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| Chameleon animated by Dave Novis |
The AN5002 Assignment is due on Thursday 19 December 2024. The Assignment Brief is to create 10-15 seconds animal or creature animation, combining a motion cycle with a performance.
The Retrospective Assignment is due on Monday 23rd December 2024. To find out more about how to write a great Retrospective, read this blog post.
To see some of our students' best Animal and Creature Animation, watch the demo reel below.
YouTube Channel - Animals and Creatures
You can also see examples of animal and creature work animated at Escape Studios at our YouTube Playlist here.
Animal and creature work
Much of the animation industry in London focuses on
realistic animal and creature work, achieving photo-real levels of
quality. For example, the Disney re-make of The Lion King was made at MPC in London.
Animation Tutors
This year we have two animation tutors teaching AN5002 to our second year animators:
Animal and creature work
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| Leopard by Melissa Coarezza |
This year we have two animation tutors teaching AN5002 to our second year animators:
- Marc Stevenson. Marc is a veteran animator with credits on Hollywood VFX films including Fast & Furious 6, Avengers, Age of Ultron, Moon, and Victor Frankenstein. Marc has also created many tutorials for our students, which you can find at our Animation Vimeo Channel
- Shane Woodson - Shane joined Escape Studios in September to teach our second year 2D animation students the art of 2D character and creature animation. Shane Woodson is an experienced 2D animator whose credits include Mog's Christmas and Peter and the Wolf. Shane also has extensive experience with Toonboom Harmony, one of the leading software packages for delivering 2d animation.
Student Work
To see some examples of work done on this module, watch the short videos below.
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| Creature animation from "The Hunter" |
Showcase
To see more examples of student work, read this blog post.
Animation Library
We have many books on animal and creature animation in the Animation Library, located on the 11th Floor at 6 Mitre Passage. The Animator's Survival Kit Expanded Edition, for example, has a large section on animal and creature animation. We also have Edward Muybridge's historic reference book Animals in Motion.
Animation Library
We have many books on animal and creature animation in the Animation Library, located on the 11th Floor at 6 Mitre Passage. The Animator's Survival Kit Expanded Edition, for example, has a large section on animal and creature animation. We also have Edward Muybridge's historic reference book Animals in Motion.
Online Tutorials at Vimeo
We have many online tutorials on Animal and Creature Animation at Vimeo and Panopto to support this module. Tutorials include:
Quadruped Locomotion - Walks, Trots & Runs
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| Leopard by Daniel Amor |
by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/album/5698554
Also read this blog post for more on quadruped locomotion.
Multi-legged Creature Locomotion
Six-legged crab animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6055339
For more on the crab animation, see this blog post
Creature Performance using live action reference
Six-legged "Xye crab" mating dance animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6191592
Also see this blog post.
Dinosaur Locomotion
Dinosaur Walk Cycle by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793283
For more on dinosaur animation, read this blog post
Butterfly Animation
How to Animate Butterflies in Motion by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793287
Also read this blog post on Butterfly animation
Bird in Flight Animation Tutorial
Crow in flight tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6218232
For more on animating the crow in flight, see this blog post.
To see more about how the 2nd year at Escape Studios works, read this blog post.
Students should create an animal or creature performance (which may or may not contain spoken dialogue) approximately 10-15 seconds long.
Blog Your Progress
Students should also build a portfolio of progress through the project. This should be in the form of a website or blog containing written elements, images (such as storyboards and/or thumbnail sketches) and video (such as live action reference) to describe the development of the project.
You can create a free blog at either Blogger (log in through your Gmail address) or Wordpress. Alternatively you could document your progress at Artstation, Instagram or Behance.net, or create your own website at wix.com. To find out more about Blogger, see how to create a free blog here.
Lighting & Rendering
The final animation should be lit, rendered. We have many tutorials on lighting and rendering at our Tutorial Channels.
Assignment - Retrospective (25%)
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| Dinosaur by Edoardo Sartori |
Reflect on Your Work
Your retrospective should reflect on your performance, the work that you created and the decisions that you made. How does your practical output relate to the established theory and practice? How well did you do, compared to industry standards? What might you do differently next time? This written analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your portfolio should be in the context of current industry practice. You can use our standard template if you like (ask me for a copy) but this is not compulsory.
Retrospective Resources
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| Don't forget to write a Retrospective |
Portfolio Assignment Deadline
AN5002 is due on Thursday 19 December 2024. The Assignment Brief is to create 10-15 seconds animal or creature animation, combining a motion cycle with a performance.
The Retrospective Assignment is due on Monday 23rd December 2024. To read more about how to write a Retrospective, read this blog post.
Animal & Creature Animation Resources
- Vimeo Channel - Animal & Creature tutorials
- How to Plan Character & Creature Animation
- Leopard Walk Tutorial at Vimeo
- Spider Animation Workshop
- How to film animals and creatures for live action reference
- Ziva muscle systems tutorial with Michael Davies
- Scorpion Animation Tutorial at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Horse Animation Tutorials at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Horse Run Tutorial with Marc Stevenson
- Dragon in Flight Tutorial with Jamie Floodgate
- Quadruped Transitions with Maria Robertson
- Bird in Flight Tutorial with Marc Stevenson
- Putting Animals on a Path with Marc Stevenson
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects.
To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.
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