2D Animation Midterm Reviewer PDF

# Animation Foundation - Creating characters is a crucial part of storytelling whether in comics, animation, illustration, or in games. A well-designed character will bring your story to life. ## Character Design - Is a crucial aspect of creating an engaging animation video or film. Well-crafted c...

# Animation Foundation - Creating characters is a crucial part of storytelling whether in comics, animation, illustration, or in games. A well-designed character will bring your story to life. ## Character Design - Is a crucial aspect of creating an engaging animation video or film. Well-crafted characters make a lasting impression and make the animated film more memorable for audiences. ### Character Design Purpose: 1. Showcasing Unique Personality - characters should demonstrate unique personalities and be visually appealing. 2. Expressing Emotions - it is crucial for characters to convey a range of emotions, such as happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, and anger. 3. Cohesive Personality - it is required that the artist has a deep understanding of the character's personality inside and out. ## Toonboom Basic Steps in Crafting Characters: 1. Research - seek character inspiration, including pictures and references, which will help you in designing your character. 2. Sketching - to produce a good character, it is highly recommended to sketch as many different designs and variations as possible. 3. Construction - the process of ensuring that the character proportions and shape are strong. This is also considered as the very basis of your character. 4. Tracing - the refining process as it lets you establish the final look, line of style, and features. ## Character Proportion Various Concepts: 1. Character Nature and Visible Characteristics - think about how their characteristics will be made visible through their shape. 2. Character Size and Proportion - character's size is usually measured in units of "heads." (standard = six heads, short = 3 heads) 3. Understanding Proportion - understand the basics of proportion correctly before executing your own style. ## Character Sheets - Are created to serve as a comprehensive reference guide for animators working on the character, includes: 1. Character angles: front, side, back, 3/4 view and others 2. Variety of posed shots 3. Expression sheets ## Character Design Preparation: A. Script - essential details about the characters, their personalities, the props they use, the environment they are in, and the overall story world. B. Storyboard - visually lays out the character's actions, movements, and which props or environment need to be designed. ### Expressions - Evan Waterman (Vancouver, Canada) - there are various factors to consider, such as race, body type, hairstyle, facial features, and posture. - Eggleston - it is important to explore different expressions and not just focus on finalizing the character's look so soon but explore expressions first. ## Importance of Facial Features (Bancroft, 2012): 1. Eyes - the window to the soul (various shapes: circular, almond, teardrop) 2. Eyebrows - acting like curtains to the windows of the eyes. 3. Mouth - functioning as the punctuation in a "sentence" made by the face (works along with jaw) 4. Neck - the tilt and movement of the neck can significantly enhance expressions and its dynamism. 5. Nose - adds refinement to certain expression. ## Pose (Bancroft, 2012) - It is highly recommended to avoid twinning, 2 things how to avoid: 1. Offset Poses - slightly alter the position of the limbs or features to break symmetry. 2. Refined Adjustments - adding perspective gives depth and dynamism to your poses. ### Benefits of Using Perspective: 1. Avoid Twinning - creating size differences in shape, making the poses less symmetrical. 2. Dynamic Poses - adds drama and energy to a scene. 3. Clear Silhouettes - helps create clear, recognizable silhouettes. 4. Strengthened Expressions and Emotions - enhances the clarity of expressions and body language. ## Step-by-Step Process of Creating a Pose (Bancroft): 1. Quick Sketch 2. Add details 3. Refine the Expression and Clothing 4. Flip and Correct 5. Transfer Corrections 6. Final Line Drawing 7. Scan and Color - By considering the message behind the pose, you can narrow down your options and focus on what is important. - A strong silhouette is crucial for clarity. You can check the silhouette value by flipping your drawing over and shading it in with a dark pencil. ## Storyboard - Plotting the scenes in advance. - Showcases how a story will unfold through a step-by-step process (Leighfield, 2024) ### History of Storyboard - 1895 - Lumiere Brothers created the first projected motion pictures with simple scenes like workers leaving factory. - 1900s - Sergei Eisenstein developed theories on montage, showing how linking several shots could evoke specific emotions. ### Drawing Shortcuts 1. Simplify - draw primitive forms - cylinders, cubes, etc. 2. Characters and Star People - use "star people" for your drawings. 3. Poses - 4 components: head, torso, hips, limbs 4. Hands - draw a box and add five sausages to it. 5. Heads - start with a circle, add vertical and horizontal axis lines to indicate the head's angle. 6. Eyes (1) Pupils seen from the front are circles; (2) Pupils that are seen from the side are oval-shaped. ### Types of Storyboard: 1. Beat Boards - convey a single-panel illustration that captures the major points or the most climactic moments of the story. 2. Live-action Boards - for planning compositions and scheduling set pieces and equipment. 3. Feature Animation Boards - essential for shaping and designing the story. 4. Advertising Storyboard or Pitch Boards - resembling finished illustrations with full colors and detailed shading. 5. TV Animation Boards - equire precise "on-model" drawings of characters and environments. 6. Video Game Storyboards - cover both in-game action and cinematic cutscenes, blending elements of continuity and TV animation boards. 7. Previs/Previsualization - a rough 3D animation is used to block out script scenes created by 3D artists with story training. ## Storyboard Process 1. Gather Technical Details A. Aspect Ratio B. Reference Materials C. Research 2. Final Image Delivery Format 3. Script or Outline ## Understanding the Script 1. Read the script thoroughly 2. Breakdown the script 3. Script Notes and Thumbnails 4. Interpret the script ## Storyboard Crafting 1. Identify the story point 2. Consider subtext 3. Creating thumbnails - quick, rough sketches typically done during the planning process and are usually 1- to 2-inch basic drawings (Storyboard Art, 2022) 4. Explore ideas 5. Review and refine 6. Draw finished panels