inking, printing, orphotocopying lines onto acetate. They are then painted with acrylic or cel vinyl paints. Artists canbe commissioned to recreate images that would otherwise be difficult to obtain such as works thatare from digital only anime. Collectors should proceed with caution as some sellers may try to passoff fan made cels as real production cels.

Fan Cel (同人セル)

Non-Production Cels

A Rilezu is a newish sort of reproduction, they are not Production pieces persay, however, a truerilezu comes in an edition of 1 and based upon the final production douga of one of the morefamous sequences.  Each rilezu will be hand painted and in some cases numbered as a traditionalcel would be.  The legit Rilezu will come with the original production douga used in the making ofthe show.

Rilezu

Non-Production Cels

Reproduction Cel (Repro)

Non-Production Cels

In the 80's/90's, Do it Yourself/DIY cel kits were released for fans to paints themselves. The linescame preprinted onto acetate and you could buy the paints separately and apply the paintaccording to the color guide.

Pre-printed lineart of a Dororo (どろろ) DIY cel

Paint placement guide/instructions

DIY Cel

 

Tips for painting your DIY cel

Princess Knight (リボンの騎士) DIY Cel

Candy Candy (キャンディ♡キャンディ) DIY Cel

Paint charts showing what cel paint colors were available to purchase. Cel paints are no longerproduced in Japan so it is not possible to source these paints unfortunately.

Animex Cel Paints アートカラー アニメックス