Introduction Animation is the process of drawing and photographing a character—a person, an animal, or an inanimate object—in successive positions to create lifelike movement. Animation is both art and craft; it is a process in which the cartoonist, illustrator, fine artist, screenwriter, musician, camera operator, and motion picture director combine their skills to create a new kind of artist— the animator. The art of animators is unique. Animators bring life to their drawings, creating an illusion of spirit and vigor. They caricature the gestures and expressions in the drawings, give them a fantastic array of character and personality, and make us believe that the drawings actually think and have feelings. This book was written by an animator to help you learn how to animate—how to make a series of drawings that create a sensation of movement when viewed in sequence. Getting Started To master the basics of cartoon animation, you only need a few supplies. You can get started practicing with some paper, a pencil, and an eraser, but inking and coloring tools can help you create finished-looking characters. An animation board is a bigger investment, but it makes it easier to flip between pages and to create “cleanup” or revision drawings from rough sketches Cartoon Construction A cartoon character consists of a body, a head, facial features, and hands. This may sound simple, but drawing all these parts in proportion, the same way in each frame, and drawing the cartoon as a believable living character can make or break an animated sequence. This chapter discusses each of these important parts of a cartoon character in detail, beginning with the body. Knowing how each of these parts works in animation will give you a good foundation before developing your own character designs in chapter 3. Character Design & Development Developing a character is not merely a matter of drawing the figure; each character also has its own shape, personality, features, and mannerisms. The animator has to take these qualities into consideration to make the characters seem lifelike and believable. Think about the type of character you wish to design; then use the diagrams and guides shown in this chapter to begin your drawing. Basic Character Movement Once a character has been developed, the animator must consider the types of actions that are appropriate for it. This chapter includes rhythm charts for creating movements of both humans and animals walking, running, jumping, skipping, and more. With these you can create animation cycles, which are a series of drawings that take a character through a complete movement (for example, a walking step). By following the instructions in this chapter, you can make any character—person, animal, or inanimate object—come to life through animated movement. Animation Principles The basic walk or run is one thing, but when creating more complex animated movements, an animator must consider a number of things. Your characters can swing, throw, kick, fall, lift, and more. Once your plan for the character’s action is set, you can design the actual movements and draw rough sketches. This chapter will help you develop an understanding of timing, overlapping actions, balance and movement, and arcs, curves, and paths of action in animated sequences. Animated Acting Gesture, mannerisms, attitudes of posture, and outbursts are a language of animation that speaks emotions and reveals character through your drawings. As the art develops, the comic characters begin to “think” and assume predictable character—most of it hilarious. However, in many animated films, the animated art has moved people to tears. In these cases, the animator has become a “real” actor.
✔ Author(s): Preston Blair
✔ Title: Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair, Revised Edition!: Learn techniques for drawing and animating cartoon characters (Collector's Series)
✔ Rating : 4.7 out of 5 base on (224 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1633228908
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
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