12 Principles of Animation – Carolwang 22005359

Here, I record some notes on 12 principles of Animation. To review it quickly, I just added a new page for it. ( The GIF is from this web. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqMi1AzbFqs

1. Squash and Stretch

Expanding and compressing to give the illusion of weight.
Animation objects will get longer and flatter to emphasize speed, momentum, weight or mass.
The more squash and stretch, the softer the objects. ( Body of Characters )
Keep the volume of the objects consistent. ( The overall volume of the ball must be the same. ) -> In-between with cubes is easy because we can measure the line between the 2 lines.

Using a small action to indicate that a significant action is about to occur makes the action appear more realistic.
Ex: When a character is about to jump, he will squat down to prepare an action to build energy.
Ex: A character going forward the winding up, and then before punching, he throws his arm back to further anticipation the punch.

Staging is presenting any idea so that it’s entirely and unmistakably clear. -> Directing attention towards the focus point.
It’s a broad principle which covers many fields like acting, timing, camera angle, position and setting.
All of the scene’s elements move the viewer’s eyes around the screen.
For camera settings, far-away is suitable for big actions, while close-up is good for expressions.
Tips: Sometimes, if there’s any text on screen, you should keep it on screen for as long as it takes to read it out loud 3 times.

You draw from the beginning and later fill in the drawing in between.
For pose-to-pose: You have a good idea of what action will look like early in the process.
It can save you a lot of work. -> Only do the primary poses to see if it feels right; you can catch problems early.
For Straught Ahead: It is suitable for animation, which is unpredictable. ( Fire, water particles, clouds, dust or explosions. )
Vocabulary: Key – extremes – Breakdowns – secondary poses – further breakdown( connect extremes )

It refers to the way pretty much all movement starts slowly.
Achieve life-like motion.
Without ease in and out, things feel mechanical. (by adjusting the motion curve)
Anayize the space between the drawings. ( space closer together at the beginning )

Moving along with curved lines to adhere to natural movement.
Most living creatures will move in a circular path.
The ball must follow an arc, or it will be too mechanical. -> The character moves not like a robot.

A technique of having body parts and appendages dragged behind the rest of the body and continue to move when the body stops. -> Drag
Adding movement after an action creates a sense of realism. ( Make sure to let the hair follow through when the body stops. )

Additional actions that enhance the main action ( overlapping action )
Gestures that support the main action add more dimension to the character animation.
It’s important not to let the secondary action dominate the primary action.

The personality and nature of an animation are greatly affected by the number of dreams inserted between each main action.
More drawing: slow, less drawing: fast.
1/12 drawing on two: makes slow actions look smoother than if you draw every frame.

Dramatizing an action to give it emphasis
Basically, every action, pose and expression can be taken to the next level to increase the impact on the viewers.
If a character is sad, make it more sadder.
When motions are quick, the exaggeration needs to be bigger in order to be noticed.

This ensures that forms feel like they’re in 3D space with volume, weight and balance.
To make animation easier, draw a figure from all angles. -> Draw a perspective line
Use basic solid shapes like spheres, cubes and cylinders to construct a character.
Be mindful of overlap and try to include it whenever possible.
Avoid symmetry: Symmetrical lines look flat. -> Make it more natural and dynamic.
Avoid twinning: This happens when the arms, legs, and other paired features do the same thing. -> A known affliction that all animators must consciously try to avoid.

12 Principles of Animation (Official Full Series)