Animation Schoolage - Week 1: Basics

First week of Animation Schooling, I started with the basics: Timing & Spacing.
Watching Richard Williams and reading his book has really helped. Here are some of the results:

Spacing Experiments

Pendulum

Different Types of Balls

Animation Program Primer - Part 4

Layout

1. Uphill Road

• Draw a road going uphill, with buildings and houses following it into the distance


• The perspective should be a bit higher than the rooftops

1. Downhill Road

• Draw a road going downhill, with buildings and houses following it into the distance


• The perspective should be at ground level looking down the hill

1. Stairs


2. Spiral Staircase


3. Forced Perspective

• Draw a forced perspective scene similar to the ones used in the action sequences of comics

1. Analyze/Reproduce Layouts

• Study the backgrounds and layouts in films


• Try to reproduce them, looking at composition and colour

1. Analyze/Reproduce Paintings

• Study Landscape or scene paintings


• Try to reproduce them, looking at composition and colour

Major Resources:

-          Framed Ink; Marcos Mateu-Mestre
-          Art analysis books

Animation Program Primer - Part 3

Storyboarding

1. Read Shot by Shot


2. Movie Freeze Frame

• Pick a 5-10 minute scene of any movie you enjoy or want to analyze


• Board out every major action, shot change, composition change, or other indicators according to Shot by Shot


• Spend only 1-5 minutes on each board

1. Movie Scripts

• Find the movie scripts for films you enjoy or want to analyze


• Read the script then board out one scene however you want


• Watch the scene in the movie then compare your shots with the director’s

Major Resources:

-          Shot by Shot; Steven Douglas Katz
-          Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview
-          Framed Ink; Marcos Mateu-Mestre

Animation Program Primer - Part 2

Character Design

1. Design 3 Characters - Do an expression sheet, rotation, and action poses for each


2. Design an Anthropomorphic Character


3. Animate this character in sequence - One scene, fixed camera. The character enters, has a conflict, resolves the conflict, and leaves


4. Create different age versions of the same or different characters - Baby, Teenage, Young Adult, Adult, Old

Major Resources:

-          Creating Characters with Personality; Tom Bancroft
-          http://livlily.blogspot.ca/
-          Pixar Art Of books
-          Analyse Characters wherever you can

Additional Exercises:

-          10 minutes each day; Draw a random shape or gesture and create a quick character off of that

Animation Program Primer - Part 1

Here is list of exercises for those of you who want to get a head start on learning the basics of animation, character design, layout, and story-boarding. Cheers!

Animation

Try to complete one assignment a week:

1. Ball Bounce


2. Bowling Ball Bounce


3. Different Types of Balls


4. Balloon & String

-          All the basic principles of animation can be learned with these: Squash and Stretch, Timing, Spacing, Primary and Secondary Action

1. Seaweed/Book Page Turn


2. Marine Animal


3. Ball & tail

-          These focus on overlap, action, s-curve and c-curve
-          Study the tails of animals and look for student work online

1. Walk Cycle - Do 3 different walks with the same character, each with different personality, weight, or movements in them


2. Animal Walk Cycle


3. Head turn


4. Expressions


5. Dialogue

-          This is where you can really begin to play with personality. Choose one character of your own design or from http://livlily.blogspot.ca/
-          Study the walk cycles in animated movies, and how personality is shown in the movement

• Josh suggests: 101 Dalmatians, and the Intro of Robin Hood

Seneca Portfolio Pieces

Yesterday I handed in my portfolio for the Seneca Animation Program.

9 months of work it took to get here, but I can finally use my hands the way they were meant to be used.

This is just the start. A lifetime more of exploration awaits.