Tony White
An animation apprenticeship — the way the pros used to do it!
Tony White’s Complete Masterclass
on the Traditional Principles of Animation
on the Traditional Principles of Animation
 |
I cannot express enough the indebtedness I have toward all who have
supported me in my obsessive mission to bring sound animation knowledge
to all who seek it. In more recent times, I thank Claude Comair for having
the vision and selfl ess commitment of creating something as unique and
wonderful as the DigiPen Institute of Technology, as well as being able to
use the DigiPen student art in this book. Also, to Raymond Yan for making
my journey at DigiPen so pleasantly inspirational. I thank, too, the faculty
of DigiPen for their support, ideas, and inspiration — each one of them is
an amazing artist in his or her own right and teachers par excellence, who
somehow teach me something new and important each and every day.
I thank friends and family, near and far, who have tolerated my passiveobsessiveness,
and especially Ken Rowe for being a stalwart friend and
colleague, who has helped me keep the fl ames of my Animaticus Foundation
and 2D Or Not 2D Animation Festival dreams alive. I sincerely thank, too, all
those kind and generous folks at Focal Press, who for some reason or other
seem keen to publish my ramblings and who have helped focus the diff use and vague into the tangible.
And fi nally, with all my heart, I thank you dear Saille, for you have somehow
managed to endure all of this without a single complaint! Even though I have
driven myself to exhaustion and isolation in pursuit of everything at times,
you still manage to give reason for my smiles and keep my sagging spirits
alive. Thank you, dear Saille. Even when I have been mentally and physically
lost through the distractions and challenges of creating this book, you have
kept me going through your unconditional love and understanding. Truly,
without you, none of this could have ever happened!
Introduction
First … A Reality Check
There is a popular misconception that animation is easy. It is not. In reality, the
process of animation is far from easy! Becoming an animator demands a great
deal of focus, tenacity, commitment, and determination, as well as the ability
to simply sit still, in one place, for a long period of time, until you achieve
what you are determined to achieve. It also requires initial capable artistic
ability. That said, if you can commit all these qualities to your studies, and you
can confi dently wield a pencil (or a mouse or Wacom pen) to achieve what is
required here, and you can be patient in everything you do
and seek to do, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why you cannot become an expert
animator and/or fi lmmaker in the fullness of time! Easy, it ain’t.
(But what in this world is worth having if it isn’t hard to achieve?) At the same time, who
said anything about not being easy couldn’t be fun! What lies ahead is most
defi nitely fun — that is, if you have the heart, the will, and the passion to see
the hard parts through to the very end!
Your Own Personal Animation Course
Welcome to your very own animation textbook and DVD classroom! Within
the covers of this book you should fi nd just about everything you’ll ever need
to study to master the art of animated movement for the modern world. You
will also discover that once you have mastered the core principles of animated
movement, you will even learn how to make a fi lm, contribute to a game, or
create a project of your own if you like. Unlike going to a recognized school,
you will be learning on your own, at your own pace, and at the times that
best suit you. An added bonus is that it will be far cheaper for you to learn
animation this way, although I stress that the path is somewhat harder if you
don’t have a knowledgeable, experienced professional teacher to guide you.
(And yes, sometimes to bully you along, whenever that is necessary!) That
said, with all the course work laid out in this book, you should just about
be able to fi nd an answer to pretty much every question you’re ever likely
to ask about the techniques and production process of animation. If you
should want further professional-level feedback, however, you will be able
to obtain online critiques of your assignment work, and even receive
published recognition at the successful completion of your degree-level
assignment work, if you so choose. (Details of this can be obtained in Appendix 2.)
2D Or Not 2D? — That Is the Question
The fi rst thing you note as you look through your own degree-level course
in animation is that most of the primary lessons and assignments are
approached from a traditional two-dimensional (2D) animation viewpoint.
That is okay, don’t panic! Although drawing 2D animation may seem like an
unnecessary challenge, and many people these days erroneously suggest
that traditional 2D animation is a lost art form, I would advise you that the
very best schools of animation still teach traditional animation as a core
foundation that everything else is built on. This is for a justifi able reason.
Traditional 2D animation techniques are still the best way of studying the core
principles of movement. Two-dimensional animation’s inherent disciplines
really underline the process of frame-by-frame movement, and once a student
learns the process of animation through having to draw every exercise
assignment, he or she will undoubtedly never forget them!
It is not a coincidence that the formative work of the great Pixar studio was
founded by traditional 2D animators who where taught what software
buttons to push so they could weave their traditional magic through the
digital art form. Indeed, many companies — both fi lm-based and gamesbased
— prefer to hire 3D computer animators with traditional 2D animation
skill sets before they hire computer-skilled-only animators, simply because
they know that they have a more comprehensive understanding of the
medium, and with an artistic foundation to their work, they become more
versatile members of the company’s animation team. Remember, purely
“ button-pushing ” animators are severely limited in terms of their artistic
range and versatility when faced with the more aesthetic and broadly ranged
production challenges that are invariably required in the demanding and
competitive world of animation today.
However …
Even though the core material in this book is composed of primarily
2D-based material, every eff ort has been made to respect the essential 3D
processes that contemporary animators need to know when considering a
career in the modern animation world. Consequently, in many cases,
students can substitute 3D animation for the 2D animation assignments
given. The intention is not to penalize potentially wonderful animators if
they do not have any facility for drawing in the fi rst place! In truth, the
ability to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of all the principles
and techniques of animated movement, whether they are created in a
2D or 3D environment, should be enough to convince a potential employer
that the animator before them does indeed “ know their stuff . ” That said, an
animator who can demonstrate an ability in both 2D and 3D animation is of
a higher premium these days than an animator who is myopic in his or her approach.
Prerequisites for Study
All serious academic courses require certain prerequisites on the part of
students before they begin, and this book course is no diff erent! Although
this kind of home-based study is far less formal and organized than a regular,
structured college education, the prerequisites for study on behalf of the
students for this course will be no less real than others. Therefore, before you
begin your studies, it might help for me to go over the ideal prerequisites
you will need if you are to maximize the eff ectiveness of the course material
presented here. Of course, these prerequisites do not mean that you have
to have them in order to complete the course. But, being aware of the ideal
circumstances and attitudes when approaching your studies will help you
better cope with what is to follow.
Drawing Ability
It goes without saying that any course that is dedicated to top-quality
animation techniques, especially the 2D-based examples presented in this
book, would ideally require students to have some degree of drawing ability.
It might be that you are at the very beginning of your journey as an artist
and that you have not yet been taught how to draw, or even properly learned
the rudiments of drawing technique. You should certainly be aware of which
end of a pencil is which and therefore be able to minimally draw the simple
characters defi ned in this book to an acceptable level of consistency.
The better you draw, the better it will be for you to address the requirements
of this course. If you don’t know how to draw, I certainly recommend you take
some classes in the subject before you go too far with what follows, because
the artistic demands increase as the process is further explored and executed.
When all is said and done, animation is all about drawing — you cannot escape
that fact, whether you want to be a 2D or 3D animator. The very best of Pixar’s
and Disney’s animators as well as those in other major fi lm or game studios,
will acknowledge that fact. Indeed, many of the fi nest among them come
from a traditional art or animation background before they arrived! (Actually,
many of these top studios provide drawing and other art-based instruction
sessions within the company solely to improve the artistic skills of their
workforce and make them more eff ective animators as a result!) The fact that
to understand a character in all its dimensions, you ideally need to visualize
and replicate it from a number of viewpoints and at a number of repeatedly
changing angles, is testimony to this requirement. Drawing it out beforehand,
even in a thumbnail sketch form, assists this process, even if your ultimate
output is through a 3D environment. Consequently, you will be signifi cantly
hindered if you do not have drawing capability, and the better your drawing
ability is, the better it will work for you as an animator.
Consequently, it is my most earnest suggestion that as a supplement to
the coursework contained in this book, you should at least keep a separate
sketchbook with you to draw, draw, and draw from life around you at every
possible opportunity! Better still, if you are currently a raw rookie in the art of
drawing, at least buy yourself a good book on basic drawing and observational
techniques, such as Betty Edward’s The New Drawing from the Right Side of the
Brain (Tarcher; Rev Exp edition, Spetember 6, 1999), and immerse yourself
in the desire to be a better artist. Also, if you can take classes in drawing too,
your studies will only benefi t as a result. Certainly your animation will be of a
much higher order if you develop a good drawing capability, especially if you
ultimately intend to be a professional animator in the modern world.
A Basic Knowledge of the
Classic Principles of Art
A knowledge of the classic principles of art really fi nishes off where the initial
drawing training begins. If your ambition is to be at the top of the totem
pole professionally, then you cannot possibly become an accomplished
animator without fi rst being an accomplished artist in some way or another.
By being an “ accomplished ” artist, I mean immersing yourself in the traditional
principles of art technique and appreciation and being able to respect and
replicate them to some degree through your own work. At a very minimum,
you should at least study and understand classic art principles such as
perspective; human and animal anatomy; light, tone, and color; layout and
composition; and perhaps with a more contemporary slant, “ fi lmmaking
101 ” techniques if you want to make your own productions too. All these
disciplines are crucial in order to use your fullest expressions as an animator,
for even a rudimentary glance at the capabilities of the world’s top 2D and 3D
animators will reveal a knowledge of classic art principles .
A certain appreciation of the wide spectrum of dance, mime, music, and drama
signifi cantly adds to your cause too! Fundamentally, you cannot possibly
express yourself fully in a visual medium like animation without fi rst having a
knowledge and grasp of the principles that support the process of that visual
medium. Animation is totally a visual medium, and even though it is invariably
viewed on a screen and not on a sheet of paper, it does intrinsically rely on the
principles contained in all other traditionally based art forms to make it work.
Therefore, if you fully wish to reap the potential that this book off ers you, you
are advised to study the rudiments of all of the abovementioned before you
start in earnest as an animation student. If you don’t have this knowledge or
these skills at the very beginning of your journey, then you certainly should
have them available at your fi ngertips at its conclusion, especially if your
ambition is to be a top professional in your own right!
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Product details
Price
|
|
|---|---|
File Size
| 37,026 KB |
Pages
|
512 p |
File Type
|
PDF format |
ISBN
| 978-0-240-81033-1 |
Copyright
| 2009 Tony White. Published by Elsevier, Inc |
Contents
Preface ........................................xiii
Introduction ............................................xix
First … A Reality Check ....................................xix
Y our Own Personal Animation Course .......................xx
2D Or Not 2D? — That Is the Question ...................xxi
However … ................................xxii
Prerequisites for Study ..........................xxiii
Equipment ........................................ xxvi
Let the Fun Begin! ........................ xxxiii
Acknowledgments ........................... xxxv
PART 1: How to Be an Animator ................ 1
10-Step Foundation Course .........................................3
M asterclass 1: Animation Basics .........................................5
Key, Breakdown, and In-Between Positions ................................5
Creating Key Positions ....................................................8
Creating the Breakdown Position ................................ 12
T op Pegs/Bottom Pegs ....................................................... 17
Charting Explained ............................................. 19
Flipping as Opposed to Rolling ................................ 22
Arcs and Paths of Action .................................................... 22
T iming and the Spacing of Drawings ..................... 24
Suggested Reading ....................................... 30
Assignment 1 ...................................................... 30
Masterclass 2: The Bouncing Ball .......................................................... 33
Weight, Mass, and Flexibility ............................................... 34
Gravity and the Path of Action ....................... 34
Key Positions ........................................................ 35
Squash ..................................................................... 35
Stretch ........................................................................ 37
T iming .................................................................. 38
W eight ................................................................ 40
In-Betweening the Bouncing Ball ........................... 41
Distorting Mass and Volume ............................. 46
T he Descending Bounce ...................................... 47
Flip Your Drawings … Always! ............................... 47
Final Double-Checks ........................................ 48
Suggested Reading ............................................... 50
Assignment 2 .................................................... 50
M asterclass 3: Generic Walks ........................................ 59
T he Lower Body ............................................... 60
W alk Cycle .................................................................. 65
Shooting a Walk Cycle ........................................... 69
In-Betweening on One’s ................................. 69
T esting the Walk ........................................ 72
T he Upper Body ..................................................... 72
Suggested Reading ........................................ 76
Assignment 3 .......................................... 76
Masterclass 4: Personality Walks ............................... 77
Hip and Shoulder Rotation .......................................... 77
Overlapping Action on the Hands ......... 79
Overlapping Action on the Head .............................. 81
Rotation on the Head ................................................. 81
Keeping Good Balance Throughout .................................. 81
In-Between Placement and Timing ....................................... 84
Double-Bounce Walk ............................................. 87
Chart Timing and Variation ......................................... 88
Observation and Reference Footage .......................... 89
T he Animator’s Survival Kit ................................. 89
Suggested Reading ............................................................ 89
Assignment 4 ................................................................ 90
M asterclass 5: Generic Runs ............................ 91
Key Generic Run Stages ............................................ 92
Run Exercise ................................................. 95
Additional Pointers for Runs .................................. 96
Head-On Runs ...........................................................100
Suggested Reading .....................................102
Assignment 5 ....................................................102
M asterclass 6: Quadruped Walks ............................111
Front Legs ............................................................113
Rear Legs .............................................................114
Synching the Legs Together .............................115
Adding the Body .........................................................117
Neck and Head ...................................................119
Adding the Tail ............................................123
Moving Background .............................................126
Multilayered Backgrounds ..........................131
Realistic Quadrupeds ................................................132
Suggested Reading ..................................................135
Assignment 6 .............................................................135
Masterclass 7: Weight .........................................137
Standard Rubber Ball .............................................138
Ping-Pong Ball ..............................................140
Bowling Ball .......................................................141
Comparing the Three Versions .........................................142
T he Pose Is Everything ...........................143
T ips .......................................................................145
Suggested Reading .......................................149
Assignment 7 .................................................149
Masterclass 8: Anticipation .....................................151
T he Benefi ts of Anticipation ....................................152
Anticipations Are for Everything......................156
Suggested Reading ..................................................159
Assignment 8 ........................................................159
Masterclass 9: Dialog ..................................161
Body Language .................................162
Facial Animation ......................................172
Lip Synching ........................................................179
T wo-Character Dialog .....................................184
Further References ....................................192
Suggested Reading ....................................193
Assignment 9 ................................................193
Masterclass 10: Final Project ..........................195
Staggers ...............................................196
Successive Breakouts of Joints ...................199
Eye Blinks ................................................202
Eyebrows .............................................207
Always Gravity! .................................208
Conclusion .............................................................211
Suggested Reading .......................................212
Assignment 10 ........................................212
PART 2: How to Make an Animated Film ............ 213
Production Challenge ......................................215
Film Production 1: Exploring Ideas, Storytelling, and Scriptwriting ........217
Meaning and WTF? ........................................226
Assignment ........................................227
F ilm Production 2: Concept Art, V iz Dev , and Camera Maps .........................229
Concept Art ..........................................................229
Camera Map .............................................................232
Assignment ....................................................233
F ilm Production 3: Character Design ..........................235
Style ..............................................................235
Personality ...............................................238
Attitude ..................................................239
Proportion .....................................239
Head Heights ........................................240
Silhouette ..................................................241
Detail .........................................................242
Process ...............................................................243
W arm-Up Exercise ...............................246
Assignment .................................................249
Film Production 4: Thumbnails ........................251
Assignment ........................................254
Film Production 5: Storyboards ....................................................
Final Check ..............................264
Assignment ....................................266
Film Production 6: Filmmaking Techniques .................................267
Framing .....................................267
T ransitions .....................................275
Staging ..............................................278
Continuity ..................................................281
Crossing the Line ................................282
Assignment .........................................284
Film Production 7: Audio Record. ...............................285
Guide Track ..............................286
Final Track ................................................288
Assignment ........................................291
Film Production 8: Animatic and Bacher Boards ....................293
Bacher Boards ...........................................294
Animatic Process ....................................296
T he Animatic Is Your Film Bible .......300
Check Your Scene Timings .........................301
Assignment .............................................302
Film Production 9: Background and Environment Layouts ..........................303
Distance and Perspective ..........................305
Focus of Attention ...........................................306
Silhouetted Action .............................................307
Process .................................................308
Dividing the Layout ...........................................................313
Assignment ...........................................313
Film Production 10: Color Script ..................................315
T he Right Time to Do the Color Script ......................316
Process ...................................................317
Professional Approach ............................317
Size of Artwork ............................................319
Don’t Ignore the Color Script! .........................320
Four Valuable Tips .....................................321
Assignment ........................................................322
Film Production 11: Audio Breakdown .................................323
Assignment ....................................................329
Film Production 12: Block in Key Poses ..............331
Assignment .........................................335
F ilm Production 13: Placement and Timing ...................337
Assignment .......................................340
F ilm Production 14: Two-Dimensional In-Betweening .................341
Assignment .................................345
F ilm Production 15: Rolling, Flipping, and Pencil Testing ................347
Flipping .................................................348
Full-Scene Flipping ..................................349
Pencil Test .....................................................350
Assignment ...................................354
F ilm Production 16: Clean-Up ....................................355
Line Quality .........................................358
Shapes, Dimensions, and Volumes ..................362
Assignment ............................366
F ilm Production 17: Scanning .............................367
Peg Bar ......................................369
Secure the Field Guide Scanning Area ........................370
Scanner Size .............................372
Assignment ..........................................373
F ilm Production 18: Background and Environments .......................................375
Compositional Color Values ...................378
Horizontals and Verticals ................................378
Light Source and Contrast ..................................378
Perspective and Lines of Focus ..................381
Verticals in Panning Shots ...............................382
Light Against Dark, Dark Against Light ..............384
Areas of Greatest Contrast ................385
Use Your Eyes ................................386
Assignment ....................................387
F ilm Production 19: Coloring ...............................389
Flat-Colored Backgrounds ...................396
Imported Background Artwork ......................396
Assignment ........................398
Film Production 20: Compositing ...............399
Layers ........................................400
T ransparency ....................402
Cycle Animation ...............................403
Depth of Field ...............................404
T itles and Eff ects ....................................405
Screen Format Ratio ..............................408
Resolution ...................................409
Frame Rates ........................410
Assignment ..............................410
Film Production 22: Final Edit ......................411
Scene Edit ................................................412
Music ..........................................414
Sound Eff ects ..................................417
Final Audio Mix .....................................419
Music and Eff ects Track ...............................420
Assignment .......................................421
APPENDIXES .....................................423
1: About the Accompanying DVD ...........................423
2: About the Desktop Academy .............................427
3: About the Animaticus Foundation ..................................429
4: About the DigiPen Institute of Technology .........................431
5: Exposure, Exhibitions, and Festivals .................................435
6: Exposure Sheets and Production Folders .......................439
7: Glossary ..................................453
Index .....................463
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