CHAPTER 8

2D Animation

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

 Identify animation styles and techniques.

 Describe styles used by different animators.
 Identify techniques used by contemporary animators.

Introduction

This chapter will introduce students to the fundamental principles and practices of 2D animation.
Students will study and explore the application of these principles used in a range of 2D animation
methods such as paper, computer and stop-motion. Upon completion, the students will be able to
articulate and demonstrate how the principles of animation are used to craft believable movement and
a systematic approach to the planning and production of an animation outcome.
 Analysis
Let us determine how much you already know about 2D Animation. Take this activity.
Instruction: Arrange the scrambled letters.
1. POST NMOOIT
2. LTRAANDOIIT ANONIIMTA
3. RCOEMTPU ANONIIMTA
4. NMOOIT GSRCRAIHP
5. D2 ANONIIMTA

Lesson 1- Types of Animation

We all have an idea of what animation is. We think of Disney’s classic animated films but have you ever
thought about what actually makes animation film. The term animation has originated from Greek word
'Any moss' and Roman 'enema'. This basically means “bring to life”, so there is a sense of evolution over
time that is what we capture through animation. Conventional animation has been there for a long time
and the primary concern of animation techniques has been to create the illusion of movement. It
basically has the aspect of movement, which could be just an illusion, without simulating the motion in
its physical sense. It involves creating a series of photographs as frames and run those sequentially over
time. This aspect of illusion of life has been used by various commercial setups.
Types of animation
1. Traditional animation
Cel animation is generally recognized as traditional animation. This is the grownup forms of animation.
In traditional animation, every frame is hand drawn for creating an animation image sequence. It
consists of large numbers of hand drawings called “Frames”.
2. 2D Animation
Vector-based animation is referring to 2D animation. This is all around preferred configuration from
most recent couple of years with the expanding clients. 2D animation software is easy to use as it is for
entry level and has a user-friendly interface.
3. Computer Animation
Computer animation is also known as 3D animation or just animation. It is the common form of
animation. 3D animation works in a totally extraordinary manner from traditional animation, all the
animators are considered to be associated with a standard organization and has certain level of creative
development, yet there are some specialized experts in particular fields of work who are different from
each other.
4. Motion Graphics

Motion graphics is considered as a type of graphics animation. Motion graphics is somewhat not quite
the same as alternate part of animation. Unlike any animation, it is not character- or story-driven. It is
the craft of imagination of moving realistic components or content which is mainly used for business or
promotional purposes, enlivened logos, introduction recordings, TV promos or even film opening titles.
5. Stop Motion
A standout amongst the most well-known structures is clay animation. Working with mud or play-doh
characters can undoubtedly be controlled for animation. The animation process is similar to 2D
animation, creating poses of movements and moving it little step by step while taking pictures of each
movement. Then the pictures are used to play sequentially, which creates illusion of motion.

Lesson 2- 12 Principles of Animation

Disney's twelve basic principles of animation were introduced by the Disney animators Ollie
Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. The principles are
based on the work of Disney animators from the 1930s onwards, in their quest to produce more realistic
animations. The main purpose of these principles was to produce an illusion that cartoon characters
adhered to the basic laws of physics, but they also dealt with more abstract issues, such as emotional
timing and character appeal.

1. Squash and stretch

The purpose of squash and stretch is to give a sense of weight and flexibility to drawn or computer
animated objects. It can be applied to simple objects, like a bouncing ball, or more complex
constructions, like the musculature of a human face. Taken to an extreme, a figure stretched or
squashed to an exaggerated degree can have a comical effect. In realistic animation, however, the most
important aspect of this principle is that an object's volume does not change when squashed or
stretched. If the length of a ball is stretched vertically, its width (in three dimensions, also its depth)
needs to contract correspondingly horizontally.

2. Anticipation

Anticipation is used to prepare the audience for an action, and to make the action appear more
realistic. A dancer jumping off the floor has to bend the knees first; a golfer making a swing has to swing
the club back first. The technique can also be used for less physical actions, such as a character looking
off-screen to anticipate someone's arrival, or attention focusing on an object that a character is about to
pick up.
3. Staging

This principle is akin to staging, as it is known in theatre and film. Its purpose is to direct the
audience's attention, and make it clear what is of greatest importance in a scene; Johnston and Thomas
defined it as "the presentation of any idea so that it is completely and unmistakably clear", whether that
idea is an action, a personality, an expression, or a mood. This can be done by various means, such as
the placement of a character in the frame, the use of light and shadow, or the angle and position of the
camera. The essence of this principle is keeping focus on what is relevant, and avoiding unnecessary
detail.

4. Straight ahead action and pose to pose

These are two different approaches to the drawing process. Straight ahead action scenes are
animated frame by frame from beginning to end, while "pose to pose" involves starting with drawing a
few key frames, and then filling in the intervals later. "Straight ahead action" creates a more fluid,
dynamic illusion of movement, and is better for producing realistic action sequences. On the other hand,
it is hard to maintain proportions and to create exact, convincing poses along the way. "Pose to pose"
works better for dramatic or emotional scenes, where composition and relation to the surroundings are
of greater importance. A combination of the two techniques is often used.

5. Follow through and overlapping action

Follow through and overlapping action is a general heading for two closely related techniques
which help to render movement more realistically, and help to give the impression that characters
follow the laws of physics, including the principle of inertia. "Follow through" means that loosely tied
parts of a body should continue moving after the character has stopped and the parts should keep
moving beyond the point where the character stopped only to be subsequently "pulled back" towards
the center of mass or exhibiting various degrees of oscillation damping. "Overlapping action" is the
tendency for parts of the body to move at different rates (an arm will move on different timing of the
head and so on).

6. Slow in and slow out

The movement of objects in the real world, such as the human body, animals, vehicles, etc.
needs time to accelerate and slow down. For this reason, more pictures are drawn near the beginning
and end of an action, creating a slow in and slow out effect in order to achieve more realistic
movements. This concept emphasizes the object's extreme poses. Inversely, fewer pictures are drawn
within the middle of the animation to emphasize faster action. This principle applies to characters
moving between two extreme poses, such as sitting down and standing up, but also for inanimate,
moving objects, like the bouncing ball in the above illustration.

7. Arc

Most natural action tends to follow an arched trajectory, and animation should adhere to this
principle by following implied "arcs" for greater realism. This technique can be applied to a moving limb
by rotating a joint, or a thrown object moving along a parabolic trajectory. The exception is mechanical
movement, which typically moves in straight lines.

As an object's speed or momentum increases, arcs tend to flatten out in moving ahead and broaden in
turns. In baseball, a fastball would tend to move in a straighter line than other pitches; while a figure
skater moving at top speed would be unable to turn as sharply as a slower skater, and would need to
cover more ground to complete the turn.

An object in motion that moves out of its natural arc for no apparent reason will appear erratic rather
than fluid. For example, when animating a pointing finger, the animator should be certain that in all
drawings in between the two extreme poses, the fingertip follows a logical arc from one extreme to the
next. Traditional animators tend to draw the arc in lightly on the paper for reference, to be erased later.

8. Secondary action

Adding secondary actions to the main action gives a scene more life, and can help to support the
main action. A person walking can simultaneously swing their arms or keep them in their pockets, speak
or whistle, or express emotions through facial expressions. The important thing about secondary actions
is that they emphasize, rather than take attention away from the main action. If the latter is the case,
those actions are better left out. For example, during a dramatic movement, facial expressions will often
go unnoticed. In these cases, it is better to include them at the beginning and the end of the movement,
rather than during.

9. Timing

Timing refers to the number of drawings or frames for a given action, which translates to the
speed of the action on film.[12] On a purely physical level, correct timing makes objects appear to obey
the laws of physics. For instance, an object's weight determines how it reacts to an impetus, like a push;
as a lightweight object will react faster than a heavily weighted one. Timing is critical for establishing a
character's mood, emotion, and reaction. It can also be a device to communicate aspects of a
character's personality.

10. Exaggeration
 Exaggeration is an effect especially useful for animation, as animated motions that strive for a
perfect imitation of reality can look static and dull. The level of exaggeration depends on whether one
seeks realism or a particular style, like a caricature or the style of a specific artist. The classical definition
of exaggeration, employed by Disney, was to remain true to reality, just presenting it in a wilder, more
extreme form. Other forms of exaggeration can involve the supernatural or surreal, alterations in the
physical features of a character; or elements in the storyline itself.[30] It is important to employ a
certain level of restraint when using exaggeration. If a scene contains several elements, there should be
a balance in how those elements are exaggerated in relation to each other, to avoid confusing or
overawing the viewer.

11. Solid drawing

The principle of solid drawing means taking into account forms in three-dimensional space, or
giving them volume and weight. The animator needs to be a skilled artist and has to understand the
basics of three-dimensional shapes, anatomy, weight, balance, light and shadow, etc. For the classical
animator, this involved taking art classes and doing sketches from life. One thing in particular that
Johnston and Thomas warned against was creating "twins": characters whose left and right sides
mirrored each other, and looked lifeless.

12. Appeal

Appeal in a cartoon character corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor. A

character that is appealing is not necessarily sympathetic; villains or monsters can also be appealing, the
important thing is that the viewer feels the character is real and interesting. There are several tricks for
making a character connect better with the audience; for likable characters, a symmetrical or
particularly baby-like face tends to be effective. A complicated or hard to read face will lack appeal or
'captivation' in the composition of the pose or character design.