What makes Milt Khal’s art so good?

Milt Kahl is probably one of the most studied and beloved artists in animation. He has often been pointed to as the greatest draftsman of his generation. I am in no exception of also being in complete awe of his drawing, I first became aware of him for the skill he showed in drawing hands, however this skill really extended to every facet of his work.

The Disney style really refined and evolved from Milt’s pencil in the years he was active at the studio. Many artist would turn to him to help refine there character designs and have him help out with particularly difficult drawings. In a studio full of masters of their craft he stood out way above the rest. But what made his work so good and so much better than the rest.

When I first started looking more seriously into the Disney artist and particularly Milt’s work while I could clearly see his skill in areas such as the hands and just generally all his work looked flawless however I didn’t necessarily see why he was so much better than some of the other artist at the studio or some of the other Nine old men.

As I studied more and probably as I was becoming a stronger artist I could start to see how he would draw and design characters with far more thought and consideration for just good looking designs than the others. It could be the most subtle things that would make his work sing, when another artist would draw a shape it might feel soft and undefined when Milt worked over the same drawing (something he was constantly asked to do) he could push and refine that shape in the most perfect way.

It can be hard to quantify or specifically point to what he’s doing better but it’s there in everything he draws! The man couldn’t make a bad drawing!

Shiyoon Kim a phenomenal artist in his own right, shared a segment of a lecture he gave where he did just that, breaking down what Milt Kahl is doing that some of the other artist just weren’t. This I think perfectly captures the subtle differences Milt could inject into his work that was why he was considered the best.

This breakdown has become a bit of a North Star for me in terms of inspiration of how I look at others art and the world when I try to draw and design. I don’t think I’m any where near this level of observation skills but I strongly believe this is the blueprint to get me there. All the credit in the world goes to Shiyoon Kim for this breakdown, even to be able to observe and make this informative analysis shows what a high level he is working at, which is evident in his own design work.

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