This ongoing workshop is for strong beginners and intermediate-level learners, and requires some previous animation experience.  The teacher demonstrates techniques such as; keyframing, squash-and-stretch, anticipation, and full-motion "cycles". 

Everyone will practice the fundamentals of traditional cartoon animation by hand-animating their own repeating "cycle".  Students can develop an independent animation project, or contribute animated sequences from a storyboard "shot-list" created by the group.  

If you like the way your hand-drawn animation can be used with photography and computers, then you should have lots of fun in this ongoing workshop.  Class members are also encouraged to create a collaborative cartoon where everyone contributes at least one animated scene. 

Weekly Class Activities

All illustration and animation activities will cycle back to the beginning every four weeks, or be variated spontaneously depending upon the skill level of each week's group of students.  Over a four week period, eventually each exercise will be introduced and practiced in class.


1. Week of Dec. 5th:  

- Design your cartoon character for animation

Relying on basic cartooning techniques demonstrated by the teacher, each student will design a cartoon character which can be easily animated.  Students are encouraged to arrive at class with a sketch pad and character design ideas.
 
These YouTube videos are very informative traditional animation history lessons from the late 1930s and early 1940s.  We will use some of these photographic techniques, can you guess which we will not use?  

https://youtu.be/KEIHJjRhSeA Fleischer Brothers Studio 1939

https://youtu.be/3YIR39KeJMk Disney multiplane camera 1941



2. Week of Dec. 12th:

- Storyboard your scene for animation 

Students learn to plan their specific animation using storyboarding techniques to communicate establishing shots, medium shots, and close-ups.

Online Resources:

Storyboards: Fairly OddParents Wiki
https://fairlyoddparents.fandom.com/wiki/Storyboards_and_Previews

Storyboarding: Fairly Odd Parents documentary short
https://youtu.be/ER96AogWuqE

Storyboard Animatic: Fairly Odd Parents 
https://youtu.be/jv4hvtIwzjs

Storyboard performance: Fairly Odd Parents
https://youtu.be/Agb3qX95cVY



3. Week of Dec. 19th:  

-Traditional light-table animation techniques

Using their improvised light table, students draw pencil sketches and employ page-flipping techniques to pre-visualize their character's movements.

Optional homework:

https://youtu.be/2y6aVz0Acx0  walk-cycle lesson



4. Week of Dec. 26th

- Ink and finalize an animated "cycle" 

Combining new skills, each student completes their page-flip animation of between 3 to 9 (or more) hand drawn and visually registered illustrations featuring a repeating "motion-cycle".


This is a live class, and the instructor uses a 2-camera system to feature  specific illustration styles and techniques.  Students are encouraged (within reason!) to spontaneously interact with the instructor and others during most exercises, and this workshop should be be interactive and lively.