Exercises for Animation?

[HunterKiller_]

This might seem like a stupid question, but I'm wondering if there are specific techniques or drawing exercises that will help with 2D animation.

I practice all the drawing fundamentals, ofcourse. I do know that gestures is an important part, but I can't help but think there's something else I could be missing. You know, just incase.

Thanks.

[Rabid]

Try the bouncing ball animation....consisting of 16 frames usually. It will help your timing... 6 frames gaining speed 1 impact 1 squash, 1 stretch then 7 frames settling back to where it began....

or you can try a line bounce ball...
http://www.idleworm.com/how/anm/01b/bball.shtml

oh and you better get the animators survival kit, always helps!

[HunterKiller_]

Oh, thanks. What I actually meant was just general drawing, away from the animation desk.

I've got the Survival Kit, it's great.

[Zilant]

Really,
the best way to practice animation is to animate.
Sounds like a silly answer, but hear me out.

Animation is fundamentally Keyframes and Timing. Gesture will help you when your figuring out natural positions for Keyframing, but, there really isn't a non-animation exercise that helps with Timing. You really need a sequence of images to play with Timing, there's just no getting around it.

If your really keen on getting some Animation training away from your desk, aside from Gesture, you can people-watch. You have enough studies of Walk Cycles, Picking up Heavy Objects, and other general movement in the Animator's Survival Kit. But with people watching you can focus on the non-purposeful movements people make that can lend believability to your character.

Like, how often people *blink*, for instance. It's something our minds automatically edit out of our own experience, so the only way to get an accurate impression of how much (and when) your character should blink is to unabashedly stare at some poor unsuspecting individual one day.

[Costau D]

The drawing exercises that your looking for as an animator, is what Glen Vilppu teaches. Learn how to get rythm down, and practice timed gestures and sequences. Learn to be a draftsman. It use to be in some large studios, youd have the lead animator make the keys, inbetweener do the suicidal job of filling (shipped over seas these days for television shows for that job) and in some cases youd have the cleanup artist. These days though, it really varies depending on what you want to do, or where you work.

If I were you, learn to be really good at digital animation. Develop thos tablet skills, and become profecient in programs such as toon boom and other good paperless animation programs.

[HunterKiller_]

Zilant: Thanks. Sounds about right.

Space Chimp's: I agree that learning digital animation is so import now. Not only will it save me a lot of time if I wanted to make something, but it's also an essential skill in studios these days.
I still love using paper though... Nothing compares.