Preston Blair Biography
Preston Blair (1908-1995) Born: Los Angeles, CA; Studied: Los Angeles Art Institute, Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles); Member: American Watercolor Society, California Water Color Society. Preston Blair grew up in Southern California and studied art with Roscoe Shrader and Pruett Carter during the early 1930s. In the following years, he began a long career in the animation art business. His first job was at Universal drawing Oswald the Rabbit, then at the Charles Mintz Studio working on Krazy Cat cartoons. By the mid-1930s, he was working for the Walt Disney Studios producing art for Pinocchio and Fantasia, and then in the 1940's worked on Tex Avery's masterworks of animation art at M.G.M. Studios. He wrote two books for Walter Foster Art Books respectively title How to Animate Film Cartoons and Animation. He also produced animated television commercials in the 1950s and
1960s, then in the 1970s and 1980s created and
designed interactive video games. Throughout his career Blair painted and exhibited fine art watercolors in the annual American Watercolor Society shows.
Biographical information:
Interview with Preston Blair, 1985
Biography courtesy of California Watercolors 1850-1970,
©2002 Hillcrest Press, Inc.
California Watercolor
Books by Preston Blair
This 1932 photo was taken in front of the Charles Mintz studio. Standing,
left to right: Harry Love, Preston Blair, Allen Rose. Kneeling: Al Eugster.
Preston Blair