7 animation planning and timing tips

The following is a excerpt taken from "A System For Planning and Timing Animation." It has been around for years and you can download the full pdf document at AnimationMeat.com.


1. Make a Positive Statement

• Do not be ambiguous in your approach.
• Thumbnail until you have that clear approach and conviction.
• Be bold and decisive.

2. Animate From the Heart

• Feel your drawings.
• Let your action be an extension of how you believe the character feels.
• Put yourself in the place of the character your animating- associate.

3. Make Expressions and Attitudes Real and Living

• Focus on the eyes and eyebrows- mouth and cheeks.
• Always lead with the eyes.
• Be sure the eyes are solid and placed securely in the head.
• Study your own attitudes. Ask yourself, "Does this drawing feel the way my face feels?"

4. Draw As If You Were Sculpting

• Describe the forms in dimension.
• Understand the character design in 3D.

5. Animate the Forces

• Allow the momentum of and already animated movement to suggest the next drawing.
• Draw the leading edge of forces.

6. Visualize and Feel Dialog

• Be sure you are truly capturing the inflection, volume and tone of the dialog with proper mouth shapes.

7. Simplicity

• What is the essence of your scene, your action , your expression- what is indispensable in communicating your thought?