12 Principles of Animation

• The illusion of life
• 12 Principles of Animation
  

1. Squash and stretch
2. Anticipation
3. Staging
4. Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose
5. Follow Through and Overlapping
6. Slow In and Slow Out
7. Arcs
8. Secondary Action
9. Timing
10. Exaggeration
11. Solid Drawing
12. Appeal
    
    *Breaking the Rules
    

1. SQUASH AND STRETCH
   
   
   • Gives objects a sense of weight, mass, and flexibility.
   • Essential for creating the illusion of gravity.
   • It is used in all forms of character animation from a bouncing ball (that flattens on impact and elongates while falling) to the body weight of a person walking.
   • This is the most important element you will be required to master and will be used often.
     
     
     • The Bouncing Ball: The most classic and simple example is a bouncing ball, which visually demonstrates the forces acting upon an object.
       
       
       • Freefall (Stretch): As the ball drops and picks up speed due to gravity, it stretches vertically (elongates) to emphasize the velocity and downward force.
         
         
       • Impact (Squash): The moment the ball hits the ground, it squashes horizontally (compresses) and widens to absorb the impact and show its elasticity and weight. This brief compression builds energy for the rebound.
         
         
       • Rebound (Stretch): As the ball pushes off the ground and accelerates upward, it stretches vertically again, showing the recoil force and speed of the bounce.
         
         
       • Apex (Normal Shape): At the highest point of its bounce, where it momentarily stops, the ball returns to its original, normal spherical shape.
         
         
         
2. ANTICIPATION
   
   
• Prepares the audience for a major action.
  
  
  • Characters might bend their knees before jumping or pull their arm back before throwing a punch to make the primary action feel powerful and realistic.
    
    
  • a pitcher's wind-up
  • a golfers' back swing
  • a dancer does not just leap off the floor. A backwards motion occurs before the forward action is executed. The backward motion is the 'anticipation'.
  
  
  
  
3. STAGING
   
   
• A pose or action should clearly communicate to the audience the attitude, mood, reaction or idea of the character as it relates to the story and continuity of the story line.
  
  
• This is achieved through camera angles, lighting, and character placement to ensure the focus is unmistakably on the relevant action or emotion.
  
  
• The effective use of long, medium, or close up shots, as well as camera angles also helps in telling the story.
  
  
• Use one action clearly stated to get the idea across, unless you are animating a scene that is to depict clutter and confusion.
  
  
• Rule of Thirds:
  • Placing the main character or point of interest along the lines or intersections of a 3x3 grid (the rule of thirds) creates a more balanced and visually engaging composition, naturally drawing the audience's eye to the point of interest.
    
    
    
    
4. STRAIGHT AHEAD AND POSE TO POSE
   
   
• Two distinct animation workflows.
  
  
  • Straight Ahead: Animating frame-by-frame from start to finish, best for fluid, unpredictable actions like fire or hair.
    
    
  • Pose-to-Pose: Drawing key poses first and filling in the intervals later, ideal for structured scenes. In an animation studio, the lead animator will turn charting and keys over to his assistant. An assistant can be better used with this method so that the animator doesn't have to draw every drawing in a scene.
    
    
    
5. FOLLOW THROUGH AND OVERLAPPING ACTION
   
   
• Adds realism by showing that different body parts move at different rates.
  
  
  • When the main body of the character stops all other parts continue to catch up to the main mass of the character, such as arms, long hair, clothing, floppy ears or a long tail. Nothing stops all at once. This is follow through.
    
    
  • Overlapping action is when the character changes direction while his clothes or hair continues forward.
    
  
  
  
6. SLOW-OUT AND SLOW-IN
   
   
   • Reflects the natural acceleration and deceleration of real objects.
     
     
   • Animators draw more frames at the beginning and end of an action to make the transition between poses feel organic rather than robotic.
     
     
   • Fewer drawings make the action faster and more drawings make the action slower. Slow-ins and slow-outs soften the action, making it more life-like.
   
   
   
7. ARCS
   
   
• Most natural movements follow a curved path. Moving a limb or head in a straight line often appears mechanical; following an arc increases visual interest and realism.
  
  
• Arcs give animation a more natural action and better flow. Think of natural movements in the terms of a pendulum swinging.
  
  
  
8. SECONDARY ACTION
   
   
• Small and auxiliary movements that support and enrich the main action. For example, a character’s swinging arms or facial expressions while walking add depth without distracting from the primary movement.
  
  
• This enriches the main action and adds more dimension to the character animation, supplementing and/or re-enforcing the main action.
  
  
  
  
9. TIMING
   
   
• Fewer frames between poses make an action feel faster and more energetic, while more frames create slower, heavier movements.
  
  
  • Fewer Frames are ideal for rapid gestures, hits, or reactions.
  • More Frames are used for dramatic pauses, weight, or slow-motion effects.
    
    
• Expertise in timing comes best with experience and personal experimentation, using the trial and error method in refining technique.
  
  
  
  
10. EXAGGERATION
    
    
• Pushing the boundaries of reality to make characters more expressive.
  
  
• Poses, timing, and facial expressions are often exaggerated to communicate emotions more clearly or reinforce a particular artistic style.
  
  
  
11. SOLID DRAWING
    
    
    • Creating the illusion of 3D forms in a 2D space by considering volume, weight, and anatomy.
      
      
      
12. APPEAL
    
    
    • Appeal in animation doesn't simply mean being cute or cuddly. Every character should have appeal, whether heroic, villainous, comical, or cute.
      
      
    • The “appeal” you’re aiming for means creating an easy-to-read design, clear graphics, and a distinctive composition that captures the reader’s attention and keeps them engaged.
      
      

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• Breaking the rules in art
  
  
  
  • What's the point?
    
    
    • Breaking the rules means deliberately challenging established conventions to innovate, express unique artistic visions, and push creative boundaries.
      
      
    • It often requires a thorough understanding of the rules before departing from them.
      
      
    • Movements such as Impressionism and Cubism demonstrate how challenging artistic conventions can produce powerful, memorable, and sometimes controversial work that transforms the way we see and understand art.
      
      
    • It's about purposeful experimentation rather than ignorance—using a deep understanding of artistic fundamentals to transform established conventions into something new and impactful.
      
      
    • This can range from subtle compositional shifts to radical rejections of tradition, as exemplified by Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades.
      
      
      
      
  • Why artists break rules?
    
    
    • Innovation & Evolution: To move beyond established norms and create new styles, as seen with the Impressionists, Cubists or Dadaists.
      
      
    • Expression: To better convey personal emotions, ideas, or critiques of society, creating thought-provoking art.
      
      
    • Purposeful Rebellion: To challenge the status quo, making a stronger statement than simply following rules.
    
    
    • Discovery: To find new possibilities and develop a unique voice, pushing creative limits.
      
      
      
      
  • How rules are broken?
    
    
    • Mastering Fundamentals First: Understanding classical rules allows for informed and confident subversion.
      
      
    • Intentionality: The break must serve a purpose, otherwise the art can fall flat.
      
      
    • Examples of Rule-Breaking:
      
      
      • Marcel Duchamp’s readymades challenged the very definition of art. By exhibiting an ordinary urinal as an artwork, he questioned whether art depended on the object itself or on the artist’s choice and the context in which it was presented.
        
        
      • John Cage’s 4′33″ is a radical example of rule-breaking in modern art and avant-garde music. By having performers remain silent, Cage shifted attention to the ambient sounds of the environment, such as audience movements, coughing, or rain. The work challenges our definition of music, suggesting that even everyday sounds can become art when we listen to them differently.
        
        
      • Pablo Picasso's Multiple Perspectives: Academic art relied on a single fixed-point linear perspective. Cubism shattered this rule by showing multiple angles of a subject.
        
        
      • Oskar Fischinger: Animation as visual music, Fischinger explored how abstract forms, color, and movement could correspond to musical rhythm without relying on characters or narrative.
        
        
      • Norman McLaren: He drew and scratched directly onto film, sometimes creating both images and sound without conventional cameras or musical instruments. He also experimented with human movement as animation.
        
        
      • Yuri Norstein expanded the expressive possibilities of animation by using layered paper, light, shadow, fog, subtle movement, and stillness to convey complex psychological and emotional experiences that conventional storytelling alone might struggle to express.