Animation & Cartooning

The History and Process

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement.

See animated example

History of AnimationThere is no single person who can be considered the

"creator" of the art of film animation, as there were several people doing several projects which could be considered various types of animation all around the same time.

Animated sequence of a race horse galloping to settle a bet and determine whether a horse’s legs were at a moment all off the ground. Photos taken by Eadweard Muybridge, first published in 1887at Philadelphia.

This was a few years before motion picture was invented.

The phenakistoscope, praxinoscope, as well as the common flip book were early popular animation devices invented during the 1800s.

phenakistoscope Kineograph

“Flip-Book”

praxinoscope

The Animation Process

StoryboardsTraditionally-animated productions, just like other forms of animation, usually begin life as a storyboard, which is a script of sorts written with images as well as words, similar to a giant comic strip. The images allow the animation team to plan the flow of the plot and the composition of the imagery.

In the traditional animation process, animators will begin by drawing sequences of animation on sheets of paper. A piece of acetate (cel) is placed over the drawing and the lines are traced in ink.

Once all of the line work is complete, the animator paints over the lines with acrylic paint on the back of the cel.

While the artist is painting in the line work, a background artist is working on the last layer. This layer is usually not transparent (see thru), unless the background needs to be layered.

Once the production of cels is complete, they will be layered underneath a camera and a single photo is taken of the composition.

Stop Motiontechnique to make a physically manipulated

object appear to move on its own.

What type of technology is used?

As long as the images are played over a certain course of time, the images will appear to move or be animated.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Macromedia Flash

Adobe Premiere

Adobe Flash screenshot

PowerPoint screenshot

Various forms of animationStop motion

Models, clay, and paper

Computer Software used:

Flash

Maya 3-D

Quark

Cel shaded

Materials include: