Information on Richard Williams’ DVD series The Animator’s Survival Kit can now be found here.
My first impression was Holy Hell! - $1000 for the animation lectures - no way!. But after watching some of the clips, and especially the 10 minute promo piece, I’m thinking it might be worth it. Might.
Richard Williams is insane.
In an effort to scale up the hype for what I believe is the forthcoming release of his masterclass series on DVD, he went and animated the cover for his invaluable tome.
On ones.
I’m guessing he did it all by himself. And by the looks of it he had the most fun animating the sexy girl character. My favorite is the bouncy fox character that appears right before the CG blob.
Regardless, it’s heartwarming to see the familiar backlit glow of an old timey 2D pencil test.
The second day of three found James diving into the techniques and mechanics of effective animation. He worked his way through a variety of topics pointing out key concepts and approaches that he has discovered throughout his animation career.
For those who are unaware, James Baxter is returning to Dreamworks Animation in the Summer of 2008. Having completed two successful hand-drawn projects at his own studio (Enchanted and the opening credits of Kung Fu Panda), James finds himself wanting to concentrate solely on the art of animation. To commemorate his return and in an effort to improve the quality of animation at the studio, Dreamworks sponsored a three-day seminar for their animators.
The first day concentrated on Acting in Animation.
Never make a small change. When they [the directors] ask for a change, they're thinking of a big one...something that will really make a difference; otherwise they wouldn't mention it.
Animating four-legged animals is probably one of the greatest things you can ever do with your life. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should. Particularly wonderful is animating a gallop. There is just something about the changing shapes and the energy behind a gallop that is fun to try and capture.
I’ve been reading “The Artist’s Mentor” by Ian Jackman lately and came across a famous passage where the innovative twentieth-century painter Jackson Pollock describes his work method:
My painting does not come from the easel. I hardly ever stretch my canvas before painting. I prefer to tack the unstretched canvas to the hard wall or the floor. I need the resistance of a hard surface. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. This is akin to the method of the Indian Sand painters of the West.
There’s something thats been coming up a lot in dailies lately - something that I never really thought about before - and that’s making sure that every single movement your character makes is there for a reason.
