Animation Fundamentals ✦ TASK 1: EXERCISES ✦

23.9.2024 -14.10.2024 (Week1-Week4)

liuziyu/0367533/Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media

Animation Fundamentals

Task:Exercises

INSTRUCTIONS

Week 1

Lecture：

This week, our teacher outlined the various modules we will be covering this semester. Each module focuses on specific topics and skills, detailing what we will be learning and the activities we will engage in. The discussion included the objectives of each module, the projects and assessments we can expect, and how these will contribute to our overall understanding of the subject. This overview helped clarify our learning path for the semester, making it easier for us to prepare and set goals for what we hope to achieve in each class.

Week 2

Lecture：

Frame rate: 

Frame rate is how often successive images are captured or displayed

Time and interval: 

The number of drawings used for any action determines how long the animation takes to be on screen

Slow in and slow out: 

By combining the two, animations appear more natural and smooth at the beginning and end.

Arc: 

Select the object's start point, end point, and arc shape, and use control points to define the degree and direction of the bend

Week 3

Lecture：

This week, Mr. Kamal introduced us to elasticity and flexibility as key principles of animation, which aims to enhance the vitality and appeal of characters or objects through changes in shape, movement and rhythm. This week's lecture may cover the following points:

1. Elasticity:  

   Describes the deformation of an object under the influence of force during movement.  

   Example: A ball squashes when it hits the ground and stretches as it bounces back into the air.  

   Purpose: Not only used for physical effects but also for expressing emotions. For instance, a surprised expression might cause a character's head to "stretch."  

2. Flexibility:  

   Often associated with a character's dynamic movements, showing how bending, twisting, or extending motions convey energy and fluidity.  

   Application: For example, when a character turns quickly, different parts of their body might move at varying speeds, creating a follow-through and overlapping action effect.  

3. Extremes and In-Betweens:  

   Elasticity is often showcased through exaggerated keyframes, while in-between frames smooth out the motion.  

   Practical Tip: Draw the extreme poses where the character's deformation is at its peak, then add in-between frames to connect the movements smoothly.  

Week 4

Lecture：

This week Mr. Kamal introduced several key topics related to animation and drawing principles, here is a summary:

1. Drawing as Performance:

Emphasizing that drawings are not just static representations, but convey movement, emotion, and tell stories, just like an actor playing a character.

2. Three-Dimensional Drawing:

Focusing on creating the illusion of depth and volume in drawings, making characters and objects feel more alive and real.

3. Lines of Action:

Introducing the concept of using dynamic lines to indicate the flow and energy of a pose or movement as a foundation for building expressive characters.

4. Outlines:

Discussing the importance of outlines in defining shapes, while also considering how outlines can suggest volume and depth.

5. Duets and Parallels:

Exploring the interaction between two characters or objects, emphasizing how parallel or synchronized movements can create harmony.

6. Oppositions and Distortions:

Emphasizing the role of contrasting movements or poses in adding tension, energy, and realism. Distorting movements are particularly helpful in enhancing the sense of three-dimensionality.

7. Basic Poses:

Investigating basic poses that convey a character's attitude, emotion, or action as building blocks for complex animations.

8. Beans and Robot Beans:

Introducing simple forms such as beans to practice gesture and volume, and “robotic beans” to explore mechanical or structured movement while maintaining fluidity.

9. Depth, Weight, and Balance:

Covering techniques for showing depth through perspective, weight through grounding and tension, and balance through postural stability to ensure drawings are realistic and impactful.

EXERCISES ：

Week2: 

Assignment requirements:

The teacher asked us to use Adobe Animate to create an animation of a bouncing ball

We need to apply the animation principles, timing, spacing, slow in and slow out, and arcs we learned in week 2 to create.

The required frame rate is 24fps, the aspect ratio is 16:9, the resolution is 1280 x 720, and the final animation needs to be exported in .mp4 format

Upload your progress in your electronic portfolio and update the link on the MYTIMES platform as a submission.

Attach the Adobe Animate file to get feedback on the animation.

Here are my homework exercises

Fig 2.1 Ball animation

REFLECTION：

This week’s study of animation production principles deepened my understanding of the fundamentals of animation. The importance of frame rate made me realize the impact of smoothness on the viewer's experience, while the concept of time and interval clarified the relationship between the duration of actions and the number of drawings. The technique of slow in and slow out enhanced the naturalness of animations, making movements appear more realistic. Additionally, understanding arc motion enabled me to create more dynamic effects in my designs. Through this learning, I realized that animation is not just about simple movement of images; it requires considering multiple factors to achieve more expressive works. This knowledge will guide me in my future creations, helping me design more engaging animations.