WIP - Terry Wu's Animation exercises UPDATED 26 Mar 2009

[TerryWu]

Please look at the latest post.

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Hi TVP users,

This is my first post. I'm quite new to TV Paint and animating but I'm really enjoying it. Here is a short project 'mood walk' and quadruped exercise. Its all quite rough and the mood walk is not totally complete. Any c&c are welcome.

http://vimeo.com/2514895
http://vimeo.com/2523977

Thanks for looking.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Hmmm... the links don't work here..

[TerryWu]

Sorry Paul I thought I was embedding the video. The links should work now.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I think you have a knack for acting and I wish you weren't instructed so much into the use of old cliches (creeping along to the garbage can). I like the way the kid comes off the fence, for instance -- it's done probably just the way you feel it within your own bones; that's the direction I'd recommend you stick to. Act from experience, not based on tired old formulas. Thumbs up for you; a raspberry for your teacher.

The walking animal (leopard? cougar? jaguar? puma?) is well done, but again, only if you want to follow formulas. It's so mechanical -- truly like a machine. I'm curious; how much do you feel you have learned from this exercise? How often do you think you will use the results of this lesson in the future? If I were your instructor, I'd ask which animal are you the most familiar with and proceed from there. I'd tell you to draw and walk your animal the way you have it embedded in your mind. What I see here is the Richard Williams University of universal walk cycles.

BTW, I tried following his points myself when I was drawing a dog walking in my last film -- just to see if I could learn anything new from the exercise, so guess what happened... it came out looking just like yours. All individuality disappeared from my animation. These books are a sure way to kill imagination. And individual acting and thinking and interpretation of the world --

[TerryWu]

Hi Paul thank you for your feedback I really appreciate it. The creeping along to the garbage can is actually my idea but I didn't know it was such a cliche . I'll taking it into account next time to not do cliches and and try to make my own ideas a bit more original. The teacher only gave us a brief to do one type of walk, any walk, and have the character change into another. What and how you do it is up to you. All the acting, setting up and the second character was my idea, but those aren't really marked just the the walks and the change. However, I felt it was good practice.

The walking animal is based on a cheetah and yes I agree it is quite mechanical, but I didn't really follow any formulas as I felt that I wouldn't learn so instead I looked through some videos of cheetahs and base my walk cycle on them. That is also probably why it looks so mechanical.

I 've also done some other exercises like a fish and a snake but those were done in Flash. I prefer TVP natural drawing features better.

I'll be doing some more animation and storyboard exercises over xmas and will post here to get feedback . I hope you'll be around for that.

Thanks agian Paul

[Paul Fierlinger]

Ooops! So much for my presumptuousness... you're on your way then and you'll make it. I like your gentleness and that you understand human body language. I would have done the careful walk differently though, using small, hesitant steps and a couple of steps with the kid looking around during the pauses. In my work I prefer to avoid cycles. Often it turns out to be less work anyway (cycles are hard) and it is always much more interesting to both animate and watch.

Keep posting. I'll be around for awhile (I'm not that old) and I'll watch out for my uncalled for presumptions....

[User 767]

If you're new to animation, I think you're doing well. Most formal education is based on formula. It's hard to get past. It's a system, after all. I'm curious to hear what the teacher has to say about your work.

About the cheetah: There isn't enough body movement. Cheetahs are inbred, and they have a unique (to cats) walk. Accentuating the unique qualities is what makes it read as a cheetah. Head motion, shoulders bigger, that poof at the end of their tail. I know, it's a walk exercise, doesn't have to be a cheetah. It's not that important. But, everything adds up. Don't draw accurate, draw more.

With all that, you are doing fine...

Oh yeah, walk cycles. I don't know why cycles are so important (other than for saving work). I rarely cycle anything, and if so, two or three cycles is enough. Cycles seem to be a huge part of learning animation. You can promptly ignore this comment. I know it's blasphemy.

[User 767]

Cycles. Paul hit the Submit button first. There you go. Maybe not so blasphemous after all..

[TerryWu]

Ooops! So much for my presumptuousness... you're on your way then and you'll make it. I like your gentleness and that you understand human body language. I would have done the careful walk differently though, using small, hesitant steps and a couple of steps with the kid looking around during the pauses. In my work I prefer to avoid cycles. Often it turns out to be less work anyway (cycles are hard) and it is always much more interesting to both animate and watch.

Keep posting. I'll be around for awhile (I'm not that old) and I'll watch out for my uncalled for presumptions....

Hi Paul, don't worry about your presumptuousness and I prefer honest staright crits anyway . Thanks for the ideas for the careful walk now that I think about it that would of added alot more interest and life to it. I'll remeber this for next time.

If you're new to animation, I think you're doing well. Most formal education is based on formula. It's hard to get past. It's a system, after all. I'm curious to hear what the teacher has to say about your work.

About the cheetah: There isn't enough body movement. Cheetahs are inbred, and they have a unique (to cats) walk. Accentuating the unique qualities is what makes it read as a cheetah. Head motion, shoulders bigger, that poof at the end of their tail. I know, it's a walk exercise, doesn't have to be a cheetah. It's not that important. But, everything adds up. Don't draw accurate, draw more.

With all that, you are doing fine...

Oh yeah, walk cycles. I don't know why cycles are so important (other than for saving work). I rarely cycle anything, and if so, two or three cycles is enough. Cycles seem to be a huge part of learning animation. You can promptly ignore this comment. I know it's blasphemy.

Hi User767, Thanks for your comments. I think your right accentuating the moving characteristics would have given it a bit more life and less mechanical feel. I keep that in mind.

I'll post up more soon. Thanks agian.
Terry

[Mark Borok]

I was interested in seeing what the character would do next, which is probably the most important thing (I'm talking about the first exercise).

There are parts, like the one where he reaches into the paper bag, where the body is perfectly still. Generally, you want to put the whole body into every motion, at least a little bit (unless you're doing the kind of animation where the stillness of one part of your character while the rest moves is the point of the scene, or the gag.

[TerryWu]

I was interested in seeing what the character would do next, which is probably the most important thing (I'm talking about the first exercise).

There are parts, like the one where he reaches into the paper bag, where the body is perfectly still. Generally, you want to put the whole body into every motion, at least a little bit (unless you're doing the kind of animation where the stillness of one part of your character while the rest moves is the point of the scene, or the gag.

Hi Mark, thanks for looking and posting a crit. I actually didn't have anything intended for the character to do anything after. Does it feel like it stops abruptly? It was more of an exercise for the teacher to see where we are after 10 weeks on the course. The point about the whole body moving slightly whilst reaching into the bag is a good one. I'll make sure I'll inculde that point in my next animated piece. I will post up a storyboard to get feedback and make changes.

Thanks again

Terry

[TerryWu]

Hi guys I have just finished some more animation exercises. They are not the best and I shalln't be going back to tweak them because I am now working on my major project. However, it would be great to get some feedback so I could carry these suggestions forward. Does anyone have any technique or suggestions that they can share on clean up. I fine it quite a challenge as I my lines tend to be shaky. Anyway I how you enjoy these.








Thanks for looking.

[Elodie]

Very nice work =D

I really like the one with the little grandma