Tag: animation tips

Space

“Cycle” by MC Escher, a master whose work is an exemplary exploration of space, time and relativity.

What is space?

That’s a question that’s not as easy to answer as one would think. Here are some thoughts about space and what it may mean to our work and to our lives as artists:

  • in drawing or posing are you aware of the relationships between positive and negative space? Oil painters or weavers, for example, are always aware of the relationship between background and foreground (because they have make/incorporate them in their medium).
  • take note of seeing how positive space attracts sharp focus to areas, where as negative space generalizes them.
  • take note of how lines manipulate and divide spaces. When you draw a lot, you sharpen this instinct.
  • are you merely seeing things graphically in two-dimensional space, like in graphic design, or are you incorporating true three dimensional space, being mindful of perspective, form and volume?
  • are you seeing and envisioning movement in 3D space (and not just along a grid of x-y coordinates)?
  • always remember that spacing is timing in animation because it incorporates both time and distance.
  • if you’re struggling with designing your poses, consider using flat or “toon” shade setting. It will simplify your seeing.
  • If you leave no space between action — i.e the silence/absence from action — then the actions won’t read.
  • remember, space can be both real and illusory; your job as an artist is to use it as a tool for expression.
  • do you step back to see the big picture and give space and time for your eyes and mind to see with clarity and not with motivation (i.e. detached from desire or expectations?)
  • tight spaces indicate busyness and confined activity where as open spaces indicate freedom and quietude. Vast spaces feel generous, small spaces feel skimpy and trapped.
  • the change in the size and characteristic of space around an object will alter the impression of the object’s size and characteristic. I.e. you alter the background, you alter foreground also.
  • Is the space in your art inviting or pushing out? Be mindful of the power and importance of composition.
  • the vastness of the presentation of space in your work will express the vastness of your message. eg. placing a small single figure in a large open desert both diminishes the significance of the figure and magnifies the power its environment whereas placing a large image of a figure inside a crammed space does the opposite.
  • if you want more form, think of the space inside of things.
  • if you want more weight, think of the material that sits inside that space inside of things.
  • be mindful of how you view and present the world — are you presenting it as an object or subject? eg. in traditional filmwork, cinematography often takes on a “male-oriented gaze”— women viewed as objects to be looked at, men viewed a subjects we can relate to. How you arrange things in space alters our impression of them — above vs below, flat vs dimensional, isolated or in context.
  • know that it’s all too easy to see the world in a flat way, especially given the prominance and frequency of interpreting the world through technology, which is always through a glass plane.
  • art is all about relationships. Be aware of the happenings between things. Good key poses in animation don’t guarantee good animation, it’s how you handle the frames between them that makes all the difference.
  • life is also all about relationships — you with your art, you with your environment, you with other people. How you see and interact with these things defines the quality of your life.
  • do you have space between your art and your other relationships? I think it’s important that you do.
  • space can serve as silence not just for the eyes but also for the mind. Find more space in your life whenever you can.
  • space and time alone is not painful isolation but a gifted opportunity to honestly observe and truly learn about yourself.
  • since time and space are intimately linked, they’re needed to see the big picture, it’s always good to periodically take a floodlight focus rather than spotlight focus.
  • sometimes the silence of open space allows small detailed spaces to shine.
  • notice how nature allows for lots of time and space between things and actions.
  • peace, freedom and clarity can only happen when there is space in the mind, when the mind is silent and not pre-occupied with the self and all its desires and fears.
  • it may not always be good to think of space as something that seperates objects. Try, perhaps, to think of space as something that connects things rather than separates them.

“Space and silence are necessary to go beyond the limitations of consciousness.” — J. Krishnamurti”

A Quick Look at Posing


“Discipline in animation is the challenges and limitations you set for yourself.” — Chuck Jones 

Today, we’re gonna look at two simple yet beautiful poses from one of my favorite Warner Bros shorts, Robin Hood Daffy, directed and designed by Chuck Jones. When looking at animation posing, it’s important to ask what makes a pose great. Again it’s all about seeing. The qualities described here are a small indication of what goes into good staging, drawing and design when it comes to character work.

Daffy Duck by Chuck Jones, from Robin Hood Daffy, 1958.

Pose #1:

  1. Strong Line of Action, bowed towards an imaginary opponent, gives the character excellent weight and sense of direction.
  2. Usage of a near-perfect profile head shape allows the open mouth, beak and overall pose to read with absolute clarity.
  3. Back foot is clearly angled towards camera, slightly tilted forward giving it form, perspective and depth that contrasts nicely with the profiled flatter placement of the front foot all the while forming a stable support of the body.
  4. Evidence of weight in the bend of the legs and folds in the clothing, exercising principles of compression and expansion.
  5. Elbows are anatomically marked and angled to indicated slight foreshortening of forearms.
  6. Arms are splayed out in a non-parallel fashion, so the action-expression never reads flat.
  7. Slight tilt of the top of hat shows animator has left nothing out in terms of weight.
  8. Straight dropped line of the vest not only depicts weight but contrasts nicely against the curve of the back; it also parallels the vertical line at the front of the hat.
Daffy Duck by Chuck Jones, from Robin Hood Daffy, 1958.

Pose #2:

  1. Tilted angle of hips justifies weight distribution to the back leg and corresponds to the opposing tilt of the shoulders. The overall shape of the pose is tight, simple and balanced.
  2. One fist is sillouetted against open space while the other fist visually overlaps the body, giving depth and variation.
  3. Angle of shoulders and arms indicate foreshortening and give force to the bent arms.
  4. Squash of lower mouth/beak works nicely against the stretched hat on top of the head.
  5. The bunching up at the knees again gives weight and volume to the clothing as well as adding to the direction of the leg action.
  6. Showing the underside of feet gives perspective to the foot movement and adds appeal.
  7. Line of action of the body extends all the way through to the end of the feather pulling the whole pose together.
  8. Foot is placed solidly on the ground and gives perspective to the ground.