How is animation done

Creating an animated short or full-length feature is a long, tedious process. Extremely labor-intensive, the average short cartoon has approximately 45, separate frames. To make a character say "Hello, Simon," can require 12 drawings to depict each movement of the character's lips.

For example, if the character is running, the head animator will draw the foot leaving the floor, the foot in the air, and the foot returning to the floor. Or if the story calls for the character to blink, the head animator will sketch the eyes going through the motions. Animation assistants then fill in the details. The drawing is done on a transparent drawing board that is lighted from below.

After one drawing is completed, a second sheet of paper is laid on top of the first and the second drawing is varied slightly to signify movement. In a few studios, the inking is still done by hand, tracing the pencil sketches onto the cels.

Colors are applied to the reverse side of the cel, usually by computer, in the same manner that background colors are applied. All inked and painted materials are checked several times for accuracy.

In the last decade of the twentieth century, computer-created animation began to make great strides. Although purists decry this development, it is unlikely that computer animation will disappear.

What remains to be seen is whether or not traditional cel animation survives. Anime, a cartoon form from Japan, is also changing the nature of animation. Story lines and characters are more detailed and reality-based. Varied camera angles bring the viewer further into the action. Cawley, John and Jim Korkis. How to Create Animation. Pioneer Books, Locke, Lafe. Film Animation Techniques. Betterway Publications, Harmon, Amy.

Considine, J. Toggle navigation. Made How Volume 3 Animation Animation. Periodicals Harmon, Amy. Other articles you might like:. Also read article about Animation from Wikipedia. Storyboards are the lifeline for creating animation. Motion Graphics are pieces are digital graphics that create the illusion of motion usually for ads, title sequences in films, but ultimately exist to communicate something to the viewer.

Below are a few examples of motion graphic animation, using the top trends of today. Stop motion encompasses claymation, pixelation, object-motion, cutout animation, and more. But the basic mechanics are similar to the traditional style like a flipbook. However, instead of drawings, stop motion adjusts physical objects in each frame. If moved in small increments, captured one frame at a time, the illusion of motion is produced.

Whether puppets, clay, or even real people, these manual adjustments can make it a long, arduous process. Stop motion is definitely an older form of animated storytelling, especially compared to 3D computer animation.

But the process of animating pictures dates back way before Disney or Pixar. From shadow puppetry in about A. In , William George Horner created a similar motion picture projector, putting the drawings inside of a drum that turned in a circular fashion. This was one of the biggest innovations that laid the foundation for projecting film.

These early feats of animated motion carved out the path for the animated movies we know today. History tells us that many different people were involved in creating animation. Though a British filmmaker, Blackton created the first animation in America and was one of the first to use the stop motion technique.

In , he goes in to create a silent film where drawings on a blackboard are captured using film at 20 frames per second. He called it, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. French cartoonist, Emile Cohl created what is considered the first fully animated movie ever made.

In , Fantasmagorie premiered in Paris. In , Earl Hurd created cel animation, thereby becoming a kind of founder of the traditional style.

This would, of course, revolutionize the entire industry for the majority of the 20th century. That same year, way before Mickey Mouse came into fruition, the first animated short to have a distinguishable character is made by cartoonist, Winsor McCay. But no cartoon is as iconic as Mickey Mouse. In , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first feature to be entirely hand-drawn. The beauty and success of Snow White gave traditional animation its legs for Disney, and for the entire industry.

From the influential stop motion extended skeleton battle scene in Jason and the Argonauts The coolest part about animated filmmaking is its accessibility to anyone who wants to create. Try out some DIY techniques found in the next post. Create robust and customizable shot lists. Upload images to make storyboards and slideshows. Click for More. Prev Animation Next. This video shows the animation stage of production for a scene from the film Luca. In the clip, Giulia rides her bike into the piazza and jumps off.

She grabs a fish from the wagon on the back of the bike and waves it in the face of Ercole. They argue and Giulia rides away. At this stage the characters are fully animated. This will be fixed in the next stage, Simulation.