Animation Run Cycle

Walk/Run Cycle

Catwalk & animation

Camera moves

There are several fundamental camera moves that were developed right after the invention of motion picture cameras and are still used today. Using a virtual camera you can make almost any move, however, it is still a good idea to use these real world moves. These moves include the following:




Panning and Tilting



For both of these shots the camera is stationary and rotates in a horizontal (panning) or vertical (tilting) plane.



Panning is used to follow a moving object or character, or to show more than can fit into a single frame, such as panning across a landscape. It is also used as a transition between one camera position and another.



Inexperienced operators may pan too fast and caused an effect known as strobing. This is also a problem in CG and is called tearing. This can cause motion sickness or cause the illusion of motion to be broken. For example, for an animation at 30 fps, the number of frames needed for a 45 degree pan would be about 22 frames for a quick turn or 66 frames for a casual turn.



One way to avoid strobing is to use scene motion blur when rendering. This blur is done by sharing information between frames. Note that this is a scene motion blur where a scene shares information from the prior and next scenes. This is not the same as object motion blur.



The same motion considerations about panning are valid for tilting.



Dolly and Tracking shots



A dolly is a small wheeled vehicle, piloted by a dolly grip, that is used to move a camera around in a scene. A dolly shot is a move in and out of a scene, i.e., the movement is parallel to the camera lens axis. A tracking shot is a movement perpendicular to the camera lens axis. The key to these shots is to have realistic motion. The motion can be judged by looking at how fast humans move and then how many frames it would take to realize this motion. Examples of motion at different speeds are given in the table below.

	Miles per hour	Feet per second	Number of Frames to move 10 feet at 30 fps
Casual stroll	2	2.9	102
Average walk	3	4.4	68
Brisk walk	4	5.9	51
Average jog	6	8.8	34
Average run	8	11.7	26
All out sprint	12	17.6	17
Car	30	44	7

It is also important to have realistically smooth starts and stops in your shots.



Crane or Boom shot



This is when the camera moves up or down, as if it were on a physical crane. The same considerations for panning and tilting apply for crane shots.

Source:http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/cameras/traditional_film_camera_techniqu.htm

How to make an outline with shadows

In this tutorial, I will show you how to make an outline using a subtle shadow effect. You are not limited to the standard black outline while creating cartoon characters!
You can also sketch a character with an outline that is colorful and visually attractive! Adding a shadow effect can also be a good idea, but only if this good idea is well-executed!

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First, let me introduce you with our new character friend from the cartoon snail tutorial. I've deliberately created an outline that is thick and easy to visualize. In this picture, the outline is plain and drawn without any special effect.

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This first attempt to create an outline with a shadow isn't really appropriated. The light area of the outline is almost white and the drawing is more distracting than convincing!
There are several colors involved and therefore, too much information is displayed on this image. The idea of adding a shadow to an outline is good, but probably not when the outline is black and grey.

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In order to create a nice outline with a shadow effect that works, I need to change the color of the outline. For the eyes, I can leave it black. I don't need to apply the shadow effect on all parts!
For the head, the neck and the tail, I've chosen a color that is darker than the one used for the body. As for the shell, I decided to apply a color that is lighter than the one on the shell itself. Let's see the result!

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This drawing is more convincing than the second one! The outline effect is working pretty well on the shell. However, be careful if you wish to apply shadows on the plain areas of your character.
In this drawing, the shadows (the ones inside the character, not the ones on the outline) are created with a plain shape using a color that is slightly darker than the one used for filling.
Adding real shadows on both the outline and the plain areas can be a little tricky. The drawing can be hard to read! So be careful if you wish to follow this technique!
So that's it for this simple tutorial! Now you know how to make an outline with a simple shadow on it! I hope you had fun and don't forget to practice!


Source: http://www.how-to-draw-funny-cartoons.com/how-to-make-an-outline.html

How to create an outline using various colors

In this tutorial, you will learn How to create an outline using various colors to give life to your characters!
A good outline doesn't necessarily need to be black. It can be any color you wish! Let's see how this cartoon turkey could look with various and colorful outlines!

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The first drawing represent a simple black and white cartoon character drawn with a black outline. There is nothing extraordinary with this image, but it's still a very effective method to create cartoon characters with a software or a pencil.

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The second image is very common too. This drawing is still drawn with a black outline. But the character is now filled with colors. Now it's time to be a little more creative! Let's move on to the next step!

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This character was created with a white outline. The result is unusual and quite interesting, but it's not as convincing as the first two drawings. The left eye is missing and both feet are hard to read.

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We are now able to read accurately all parts of the character by adding a color (other than white) to the background. In this example, the white outline is working pretty well and the effect is interesting.
However, a drawing like this one can be fine for a print or for a single comic strip panel, but could be annoying if all characters of a 64 pages comic book were drawn like this.

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Another exercise you could try would be to color the outline with a different tone than black or white. In this example since most parts of the turkey are brown (or close to brown), I decided to create an outline with a light brown color. It can be interesting, but once again, might not be appropriate if used in a long comic strip series.

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Finally, this one is probably the best example of an outline with a relevant variation! The outline of each part of the character is colored with a tone matching the one used for filling the shape.
The result is a drawing that is pleasant to look at! It might involve a little bit more work, but I really think that the result is worth the effort!
Like you can see, it doesn't take much to create an interesting cartoon character! Just use different colors for the outline and don't be afraid to experiment!
You might find new ideas that will bring your work to a new level, to something you never thought possible! Now you know how to create an outline using various colors! Enjoy!


Source: http://www.how-to-draw-funny-cartoons.com/how-to-create-an-outline.html

Writing an outline with irregular lines

Writing an outline with irregular lines can really add charm to a drawing! Your image will look less polished and more hand-drawn. This easy tip can take away the cold and perfect look of a drawing created with a vector software!
Let's see some examples of a running cartoon character drawn using various and original outlines!

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This first example shows our character created with a standard and normal outline. Like I said in the introduction of this tutorial, the drawing looks clean, perfect and a little cold.

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In this particular drawing, the entire outline of the character was moved a couple of pixels on the right. The result is an image that looks more amateur, but also more alive. Almost like the drawing of a child (keeping all the qualities while avoiding the little imperfections).
This technique is easy to use and can produce nice effects. Just make sure that no part of the drawing is hard to read because the outline was misplaced.

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Another good example of an outline that doesn't match with the borders of the shape. It can also look like the artwork of a child. Don't use this technique inappropriately. It can be quite annoying if the lines are hard to read or too far from their original position.

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This drawing doesn't work very well. It's not bad, but it's a little annoying. You should not use a technique that is as distracting as this one! Otherwise, people will only focus on your drawing technique (and not on your story or your content).

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I really enjoy this simple technique. Writing an outline using multiples lines (light ones) will give a sense of motion to the character. It might look like a sketching more than a finished drawing, but the result is not too distracting! Very easy to use and very effective!

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The last one can only be applied to a moving object/character. Notice that the character himself doesn't have an outline (perhaps he is running too fast!). It's probably the easiest technique you can use to simulate speed and motion.
I hope you enjoy this tutorial and have some new ideas to create an outline with irregular lines. It can be easy to add some personality to your work! And creating an outline that is dynamic and alive is one of them! Have fun!


Source: http://www.how-to-draw-funny-cartoons.com/writing-an-outline.html

using some various outline examples

In this tutorial, and by using some various outline examples, I will show you how you can create a cartoon character that is different and fun to look at!
All you need to do is create an outline that is original and relevant! Here are some examples to help you get started (on the right of each picture, you will find isolated parts of the character to give you a better idea of the effect involved)!

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The first image displayed above is one of a normal character. All lines used to create the outline are similar in sizes. The result is a character that looks plain, solid and sharp. It's your best choice if you want to create a funny-looking character for children.

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This second example is similar to the previous one only the line is a little thinner. The character is more refined and elegant. You can also use this example to create a character for children. But the drawing can also be appropriate for older kids who prefer cartoon characters with more attitude.

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This third example is a little more complex to create. Adding variations to the line's width will make the drawing more refine and fragile.
However, it can be tricky to create a character like this one. You cannot just add thick lines anywhere. For example, you can create the thinner section of the line on top of each part of the character. If you don't draw the outline using a logical pattern, the drawing won't be as effective and visually attractive.

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This example is similar to the one shown previously. But the line is thinner and very subtle. Just don't make the line too thin or you will lose your character in the background (but it doesn't really matter for this example since the background is white!

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This fifth example is also interesting. The previous example showed a line with one thick part only. This example is different. The line looks like a big wave. But as you can see, this effect doesn't work well on all parts of the drawing.
The body, for example, works pretty well. But the ears are a little distracting to look at. The problem could be resolved by creating an ear using only a couple of waves (instead of 10, like it's the case right now).

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Out of the many outline examples available in this tutorial, this one is probably the most interesting one. Drawing an outline that is light, irregular and slightly blurred will give an illusion of fur to the dog. This cartoon dog looks a little more realistic! But it does involve more work if you are drawing your characters with a normal pencil.

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This example is similar to the one shown previously. But notice that the line is darker and thicker. It's still effective, but it would probably become annoying if the line was even more thicker and darker! Finding the right balance is the key!

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Finally, you have an example of things you should not do. The outline is created with a mixed of straight lines and dots. It's visually ugly and distracting. Try to stick with something more subtle! Your goal is not to show the outline of your character, but to make this one attractive and pleasant to look at!
I hope the various outline examples available on this page are enough to stimulate your imagination. And don't hesitate to try new things! I've only played with a couple of options here. I'm sure you can come up with new ideas too!
And don't hesitate to trust your judgment. If you feel the outline you have created doesn't work, even if you can't tell the reason (why) it's not working, just go with your feelings.
Another simple tip would be to show your work to others. Accept all the critics with pleasure and just go from there to create new characters with killer outlines! So start generating new ideas using these outline examples and good luck!


Source : http://www.how-to-draw-funny-cartoons.com/how-to-write-an-outline.html