Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
and turn and bend. We move through space in paths that defi ne arcs and can spin, creating ser-
pentine patterns. Drawings of moving things require the application of these elements. A running
character may have her feet completely off the ground like Muybridge's horse. She may be
leaning forward with her hair and clothing fl apping in the wind behind her. Speed lines and
multiple images can be used to create a sort of “comet's tail” effect following an object. Story-
board drawings need to look alive. They need to move and act and feel in order to overcome
their static reality and to communicate the heightened action that animation requires.
Principles of Movement
Anticipation, Squash and Stretch, Arcs, Follow Through and
Overlapping Action
Animators have discovered over the years that certain predictable principles can be applied
to animated characters and other moving forms. These help to bridge that gap between the
time-based dynamics of real-world physics and static reality of the drawn or virtual image.
The following 5 of “the 12 principles of animation” pertain particularly to movement.
Anticipation
Before a character can jump off a box he must anticipate. That means he must contract his
muscles, squat down, bend his knees, and maybe bring his arms and elbows up behind
him. He may even scrunch up his facial features. Anticipation is the way the character builds
up the energy to jump. Through this action, he will also be communicating to the audience
that he is preparing to jump. Anticipation is both psychological and physical. One usually
anticipates in the opposite direction of the main action.
Squash and Stretch
The principle of squash and stretch is an exaggerated sense of elasticity applied to show
how things distort when they move and when they stop. When a character jumps off a box,
she will stretch as she falls through the air and squash as her legs absorb the weight of the
body collapsing onto itself. Even the head of a hammer may squash when it strikes a board.
Though it may not be necessary to apply extreme exaggeration on each movement you
depict, the effects of squash and stretch in your storyboard drawings may have to be over-
stated to communicate the force and energy of the movement.
