12 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

• Squash and stretch

• Anticipation

• Staging

• Straight-ahead action and pose-to-pose

• Follow-through and overlapping action

• Slow in and slow out

• Arc

• Secondary action

• Timing

• Exaggeration

• Solid drawing

• Appeal

01. Squash and stretch

It might be one of the most important principles. When applied right, it gives your animation, characters and objects the illusion of gravity, weight, mass and flexibility. Think about how a bouncing ball may react when tossed into the air: the ball stretches when it travels up and down and squishes when it hits the ground.

When using squash and stretch, it's important to keep the object's volume consistent. So when you stretch something it needs to get thinner, and when you squash something it needs to get wider. The ball's longest frame will be just before it hits the ground and wider will be just before it jumps back up.

02. Anticipation

Anticipation helps to prepare the viewer for what's about to happen. When we use anticipation, it will give a realistic effect to our animation and character.

Imagine jumping in the air without bending your knees, or perhaps throwing a ball without first pulling your arm back. It would appear very unnatural. In the same way, animating movements without a flicker of anticipation will also make your motion seem awkward, stale and lifeless. 

03. Staging

Staging in animation is like composition in artwork. What we mean by that is, that you should use motion to guide the viewer's vision and draw attention to what's important within the scene. Keep the focus on what's important within the scene, and keep the motion of everything else (less important) to a minimum. 

04. Straight-ahead action and pose to pose

There are two ways to draw animation: straight ahead and pose to pose. Each has its own unique benefits, and the two approaches can be combined. Straight-ahead action involves drawing frame-by-frame from start to finish. If you're looking for fluid, realistic movements, and straight-ahead action, it will be the best choice for you.

With the pose-to-pose technique, you draw the beginning frame, the end frame, and a few keyframes in between. Then you go back and complete the rest and fill the gaps. This technique gives you a bit more control within the scene and allows you to increase the dramatic effect of the motions.

05. Follow through and overlapping action

When objects complete their movements, different parts of the object might stop at different times. Similarly, not everything on an object will move at the same time.

If your character is running across the scene, their arms and legs may be moving at different times than their head. This is what we call "overlap". Likewise, when they stop running, their hair will continue to move for a few frames before coming to rest, this is 'follow-through". They will help with adding realism to animation.

06. Slow in and slow out

The best example to slow in and out will be how a car starts up and stops. It will start moving slowly, before gaining momentum and speeding up. The reverse will happen when the car brakes. In animation, this effect is achieved by adding more frames at the beginning and end of an action sequence. Apply this principle to give your objects more life.

07. Arc

When working in animation, it's best to stick with the laws of physics. Most objects follow a path (arc) when they're moving, and your animations should reflect that arc. For example, when you toss a ball into the air, it follows a natural arc as the effects of the Earth's gravity.

08. Secondary action

Secondary actions are used to support the main action going on in a scene. Adding secondary actions helps add more dimension to your characters and objects.

As an example, the secondary movement of your character’s hair as they walk, or perhaps a facial expression or a secondary object reacting to the first. Whatever the action is, this secondary action should not distract from the primary one.

09. Timing

For this principle of animation, we need to look to the laws of physics and apply what we see to our animations.

If you move an object more quickly or slowly than it would naturally move in the real world, the effect won't be believable. Using the correct timing allows you to control the mood and the reaction of your characters and objects.

10. Exaggeration

Too much realism can ruin an animation, making it appear boring. Instead, add some exaggeration to your characters and objects to make them more dynamic.

11. Solid drawing

You need to understand the basics of drawing. This includes drawing in three-dimensional space and understanding form and anatomy, weight and volume, and lights and shadows.

While you can push the limits here, too, it's important to remain consistent. If your world has crocked doors and a warped perspective, keep that perspective throughout the entire animation. Otherwise, things will fall apart.

12. Appeal

Your characters, objects, and the world in which they live need to appeal to the viewer. This includes having an easy-to-read design, a solid drawing, and a personality. There is no formula for getting this right, but it starts with strong character development and being able to tell your story through the art of animation. Trying over and over will make it even better.