Notes from Exploring Drawing for Animation by Kevin Hedgpeth and Stephen Missal

Hedgpeth Kevin and Missal Stephen, (2004), Exploring Drawing for Animation: The Art and techniques of drawing for 2D animation, Canada, Thomson Delmar Learning

8. Character Construction 101

- stereotyping = real life referencing defining character elements that restrict a character design
- characters of great detail are harder to animate because too technically difficult and expensive
- characters are symbols, audience needs good set of visual clues to recognise and accept the character as a certain type
- colours simplified into base colour, highlight and shadow
- exaggeration - when an animator over emphasizes movement and form to convey specific actions, emotions and characterization
- contour is a convention to describe form and volume through an exterior line used for simplication and editing information about characters and other animation elements
- model sheets are character blue prints describe their physical appearance, showing character in different poses, attitudes and various facial expressions

9. Roughing it and Cleaning it up

- rough gestural animation designed to show basic character movements
- begin with the story, all visuals are drawn from premise
- 2D animation sequence
1. plan - thinking on paper, writing description of the animated scene
2. sketch - further thinking on paper - thumbnails that define the layout of scenic elements
3. key - keyframe drawings for animated sequence reference for character movement and blocking timing and action
4. shoot - film key frames and process them through pencil - test system
5. refine - fix problems in above areas
6. repeat - back to step 1 and repeat process until the keyframe animation is working if functions ok add breakdown and in between drawings
- gestural - 2d animation begins with preliminary sketching and thumbnails to describe character position and action relationship to environment
- dynamic movement - partly direction of movement and parts of character described by line based on weight, curvature and clustering of line
- posing another realm of dynamic movement as quick action appears dull so light, action and pose often need to be enhanced
- drawing technique and animation broke down into anatomy, movement/ fluidity, line technique, proportional measuring and sequential continuity