technique

I slunk off and did a few sketches on this paper and photographed them – I did a whole minute of the start of the film to see if I could do it.

Another time saver was our method of providing the shooting information. We had no time really for sitting down and writing a shooting script or list.

Bill’s brother Jim did all the filming and he always maintained he was the only fellow around with deeply sun¬burnt hands!

These drawings show the five main emotions reduced to a simple form. One of the best ways of learning to draw expressions is to look at your own face in a mirror. Try acting out the various emotions for yourself.

Planning your Film

Ian Whitworth, winner of our animation drawing competition, begins a series on animation.

There are two ways of making a cartoon film. One is to say I am an amateur making an amateur film, so don’t expect too much. The other way is to say I may be an amateur but I will give it every thing I have.

The planning of a film goes through various stages to lets take them one at a time.

The first thing you need is a story, you can write your own, or adapt an existing one. Animation tends to be a solitary thing, don’t lock yourself away and keep everything a secret. Show your story around, discuss it, listen to other peoples ideas, you may be able to use them, or reshape them.

Timing is something which tends to frighten people a bit. There are books you can buy which will explain it in much more detail, but a simple method is to act out the action four or five times, timing each one. Every time will be different, so take the average timing. If a movement takes two and a half seconds, it will require forty five drawings, but if you shoot on two’s, that is two exposures for each drawing, then you can do the same action in twenty three drawings. Not all action can be shot on two’s, some will have to be ones, an example is fast actions, or slow or complex ones. If you are using a sound track, time your music or whatever sound you use and fit your action to the timing. There are two ways to do it. Fit your action to the sound track, or f it a sound track to your action. With experience, your sense of timing will come naturally.

Drawing Cartoons
By David Jefferson

Figures can be based on a series of ovals. Draw the ovals lightly in pencil. When the pose looks right you can go over it and add the details. Rub out the unwanted lines as you go.

Cartoon figures usually differ from real life proportions.

1. Almost human proportions.
2. Body shrinks.
3. Head grows.
4. Head same size as body.
5. Head almost becomes body.