The golden age of animation is famous for the creations of Walt Disney, Ollie Johnson, Abe Iwerks and Frank Thomas, who drew everything by hand. For many years, the technology of cartoon production did not change. First, each frame was drawn in pencil on translucent paper mounted on a light table, then transferred to celluloid film, colored and filmed on camera.
The process was well established and almost all classic works were made using this technology. Today, all of these steps can be seen in the extras on the DVDs of Disney classics. These movies are highly recommended in the collection of everyone who wants to become a good animator.
Today, the computer is used to produce both 3D and 2D animation. The rapid development of computer technology has improved the process of creating cartoons. Animators of the classical school and now draw in the old-fashioned way, on translucent sheets fixed on the light table. But the drawings are then scanned and processed on a computer. There are also digital tablets that allow you to draw directly in the computer memory. Expensive models of such devices are equipped with screens, the artist draws with a stylus directly on their surface. The most popular tablets are considered Wacom, they are supported by most graphics programs. To create 2D-animation most often use the program Toon Boom Studio. If you plan to work in the “classic” style, pay attention to it.
Types of animation
Those who want to learn animation often ask what software they will need to work. To answer this question, you need to first decide on the type of animation you want to learn how to make, and then figure out what exactly you’ll be working on. There are four basic types of animation:
- puppet animation;
- 3D computer animation;
- classic 2D animation;
- shapeshifting animation.
Puppet, or stop-motion animation, such as in “Wallace and Gromit” or “David and Goliath,” is considered the most complex and time-consuming technique. Animators mold characters out of soft materials or make them out of plastic, hand craft the entire environment, work with lighting and, of course, manually move everything that needs to move. Even with moving machinery and robotics, manual correction is necessary. Every movement is captured on camera. Can you imagine the time it takes to shoot 24 (and sometimes 30) frames per second? Those who work on puppet cartoons, literally “feel” animation with their hands.
3D computer animation, also called computer graphics, is created entirely by computer. All characters, scenes, cameras and lighting are modeled in special programs and animated in them. Then each frame is calculated by a rendering program. The resulting digital video is also edited and processed using the appropriate programs. The first full-length 3D computer animated cartoon, released on the big screen, was “Toy Story” in 1995. But there are also combined animation techniques. Cartoons such as “Treasure Planet” or “Spirit: Soul of the Prairie” are created using both 3D animation and classical drawing.
Classic 2D animation needs no commentary. We are all familiar with masterpieces like Disney’s “Snow White” or “Pinocchio”. The technique of “moving pictures” was created in the XIX century, and in the last century has reached its perfection. Previously, all cartoons were drawn and colored by hand. And, although computer technology has made a real revolution in the world of cinema, nothing can replace the classic drawn animation. Good old drawings are still used to create cartoons, commercials and even in the design of pages on the Internet. However, for web graphics most often use computer 2D-animation, created in the program Adobe Flash.
Perekladnaya animation, or animation overlay – the most simple in technical terms. The character and his surroundings are made of pieces of cardboard or heavy paper. In each frame, the animator manually shifts these pieces – so creates the illusion of movement. Although such tezniku can easily master even children, to create a beautiful cartoon, requires considerable talent.