what type of ink and art materials did Disney artistis/illustrators use to draw their cartoons on in the 50's?

Question

Was the film transparent or translucent? And was the ink something like today's acrylics or something totally toxic?

Answer 1

I believe they used acetate transparencies with tracing paper and opaque paints that might have been Pelikan opaque paint from Germany, which were similar to our acrylics but still had an oil base. They also used black india ink. I'm not sure if this helps, because I'm not an animation artist although I did take some animation classes about fifteen years ago.

Answer 2

From memory: They used at times transparent watercolor, early on, like in Snow White and Pinocchio, but mainly opaque watercolors, and India ink (mainly to outline characters, making them distinct from their surroundings).

Answer 3

transparent film,india ink and acrylic paint.They washed and re-used the cels.