Homework For Monday, Sept 10th and Notes from today (9/5/2018):

Using what you have learned so far, create one(1) of the following:

OPTION A:  

A 6-7 second RESEARCH project, where you try to recreate one animated character action scene from another animated work of art. This is good for people that want to try to break down the structure of another animation artist's work.

• As with before, DO NOT cut the camera.
• Have the entire character in frame when you animate the sequence.

OPTION B:

A 6-7 second FLOUR sack animation, where you animate a sack of flour moving about.  This is good for people who want to better harness their fundamentals!  Use the same approach you used for your simple 3-D object to create this animation. Give the sack a name, a simple story to tell, and try to tell that story! There are a lot of references for animating flour sacks online, as well as information on why this is one of the first "characters" animators learn how to draw. 

• As with before, DO NOT cut the camera.
• Have the entire character in frame when you animate the sequence.

Regardless of your choice, I STRONGLY suggest doing a google search for "flour sack animation" to get a myriad of examples! I also have some general notes on character animation that will help you this weekend. Think of it as an introduction to making characters that builds off of our animated sequences of simple shapes!

Bring ALL of your assignments to class to turn in on Monday!

NOTES FROM TODAY:

Production Checklist (for an animated sequence):

• 1. What is the story about? 
• make the sentence you write “active”
• If the story is good…
• 2. Is the character(s) acting in a well paced manner?
• look at your artwork as if you are your audience.
• pacing —> timing?
• too fast? less timing. (less frames)
• too slow? extend timing. (more frames)
• 3. Can we CLEARLY see the most important action taking place?
• context in the number of key drawings, breakdowns, and in-betweens (in that order)
• list your actions in your sequence. 
• check off each one that is shown clearly.
• put a star next to the ones that need more attention.
• for the drawings that need more attention: 
• determine what type of drawing you need (key, breakdown, in-betweens)
• add a select number of them. (less than ten to start.)  re-review your artwork. Go to question 2. If the answer is yes, go to 3. If good, then you’re set!
• 4. HOW does it look with respects to craftsmanship/ polish?
• Visual aesthetic: Line quality, color theory, size of line art!
• Question: Are your characters and objects held together with line, or with volume?

Introduction to Character Animation (we will talk heavily about animating characters on Monday!):

When animating a character on screen, follow these four simple rules.

1. Start with a simple mass.
• Use basic 3-D shapes to construct your character.
2. Stack your simple mass.
• Stack your shapes on top of each other to achieve accurate bends in the body and limbs.
3. Find your center of gravity!
• Draw a line down the center of your character. That line will help you bend your character in different ways.
4. Remember to move that mass!
• Animation is about movement over time. Be sure to stretch, push, and pull your characters by manipulating the mass underneath. Skin works like a sheet: If you move everything underneath, everything on the surface moves with it!