Four great online resources that will improve your animation
These fantastic online reference materials will provide you with the tips you need to conquer a range of animated challenges.
1) The Twelve Principles of Animation
If you watch just one tutorial try Alan Becker’s short introduction to the principles of animation. It features the 12 principles taken from the classic book The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of the fabled 'nine old men’ who animated for Disney.
The book itself is definitely worth acquiring but it’s a large and a much bigger time commitment then this friendly YouTube summary. Understanding these principles is the key to turning your static images into animation.
2) The Animators Survival Kit
The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams is widely regarded as the best overall resource book for animators both new and experienced. It was first published in book form in 2001, but is now also available as an app rich in video tutorials. Master animator and multiple Oscar winner Richard Williams takes your through a series of character animation exercises which are equally useful for your work in 2D, 3D, digital, traditional or stop-motion. Dip in and out to navigate specific challenges in your work as they arise.
3) How To Think When You Draw
If you want to improve the design of your characters Lorenzo Etherington can help. He has self published a series of books which are also displayed as one page tutorials on instagram and his blog. Lorenzo is incredibly skilled artist and a fantastic teacher who can communicate a lot about how to pose your character, how to add depth and interest to your settings and how to solve a huge range of very specific challenges (eye shapes, expressions, silhouettes… the list is enormous).
These tutorials are very much suited to specific problem solving but if you could remember sections of their wisdom your work would start to really shine. The books are written with drawing in mind but the principles are absolutely transferable to creating high quality visual work in any form. It is the most successful ever art book on Kickstarter and Disney, Dreamworks and EA Games bought copies so it’s definately worth a look.
4) Colour Theory
Adding colour to your animation doesn’t need to be complicated but it’s worth having a basic understanding of how colours work together to get the best result in your final work.
This fantastic explanation by Sarah Renae Clark is perfect for beginners and professionals. Sarah ends with a series of colour palettes taken from nature, a great free colour resource in itself!