12 Stages of Animation
1. SQUASH AND STRETCH
This action gives the illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves.
It can also be useful in animating dialogue and doing facial expressions. This
is one of the most important principles and is used often.
2. ANTICIPATION
This movement prepares the audience for a major action a character or effect is
about to perform, such as the start of a run or the pause before an explosion.
Almost all real actions display a major or minor form of this principle.
3. STAGING
This directs the audience's attention to the story or idea being told. The
background design shouldn't obscure the animation or compete with it
due to excess detail behind the animation. They should work together
in unison.
4. STRAIGHT AHEAD AND POSE TO POSE ANIMATION
Straight ahead animation starts at the first drawing and works drawing to
drawing to the end of the scene. This can produce spontaneity and freshness.
Pose to pose is more planned out and charted with key drawings done at
intervals throughout the scene. There is more control in the scene this way.
5. FOLLOW THROUGH AND OVERLAPPING ACTION
When the main body of a character stops, all other parts continue to catch
up to the main mass of the character. Nothing stops all at once. When the
character changes directions, things such as clothing or hair will continue
to move in the old direction and then catch up a few frames later..
6. SLOW-OUT AND SLOW-IN
This principle softens the action, making it more life-like. As the
action starts, we have more drawings near the starting pose, one or
two in the middle, and then more drawings near the next pose.
Fewer drawings make the action faster, while more drawings make
the action slower.
7. ARCS
All actions follow this type of path. It gives the animation a more
natural action and better flow. Many character movements and
special effects elements are subjected to this type of path.
8. SECONDARY ACTION
This action adds to and enriches the main action. It adds more dimension to the character animation. It supplements and/or re-enforces the main action. These actions should work together in support of one another.
9. TIMING
More drawings between poses slow and smooth the action.
Fewer drawings make the action faster and crisper.
Adding a variety of slow and fast actions within a scene
adds texture and interest to the movement
10. EXAGGERATION
This can consist of extreme distortion of a drawing through facial
features, expressions, poses, attitudes, and actions. It can add a more
dynamic feel to a walk, an eye movement, or even a head turn.
11. SOLID DRAWING
The basic principles of drawing (form, weight, volume solidity,
and the illusion of three dimensions) apply to animation as they
do to academic drawing. You draw cartoons in the classical sense,
using pencils sketches and drawings that reproduce life.
12. APPEAL
This principle includes an easy-to-read design, clear drawing, and personality development that will capture and involve the audience's interest. It gives the story continuity, allows for character development, and results in a higher quality of artwork throughout the production.