JANUARY, 2016
IN THE BEGINNING...
Welcome to 2016 everyone! In the western world it is the beginning of a new year - which inspires thoughts of all beginnings, especially the beginning of an animated action. So whatever movement you attempt you will need to learn how to make that animation more dynamic. You can do this by building in a degree of 'anticipation' to its movements - especially at the beginning of a major movement.
In my forthcoming Focal Press book, 'The Animator's Sketchbook', I refer to this when talking about a character throwing a heavy sack. Before they can manage to actually throw the sack they initially have to swing it in the opposite direction to develop more momentum for the throw. This initial swing back is called 'anticipation'. That is, before you make a move in any particular direction it is best to anticipate that move in the opposite direction first. This is something you should consider adding to any significant animation movement you make, not just the first move. So the challenge this month is for you to draw 3 positions that define the beginning, middle and end of a character's action. The 1st is a starting position and the 3rd is the final main action position that the character needs to make. The one inbetween - i.e. the 2nd position - is an anticipation between '1' and '3'. (Note: For this challenge, you can use any established character you like - or else use a character of your own design.) Please put all your drawings onto one page! |