The Process

Art director Ruth Clampett (see below) works with Broadman Fine Arts to create an art concept that tells a visual story. The creative team, combining decades of experience with the famous Warner Bros. characters and animation art, develops the character-driven gags and detailed background setting for the original art concept.

The next stage is a rough drawing of the concept. Character and layout artist Darrell Van Citters (see below) sketches the characters with their expressions, dimensions, costumes, props and gags bringing the concept to life.

Once the rough drawing stage is complete, a final drawing is made so that the inking artist can hand-transfer the drawing to a cel (acetate celluloid). The hand-inked cel is then sent to the color artist for character, costume and prop color selection and painting.

Once the cel is complete, the hand-painted background can be made. Billboard artist Kirk Mueller (see below) designs and illustrates the drawings for the billboards that will be incorporated into the background painting. Then background artist Dennis Durrell (see below) hand paints the detailed background for the art.

At the final stage, the cel is laid over the hand-painted background completing the original art used to create the limited edition. It all comes together to best feature the honored pitcher, Tim Wakefield, the tradition and pride of the Red Sox, and the wonderful flavor of Boston.

Ruth Clampett (Art Director) Ruth is the owner and creative director of Clampett Studio Collections, the animation art licensee for the Warner Bros. animation art department. Daughter of the legendary Warner Bros. animation director Bob Clampett, Ruth has spent her lifetime surrounded by art and animation. Ruth's experience as a Vice President of Design at Warner Bros. Studio Stores combined with her family history and connection to the Studio made her the perfect choice for continuing the proud family tradition in animation. She began her position at Warner Bros. almost fifty years after her Father left the Studio. Ruth's talented, visionary, and traditionally "purist" art direction has continued the legacy of the Warner Bros. animation art department.

Darrell Van Citters (Character and Layout Artist) After completing his studies at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts, Darrell went to work at Disney Studios as an animator for the feature film, The Fox and the Hound, and the director for the movie, Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years. At Warner Bros. Studios, Darrell directed Box Office Bunny, the first new Bugs Bunny short in over 26 years, Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, Pullet Surprise, Chuck Amuck: The Movie, and the acclaimed Nike ads starring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny. Darrell was the artist who created the famous Speechless, the best-selling animation image of all time.

Dennis Durrell (Background Artist)

Dennis began his animation career as an illustrator and background painter for Hanna-Barbera Productions. He went on to work with Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Studios as a background painter and supervisor, production designer, and art director for films such as The Little Mermaid, The Iron Giant, and Quest for Camelot. Dennis has illustrated numerous books for Disney and his paintings have been on the covers of Newsweek and Vanity Fair.


Kirk Mueller (Billboard Artist)

Kirk's collaboration with Warner Bros. began almost twenty years ago as one of their featured artists. An artist with multiple areas of talent, he is a master at character illustration, background painting, and illustrative painting. Kirk has an uncanny ability to step into the Looney Tunes characters and, while in their world, is able to create innovative and creative scenes. His editions include some of the best-selling releases in the history of Warner Bros. animation art.


Warner Bros. Animation Art Studio

By the 1940's, Walt Disney had pioneered the feature-length cartoon and no one else could compete in that arena. So in 1940, the young Warner Bros. animators turned to cartoon shorts to make their mark. The unique talents of the screenwriters, artists, and musicians dared to push this medium to the extreme. Their cartoons were bold, brash, funny, and innovative. The Warner Bros. Studio created an "attitude" in animated films. There was a sense of humor in the writing and the drawing, even in the music and sound effects. This was the key to their popularity. Warner Bros. created more timeless star characters than any other studio: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Pepe Le Pew, Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales, and many others.