*Week 1: Tuesday, October 1, Thursday, October 3> Introduction to Animation & Tools Setup
Goals: Familiarize students with animation history, software, and basic drawing tools.
Topics:
Brief history of 2D animation (traditional, digital)
Overview of the animation process (pre-production to post-production)
Introduction to animation software
Setting up the workspace and understanding file formats (FPS, aspect ratio)
Exercises:
Set up software
Create simple shapes (circle, square) and practice basic drawing with digital tools
*Week 2: Tuesday, October 8, Thursday, October 10> Understanding the Principles of Animation
Goals: Learn the 12 principles of animation.
Topics:
The 12 principles: Squash & Stretch, Anticipation, Staging, etc.
Importance of timing and spacing
Drawing keyframes and in-betweens
Exercises:
Create a bouncing ball animation (emphasizing squash & stretch)
Play with different timing for the ball bounce
*Week 3: Tuesday, October 15, Thursday, October 17> Timing and Spacing
Goals: Master the use of timing and spacing to control motion.
Topics:
Timing: How long an action takes
Spacing: Distance between frames
Keyframes and breakdowns
Exercises:
Animate a pendulum swing to demonstrate timing and spacing
Experiment with fast vs. slow animations
*Week 4: Tuesday, October 22, Thursday, October 24> Basic Motion – Straight Ahead & Pose-to-Pose
Goals: Understand two different animation techniques.
Topics:
Straight-ahead animation vs. pose-to-pose animation
Importance of thumbnails and keyframes
Rough animation and cleaning up drawings
Exercises:
Animate a character jumping using straight-ahead
Animate a simple action (throwing a ball) using pose-to-pose
*Week 5: Tuesday, October 29, Thursday, October 31> Squash & Stretch, Follow Through and Overlapping Action
Goals: Apply principles to create more life-like movement.
Topics:
Squash & stretch for flexibility and exaggeration
Follow through and overlapping action to create more natural flow
Exercises:
Animate a tail or cape following the character’s motion
Refine bouncing ball with squash & stretch and follow through
*Week 6: Tuesday, November 5, Thursday, November 7> Arcs and Secondary Action
Goals: Introduce natural movement and complexity.
Topics:
Understanding arcs in animation for smoother, natural motions
Adding secondary action to complement the primary action
Exercises:
Animate a character’s head turn using arcs
Add a secondary action like a hand gesture or hair movement
*Week 7: Tuesday, November 12, Thursday, November 14> Exaggeration and Appeal
Goals: Enhance animations with personality and aesthetic appeal.
Topics:
Exaggeration in character movements
Appeal in character design and movement
Exercises:
Create an exaggerated walk cycle for a character
Refine character designs for appeal
*Week 8: Tuesday, November 19, Thursday, November 21> Walk Cycle Animation
Goals: Master walk cycle animation with proper weight and balance.
Topics:
Understanding the mechanics of a walk cycle
Animating key poses: contact, passing, up, and down
Refining timing for character weight and personality
Exercises:
Create a basic walk cycle for a character
Adjust walk cycles for different moods (happy, sad, confident)
*Week 9: Tuesday, November 26, Thursday, November 28> Run Cycle and Advanced Motion
Goals: Animate faster-paced movements with complexity.
Topics:
Understanding the difference between walk and run cycles
Adding more complexity (speed, foot placement, body movement)
Exercises:
Animate a run cycle
Experiment with quick movements, like a character dodging or jumping
*Week 10: Tuesday, December 3, Thursday, December 5> Lip Syncing and Dialogue Animation
Goals: Introduce lip syncing and animating dialogue.
Topics:
Phonemes and mouth shapes for lip syncing
Timing the dialogue with character expressions
Working with an audio file for synchronization
Exercises:
Animate a character speaking a simple phrase
Focus on syncing mouth movements to match the audio
*Week 11: Tuesday, December 10, Thursday, December 12> Acting for Animation
Goals: Bring emotion and acting into character animation.
Topics:
Adding emotion and expressions to characters
Acting in animation: reading a character's personality, intention, and mood
Body language in animation
Exercises:
Animate a short scene where a character expresses two different emotions
Animate a reaction shot (e.g., surprise or anger)
*Week 12-15: Final Project – Short Animation
Goals: Consolidate all learning into a final animated short.
Topics:
*Week 12: Tuesday, December 17, Thursday, December 19
Week 13: Tuesday, January 7, Thursday, January 9> Planning and storyboarding a short animation
*Week 14: Tuesday, January 14, Thursday, January 16
Week 15: Tuesday, January 21, Thursday, January 23> Animate Timing and pacing of the scene
Refining all key animations and in-betweens (walk, lip sync, secondary actions)
Exercises:
Create a 10-15 second animated short involving a character interacting with an object or another character
Focus on implementing all the principles learned throughout the course


The class is structured with a mix of lectures, hands-on workshops, and collaborative projects. Each week will focus on a specific topic, with time for practice and feedback.


I will employ a variety of teaching methods, including demonstrations, guided exercises, and critiques. Students will have opportunities to work on individual projects while receiving personalized feedback.


My teaching style is interactive and supportive, encouraging experimentation and creativity. I strive to create a collaborative environment where students feel comfortable sharing ideas and learning from each other.