"Ursula" Thumbnail Sketches by Ruben Aquino

With animation, you get nothing for free.  Animators have to fill this blank space with creative, entertaining animation.  

The secret of success is to plan your animation - start with sketches and scribbles ("thumbnail sketches") which create a road map of where you want to go. 

The video below shows how the master Disney animator Ruben Aquino planned out a dialogue shot with Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid.  

"And now look at me...Wasted away to practically nothing!"

Why Animators Need a Clear Silhouette

Animator need to create great poses.  Part of a great pose is a great silhouette, one that "reads" clearly. 

The image on the left is taken from Eric Goldberg's book "Character Animation Crash Course", (we have a copy in the library), one of the best books on character animation.

Eric shows how a single pose can get an instant "read" from the audience. Even though the images are shown blacked out in silhouette, we still know exactly what the character is thinking and doing.

Always make sure your poses, whether drawn or digital, communicate exactly what the character is thinking, feeling and doing. 

Create Thumbnail Sketches to Plan Animation

How do you create thumbnail sketches for character animation? Learning how to create thumbnail sketches is a very important skill, even for animators who don't draw well, because thumbnail sketches are an important tool for planning animation.  Even 3D animators who aren't that comfortable with drawing are encouraged to have a go at the thumbnailing process.  Watch the video above to see how to create rough thumbnail sketches for this month's "11 Second Club". 

Nine Ways to Create a Great Pose

How do you create a great pose in animation? Creating great poses is a necessary skill for all animators to learn. In the video above, we suggest nine ways that an animator can create a great pose - the key starting point for a great acting scene. 

How to Block out a Dialogue Shot

How do animators plan out a dialogue shot from scratch? As with everything in animation, the secret is in the planning. The key skill that all animators must learn at Escape Studios is how to plan a shot from start to finish.  Start with an idea, think it through, shoot live action reference and draw thumbnail sketches. Then, and only, then should you start creating poses in Maya. 

How to Plan Animal & Creature Animation

Bear animation by Amanda Costa with live-action reference

Our undergraduate animators are working on their second animation module, AN5002, which involves the creation of a piece of animal or creature animation.

Animal and creature animation involves creating believable animation - usually based on live-action reference.

How should students plan animal and creature animation?  Start by watching the 10 minute video below.

Live Action Reference & The 11 Second Club

This month our second year undergraduate animators are entering the 11 Second Club, part of Module AN5001 in which they learn the art and craft of character animation. 

The 11 Second Club is a monthly character animation competition in which aspiring animators compete to win prizes and get their work noticed. Animators from all over the world participate, animating a character speaking a line of dialogue, sharing their progress with one another and critique each other's work - just like in a real animation studio.

So how to succeed in the 11 Second Club? One dependable method is for animators to film themselves acting out the line of dialogue - using live action reference to guide the animation.

Planning Animation on Stepped Curves

One of the most common problems encountered by student animators is how to block out an animated shot from scratch, starting with nothing but a blank screen and a character rig.

After all, in animation you get nothing for free.  You start off with a digital puppet, usually in a stiff "T-pose", and have to figure out the rest yourself. In this tutorial at our Vimeo Channel, I explain how to block out a shot from scratch.

How to Block Out Pantomime Animation

Pantomime Animation by Jamie Floodgate

How do you block out and plan a pantomime animation - an animated scene without dialogue? The trick with animation is to plan it out thoroughly in advance.

In the case of pantomime animation, we teach a workflow that is reliable and dependable, one which will get your shots approved on time, with minimal aggravation.

The secret of success lies, as ever, in the planning. Plan your work properly and you won't go wrong.

Parkour Tutorial with Paloma Zhu

We've uploaded a new parkour animation tutorial to our expanding Vimeo channel; this time a parkour animation shot by Paloma Zhu; you can find it here.

The shot was originally animated by Paloma on the short film "Street Ratz", which was nominated for Best Trailer at the Assurdo Film Festival.  In this tutorial, Paloma shows how she created live action reference clips and edited them together to block out her animation, ensuring realism, accuracy and believability.