Product Description

Exploring Drawing for Animation is an innovative introduction to 2D animation and inspirational skill-sharpener for working professionals. The authors creatively link drawing techniques and life drawing – human and animal anatomy, architecture, and scenery – to 2D animation production and outcomes. The instructional format builds animation skills from the ground up, using a technical foundation in drawing as a basis for exploring animation. Overviews span the topics of sequence drawing, character development, motion, proportional techniques, and animation clean-up. Together, these essential skills combine to help readers develop the drawing skills necessary to be a successful animator.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #514944 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 260 pages

Review
Designed to show how drawing, and particularly life drawing, provides the foundation for understanding and creating animation...Highly recommended. -- Library Journal, March 15, 2004

From the Publisher
Explore the art and techniques of drawing for 2D animation with this unique book! The popular Design Exploration Series format, along with creative content and amazing illustrations by two talented authors, make this book certain to help develop any artist's animation skills.

About the Author
Kevin Hedgpeth is an Assistant Academic Director/instructor, at The Art Institute of Phoenix, an Animation Consultant for The Puppeteers of America, Inc., and is a ASIFA Central member. Hedgpeth designed the official logo for National Day of Puppetry 2001. Animator; concept artist/designer, including individual and studio projects for: VAS Communications/NBA, Arizona Heart Institute, Prehistoric Productions, Mesa Southwest Museum, The Puppeteers of America, Inc., U-Haul and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Customer Reviews

It's a nice overview for beginners, but not for pros
I admit I bought this book sight unseen (something I do a lot, kind of a crap shoot, I know), and while the cover and the few images I had seen were well done, overall the authors of the book, while probably excellent educators, wouldn't be qualified to give advice to industry professionals on every section of production that is addressed within. I myself have taught animation and advanced drawing at the college level, as well as worked on TV/Film animation for many years (as key animator and storyboard artist). While I don't want to trash the book, as it is a nice over view, I do regret purchasing it. THe character designs are barely above what I would expect from my students, and while the life drawings too are nice, I would expect an industry pro to be capable of much better, should they choose to write a book dealing with the subject. Again, a nice overview book, and many students or people simply interested in animation will find it helpful, but if you have a solid background in drawing, animation, design, or are already employed within the field (and obviously possess a degree of skill), spend your money on books that focus more acutely on a smaller aspect of film making (whether animation timing/staging, drawing, or even layout/design).

Excellent, fun treatise on animation drawing
I have worked as an animator, teacher and fine artist for over 30 years and this is the first art text I have ever seen that discusses how solid drawing skill relates to creating drawings for character designs and 2D animation. Most animation `how-to' books include some drawing instruction but do not address the important bridge between drawing and animation.

The authors present an entertainingly written book in an easy-to-read conversational tone along with illustrations that show the well-honed professional drawing and painting skills of this book's creators. It is obvious to the reader that the authors are seasoned artists and educators.

While this book is predominantly for learners of beginning to intermediate levels, anyone with an interest in the interdisciplinary issues within animation and drawing would benefit from picking up this gem of a text. Unfortunately, the title of the book suggests that it covers the technique of 2D animation in-depth, but this is a misnomer. Fortunately, 2D animation is commented on in a more important context: the development of effective observational drawing skills that will produce better animation drawings.

Lackluster
This book has very little to do directly with animation.

Plenty of the drawing principles explained are quite valuable to an animator. Rules of proportion, anatomy, perspective, etc... that are the foundation of most any form of drawing, This book is a decent primer in these principles, although there are plenty of other books that cover them better.

But if you thought you were going to learn the about drawing in the manner & style of 2D animation, think again. Clean-up style linework is only covered briefly and most of the examples of it aren't that great. Most of the art in this book is too rough to be suitable for animation, which is fine for life drawings, but the rest can be little more than conceptual work, which can come from any style of art, really. There's not enough structure taught to create usable artwork for characters, backgrounds or even layouts for animation.

There's definitely things you can learn from this book, but you're better off finding them somewhere else.