EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 18 © 2017 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

94 The Bookshelf: Great art—pocket-sized and giant-sized! Mitch O'Connell's Tattoos (Vol. 2) With an introduction by Mitch O'Connell Designed by Joseph Allen Black Softbound 266 pages Published by Last Gasp Press $14.95 l Buy from www.bookpalace.com The Walt Disney Film Archives Edited by Daniel Kothenschultte Hardbound 620 pages Taschen £87.75 $91.00 (Amazon Price) We are unapologetically devoting two columns to Taschen's mammoth Disney tome. 'The Walt Disney Film Archives' is abookof suchepicdimensions that you may need to construct a giant- sized book shelf just to store it. Measuring 47.6 x 32.4 cm and running to 620 pages of beautifully laid out pages, it contains essays by noted Disney Scholars such as Brian Sibley, Didier Ghex, Charles Solomon and J.B. Kaufman (each scribe is allocated a landmark film or development within the Disney Studio). The essays are lavishly illustrated with mouth- watering artwork and beautifully restored photographs dating back to the earliest years of the Disney'dom. For example a full page photo of the plucky child actress Virginia Davis, clad in prison overalls and with a ball and chain attached to her ankle, is so sharply reproduced that you feel you are part of the film crew, as you view a very young Walt Disney in the foreground directing events. The fact that the photo dates back to 1924 is even more astonishing. The rest of the book maintains this momentum, page after page of concept art, animator's drawings, background The second volume of Mitch O' Connell's 'Tattoos' continues to build on the trashmeister's previous volume. For those worried that the Mighty Mitch might in any way have diluted his hideously OTT graphics, we are delighted to report that this volume is every bit as luridly entertaining as its predecessor. The strength of Mitch's iconic art (see issue 13) is honed from years and years of working to briefs that would have cowed more modest talents. To be able to deliver the goods without sacrificing your identity (or sanity) is quite an achievement. Mitch's 'Tattoos' represents a collection of images he has created over the years, which are strong enough to 'stand-alone', devoid of involved backgrounds. The influence of the years he spent creating 'Clip Art' has stood him in good stead. For fans of Mitch's art this delightful volume with its black turtle back binding and gold edged pages is a 'must- have'. In fact for fans of kitsch and lovers of comicbooks this book will also be a delight. It's also worth checking out Mitch's website—not only for his art but also for the way he engages his audience and his blog postings always make great reading: mitchoconnell.com art and cel set-ups, as well as photographs of life within the Disney Studios, make the reader feel as if they are actually there, witnessing history being made. The documentation is copious. Each chapter commences with a list of credits followed by a dps of screen captures from each of the films and then it is straight into the story of how these groundbreaking films came into being. Of particular interest are the transcripts from the story conferences, with Walt Disney guiding his team to the realisation of his vision for each of the films that he had invariably hocked the studio up to its neck into financing. It wasn't until the creation of Disneyland that he was able to enjoy some financial independence. The quality of the printing is excellent. The design is crisp and dynamic and the paper is a matte surface art paper, perfect for the demands that it has to meet. This book is a must for all enthusiasts of great art and the definitive book on the history of the Disney Studio. Covering the years when Walt was still overseeing works, it marks the first in what promises to be a compelling series of volumes from Taschen on this amazing period in 20th century art.