
Learn squash and stretch in 2D animation by making a dancing water balloon in Brush Ninja. Use onion skinning and in-between frames for fluid motion, export as a gif.
Master slow in and slow out to reflect gravity, friction, and mass in animation, using spacing to convey weight and avoid robotic motion.
Demonstrates overlapping action and secondary action using After Effects, with a fish eating another fish; animate a tentacle and tongue to add life and motion.
Create a head-turn animation using Procreate or alternative tools. Establish construction lines, arcs, and perspective to craft in-between poses with overlapping action.
Master timing in animation by exploring slow in and slow out, frame rates, and timing charts; compare two-dimensional and three-dimensional workflows, discuss spacing, and emphasize mastering every key frame.
The famous "12 Principles of Animation" are the foundation for all animation learning and since they're universal principles we will learn to apply them to many animation mediums in this course by drawing, stop motion, claymation, and puppeteering in After Effects.
After each lesson, you will have a demonstration and an assignment that you can follow along with free tools online or with items around your house and a free stop motion app on your phone.
The lessons include:
The History of the Animation Principles
The Science of Animation
Squash & Stretch
Slow In/Out
Anticipation
Overlapping Action
Secondary Action
Arcs
Pose to Pose/Straight Ahead
Timing
Staging
Exaggeration
Solid Drawing
Appeal
During the course our assignments will cover*:
Flipbooks
Thaumatropes
2D digital animation
Animating in Procreate on the iPad
Animating in After Effects (project file provided)
Stop Motion Animation
Claymation
* Each assignment could be completed in any of these mediums so there's no need to have a fancy computer, expensive software, or an iPad.
You can complete this course even if you're not good at drawing.
"It's not about what moves, it's about how it moves!"
I will also share my insights working as a professional animator on big movies like Avengers and Ready Player One and how I use these principles every day in my work.
The concepts covered here are not only for beginners but for every animator to apply in their daily work and be a resource for any time you're stuck on how to add more appeal to your animations.
I look forward to seeing you in class and seeing your projects from the course.