Marco Farace

The basics of animation:

the 12 principles and other key concepts to start
animating from scratch
INTRODUCTION

Hello and welcome everyone! This ebook is an introduction to

the basic concepts of animation addressed to students who
aim to be part of this wonderful world or even simply curious.

In my studying and working years I have had the opportunity

to meet many incredible artists from Pixar, Disney, ILM who
taught me some animation features I would have never
understood on my own. I was able to visit the big Studios
where they work and take a look behind the scenes. Until one
day I was completely blown away: a Pixar director introduced
me to a new method of animating, the Layered Method.
Immediately I understood that it was something
revolutionary, but no online course in the world explained it. I
wanted to share to share this knowledge with other
animators and students, so I decided to create an on-demand
online course to share it to everyone. I asked some of those
great Pixar artists for help...

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Thus Animators' LAB was born and consequently this
introductory guide.
Probably you have arrived here directly from the course
website, but in any case this is the address if you want to
know details :
www.animatorslab.net

I wrote this ebook with the help and support of Federica

Stancato, animator and collaborator of Animators' LAB. We
hope it will stimulate your curiosity towards animation.

Enjoy the reading

-Marco Farace

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ANIMATION FUNDAMENTALS
v.1.4

INTRODUCTION ………………………………………… 2

THE 12 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION……………… 6

PLANNING & BLOCKING …………………………… 12

TIMING & SPACING …………………………………… 15

OVERLAPPING ACTION …………………………… 16

ANTICIPATION ………………………………………………… 17

SQUASH AND STRETCH …………………………… 17

ARCS & PATH OF ACTION …………………………… 18

POSING ……………………………………………………………… 19

FINAL NOTES ………………………………………………… 23

TESTIMONIALS ………………………………………………… 25

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The pencil iiss an extension of your arm,
which is an extension from your body
to your heart.
Glen Keane

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THE 12 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

The 12 Principles of Animation were developed by Walt Disney

Animation Studios' legendary animators Ollie Johnston and Frank
Thomas. These principles were first introduced in the book "The Illusion
of Life" which was published in 1981 and has since become a classic
text for animators and animation enthusiasts.

Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas were part of the core group of
animators who worked on many of Disney's most famous animated
films, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, and The
Jungle Book. Throughout their careers, they developed a deep
understanding of the art and craft of animation, and they wanted to
share their knowledge with others.
The 12 Principles of Animation were the result of years of experience
and experimentation. They are:

 Squash and Stretch

 Anticipation
 Staging
 Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
 Follow Through and Overlapping Action
 Slow In and Slow Out
 Arcs
 Secondary Action
 Timing
 Exaggeration
 Solid Drawing
 Appeal

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Each of these principles is designed to help animators create believable
and engaging characters and motion. For example, Squash and Stretch
is used to give a sense of weight and momentum to characters, while
Anticipation is used to prepare the audience for a character's actions.

The 12 Principles of Animation have become a cornerstone of modern

animation, and they are still taught in animation schools and studios
around the world. They have been used to create some of the most
iconic characters in animation history, from Mickey Mouse to Buzz
Lightyear.

These principles have had a profound impact on the art and craft of
animation, and they continue to inspire and inform animators today.

Let's look at them in more detail:

1) SQUASH AND STRETCH

It’s the change of shape of a moving object which gives it flexibility

and life. Squash & Stretch gives meaning to the mass/weight of a

body.

2) ANTICIPATION

It prepares the audience for an action that's about to happen. It

can be created with a movement of the body that precedes the

action or, for less physical actions, with a change of expression or

a movement of the eyes.

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3) STAGING

It’s about how we stage objects and actors. We can direct the

audience's attention to show what is important in a scene. A good

staging makes any idea or action to be shown unequivocally clear.

4) STRAIGHT AHEAD & POSE TO POSE

We could divide the Principles of Animation into Artistic and

Aesthetic. The artistic ones give us information on how we can

move the characters or parts of them. For example: sq&st,

anticipation, timing, arcs. Instead, the Aesthetic ones suggest how

to make a shot more beautiful and clear to see. For example:

staging, appeal, solid posing.

Then there is this principle that tells us how to technically create

animations. Today, however, technology has gone a long way, we

use computers instead of drawing paper and in addition to

Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose we also have the newest Layer

Method that is becoming more and more popular in the big

animation studios. This is the innovative method we teach in our

courses.

So let's have a look on the differences between the 3 approaches:

Pose to pose = it means starting to create only a few key poses of

the story we want to tell. When the key poses are 100% ready,

we can work on the fill frames (breakdown and later inbetween)

until we get a fluid movement.

Straight Ahead = scenes are animated frame by frame from

beginning to end.

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 Layered Method = with the new Layered approach you initially

work less on the poses and more on the timing of the entire

animation. The character to animate, which can also be very

complex, is broken down into small sections that are easier to

manage. We begin to animate these small sections in the simplest

way possible and then we gradually add new layers of complexity

until we quickly arrive at the final animation.

5) FOLLOW THROUGH & OVERLAPPING ACTION

It means breaking down the movement of a body into several

parts that move organically together.

Follow Through = secondary body parts follow the movement of

the main body. They keep moving even after the character stops,

until all their internal energy is exhausted.

Overlapping Action = movements that overlap the main. The

different parts that make up a body do not begin to move or stop

all together at the same time, there is always a part that moves

first and then another.

6) SLOW IN – SLOW OUT

Acceleration or deceleration that an object undergoes when a

movement begins or ends.

Slow in/Ease in = deceleration

Slow out/Ease out = acceleration

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7) ARCS

Everything that moves in nature follows a smooth arched

trajectory. An object, that is not a robot or a mechanical part of

an object, in most cases doesn’t move in straight lines and doesn't

moves out of its arched path for no apparent reason.

8) SECONDARY ACTION

Secondary movements added to a character with the sole purpose

of bringing him more life. They must strengthen the main action

and the idea to sell and never go against them.

9) TIMING

It is the speed of a moving object over time. It depends on the

physicality of the object to be moved. With timing we also give

emotional meaning to a character. Eg. Happy = faster; sad =

slower.

10) EXAGGERATION

Exaggeration emphasizes a situation, a pose and make animations

more readable, beautiful and fun. More or less exaggeration

depends on the style of animation we want to achieve.

11) SOLID DRAWING / SOLID POSING

The pose of a character, in reference to the camera that frames

him, affects the way an observer interprets the character's

intentions and therefore on the way of perceiving the idea we

want to transfer.

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12) APPEAL

It is about creating characters that are attractive, interesting and

with charisma.

The principles of animation

were written by
Frank Thomas
and Ollie Johnston,
Johns
in the book:
book

THE ILLUSION OF LIFE

Disney Animation

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PLANNING & BLOCKING

Use half of your time

planning the scene and the other
half animating it
Frank Thomas &
Ollie Johnston
Johns

The planning phase is a crucial part of the animation process. It

involves creating a clear and detailed plan for the whole animation
before any actual production work begins. This phase is essential for
ensuring that the animation is successful and meets the intended goals
goals.
You can
an quickly get feedb
feedback on your idea from other members of the
team or outside sources in order to identify areas that may need
improvement or clarification and to ensure that the final product
prod is as
successful as possible.
Not
ot dedicating the right time to planning a scene means, in almost all
cases, not having a clear direction to follow and wasting hours and
hours of work.

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- Planning Methods:

 OBSERVATION: let’s observe the world around us with curiosity.

We have to grasp the movements, actions and reactions, emotions

and "unspoken" messages with which we communicate

continuously. We use 3 different ways to communicate with other

people: body language (which affects 55% of communication),

sound of voice (38%) and finally words (7%).

 VIDEO REFERENCE: let's study a sequence of a film, a

photograph, let's film ourselves doing the action we need. We

must not copy, but observe.

 THUMBNAILS: small drawings that are used to describe an idea

quickly.

 FEEDBACK: we show someone the idea that we want to animate

as soon as possible and we consider advice and impressions.

Remember to always follow the advice of the director or

supervisor.

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- Blocking :
It is the first phase of each animation regardless of the method you

want to use. In the first blocking phase, we create only the few key

frames necessary to communicate the idea or we use as few keys as

possible. As already mentioned, the most used methods are essentially

the Pose to Pose and the Layered Method

Useful links for planning and feedback

www.syncsketch.com
www.watchframebyframe.com

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TIMING & SPACING

Timing is what gives life to an object and meaning to movement.

Animations are measured in FPS (frames per second).

Spacing refers to the distance between frames and then to the way

an object moves in space.

- Terms :

o SLOW IN or EASE IN = deceleration to enter a key or pose

o SLOW OUT o EASE OUT = acceleration when exiting a key or

pose

o FAST IN = get to a key with a maximum speed

o FAST OUT = leaving from a key with a maximum speed

- Classic exercise : THE BOUNCING BALL

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OVERLAPPING ACTIONS .

These are actions that overlap the main action. It serves to give

softness to the movement and realism to the action. There are 4 types

of Overlap:

1) Follow Through : it is a movement that continues even after

the main action has stopped. The easiest example is found in all

the lifeless extremities of a body such as hair.

2) Successive breaking of joints : in an object consisting of

several joints, the main joint guides the movement of the

subsequent ones and so on, such as the arm with the elbow and

the wrist.

3) Drag (wave action) : the element of an object that guides the

movement "drags" with it all the other elements of which it is

composed. Often a wave-like motion follows from a Drag. The

time it takes for the terminal elements to stop depends on

their weight.

4) Lead & follow : It essentially indicates who drives and who

undergoes the action. In a walk cycle, the pelvis leads the action

and the legs follow.

- Classic exercise: PENDULUM

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ANTICIPATION & SQUASH AND STRETCH

Anticipation prepares the audience for an action. It is important to

keep their attention alive and suggests the force and energy with wich

a body will move. It makes the action more realistic. It is also used to

direct the audience's attention to another object.

More Anticipation can make the animation more cartoony. No

Anticipation is almost always wrong. Sometimes, in very cartoony

animations, we can anticipate the anticipation.

Squash and Stretch makes an action credible and realistic. It is

important to keep the viewer's attention from the object we move. It

adds appeal to the movement and suggests the material a body is

made of.

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ARCS & PATH OF ACTION

An arc is the path that an object follows over time.

time Everything in

nature moves according to fluid arcs. Extremely mechanical objects are

the exception.

We can identify 4 types of path shapes:

1. STRAIGHT LINE

2. C SHAPE OR REVERSE C

3. S CURVES OR WAVE
AVE LIKE ARCS

4. FIGURE 8

We can plan the arcs starting from the planning phase and define

them with Breakdown poses

poses. With the Layered
ed Method we can

constantly trace the evolution of the arcs

arcs.

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POSING

When we draw a pose, we have to consider 4 fundamental aspects:

balancing, line of action, silhouette, contrapposto.

- Balancing:
One of the essential aspects of a pose, and therefore of the success of

the entire animation, is the balance of the body. It is the perception

that we give to the public that our character really stands on his own

legs. You need to know, for each frame, where are the forces and

weights acting on the body. It is necessary to identify the center of

gravity and the support base of the object.

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- Line of action:
The line of action is an imaginary line that we can identify within a
body that suggests the direction of the forces acting inside and outside
it.

A good line of action has a simple form and an unambiguous direction.

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We can identify these forms
forms:

C shape, reverse C, S curves

curves.

- Silhouette:

Silhouette is a black and white representation of our pose. If it is clear

and legible even in this condition

condition, then we have done a good job.
job

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 - Contrapposto

A good character pose is also made up of contrasts between the various

parts of the body. Contrasts are always good in animation, even when

we work on timing.

Thinking of poses, parallelisms and twinning (mirror poses) should be

avoided. Contrapposto is always much more beautiful.

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FINAL NOTES

If you have read so far, it means that you want to become a

professional animator, the most beautiful and fun job in the world
world!

Of course, the teachings of this ebook cannot be enough

enough. With the
collaboration of Pixar artists we have created Animators' LAB,
LAB an
online course that can help you realize your dream as it has already
happened for others.
I'll show you the main features of Animators’ LAB:

THE MOST EASY, IMMEDIATE AND POWERFUL

ONLINE ANIMATION COURSE, MADE WITH THE
PARTICIPATION OF PIXAR ARTISTS TO LEARN TO
ANIMATE STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
SCRATCH

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 - Features

The on-demand lectures and live meetings with Pixar artists teach you
everything about animation with practical examples, starting from the
simplest concepts up to the most complex topics. Gradually, without
wasting time and at your own pace, with the quality assured by the
instructors. You will also have animation exercises to complete, you will
have access to the private group of students to receive feedback and
addice for your wok, you will participate in the Animation Challenges
and much more.

With us you will achieve the final Certification and create a Demo Reel
to introduce yourself to animation studios around the world.

More info about the course:

ANIMATORS’ LAB HOME – www.animatorslab.net
STUDENTS GALLERY – www.animatorslab.net/Gallery

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 - Testimonials

“I joined this course last year and since then my perspective of

looking at a shot has totally changed. The layered method is great,
the mentors are from Pixar and they show their tricks directly to
you. The greatest prize is to have live sessions with them. This
course was really life changing for me. The tricks that Tim showed
us in 5 minutes, it took me almost 5 years to learn.
If you are looking to join the industry. Please have a look on this
course. And you won't regret it.” -Sayantan Mukherjee

“I purchased this course because the price was not expensive.

Really happy I did it!! Thanks to Marco Farace, Tim Crawfurd
and Animators’ LAB for their amazing work.” -Melissa Blake

“I love this course so much! After taking a break from animation,

this course was a really good boost up to and my workflow
increase drastically. It was mind blowing!! Also learning layer
animation used in the industry was a bonus!! Also love the Frame
by frame know that you get!! ♡♡♡♥♥♥” -Stephenie Mridha

“In my opinion, Animators’ LAB is one of the best animation

course in the world. When I started I had no skills in animation
and in just ONE day I learned a lot. You will learn the same
workflow that the largest animation studios use every day
including Disney and Pixar. This course is a must.
It’s outstanding: 10/10” -Angelo Logahd

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“This is by far one of the best 3d animation course out there. I
learnt more here in one day then the months on the college course
I was on. Don't hesitate to sign-up.” -Wayne Rutherford

“Choosing this course was the right option since the beginning. I
could see my animation improvements lesson by lesson! Thanks to
it I could start my carreer in the industry and I couldn't be more
satisfied!! :) ” -Anna Ventre

“I started from scratch, not knowing anything about animation

and Maya. In a few months, I started to animate and have my first
satisfactions. The course program is very effective and the mentors
are always available. I am fully satisfied!” -Maila Grimaldi

“I’m really happy to be part of this Amzing course. Thanks to

Marco Farace and Animtors’ LAB team for this great platform . The
last Live meeting with Tim Crawfurd (Pixar) was amazing like
water in desert. I’m really excited to see what will come next !”
-M Sarfaraz Hashim

“I was sceptical at first. Not just because of the name Pixar but
because this course has a surprisingly low cost. The support of an
instructor and the final certification is not something you get from
on-demand courses. Really glad I've made this decision, as a
complete beginner I've never expected to get this far so fast! The best
way to learn animation is through making animation and this
course provides a perfect environment to achieve this goal. I really
can't recommend it enough!” -Angela Ivanova

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