Animation from pencil to pixel by Tony White Summery

Animation from pencil to pixel by Tony White

Chapter 2, Chapter 6 &  Chapter 14 

The book is written by an award winning animator Tony White the book consists of classical techniques used in animation as well as information which is relevant to today’s technology. According to White (2006) although the script of an animated film is one of the main important things when it comes to animation, The character with in animation also plays a very important role as it is just like having a real life famous actor. Characters in any kind of animation need to have personality, emotional qualities and humanistic behaviors. White (2006, p.30) states that “it is always easy to create insects, robots and aliens that will fight out a fantasy adventure script but, it is extremely difficult to design humoresque hero or heroines that have to sensitively deliver dialogue and convey subtle emotions”  White (2006) also states that it is very easy for a character design to fall in a visual stereotype especially in movies that have heroes and villains. There is a tendency that all heroes look very attractive and the villains look hideously ugly. But this habit had been broken in the Movie Shrek where both leading figures were actually very ugly and this was something very refreshing for the world of animation.  

2D animation was still at its starting point back in the beginning of the 20^th century and the film industry was dominated by what is call the “Rubber Hose Characters” White (2006, p.31) states that theses “characters had limbs that were rubbery, twisty, and able to squash and stretch in length”. Since animation was evolving Disney also had to evolve away for the rubber hose characters and convincing characters had to be created for the audience. From then Disney characters started to have an actual skeletal structure. Unlike 2D animation, 3D animation does not require the stretch and squash like the one used in 2D animation but 3D animation does require a skeletal structure. However the squash and stretch technique can still be achieved and this is by knowing how to move the joints and limbs accordingly.

Toys Story was one of the first movies created in 3D and it is known to be one of the finest 3D animation that has ever been done. It opened the door for 3D animation. White (2006 p.33) states “ As with 2D animation before it, 3D has yet not conquer the human form in a way the characters can act naturally and not in look like plastic models or wooden sculptures…..” in character design when  it came to comics the characters are usually draw in proportion but when it comes to other kinds of animated cartoon characters some might have a very large heads compared to their bodies and this is used to show exaggeration and of course the character will look more cartoony. According to White (2006) to ensure that the character design is being understood it in important to know what the character will look like from every angle and view point this is usually done on a model sheet. The model sheet will give a sense of what the character will look like from every angle along with facial expressions. This is done for the character to be approved before it is finished.  White (2006) also states that it is important for the character and the background to complement each other and that it is important to test the background and the character to see if they really do complement each other. When creating background it is also important that the colours used complement the storyline as some colours suggest specific moods and it is very important that the colours complement the phases of the story.   

Just like character design and background colouring, now a days story boards play a very important role in animation especially in the film industry. According to White (2006) story boards can be anything from rough sketches to highly detailed drawings. Although story boards are highly used now a day it was not always like this. It all started at the Disney studio where animators used to pin up their work on the walls to discuss their ideas. Then these sketches became known as story boards. White (2006) states that when creating a story board it is much easier to read the script a couple of times to help understand what the filmmakers ideas better.  Story board usually presents an action in each frame and that a full colour story board is recommended when it comes to presenting it. White (2006) also states that using the same shot for different scenes will be ideal as this will avoid redrawing the scene each time tracing is also acceptable. Numbering the frames may also be ideal as this will make thing easier if there will be the need to add more frame in between.  

According to White (2006) in some cases just looking at a storyboard may seem too brief and may not get the idea right away so forming into an animatic may be best. It will appear different, although it is not the same as viewing a film but it is very similar and the viewer will get a better understanding. Creating an animatic take very little effort all that need to be done is a scan of the art work and imported onto Adobe Pramier.  White (2006, p.175) states that is the story board has a good structure the Animatic should too.

The world of animation as evolved tremendously in the past few decades According to White (2006) paperless animation has been talked about for quite some time before it actually arrived. Paperless animation helps the animator to draw directly onto a computer and saves a lot time and avoids having piles of paper around. Although many animations today are being created by paperless animation, and the use of the Cintiq, the animator still has to have good drawing abilities to work with the Cintiq no matter what miracles the new technologies is able to make.  

Tony. W Animation from pencil to pixel [e-book] avaxsearch. Available at: http://avaxsearch.org/?q=Animation+from+Pencils+to+Pixels%3A+Classical+Techniques+for+the+Digital+Animator. [Accessed 30 October  2014].