EXHIBITION STATEMENT

Introduction.  Cartoons have been an integral and very memorable part of most people’s childhoods. This Capstone project will focus on researching the art of traditional two-dimensional animation and learning the creative process of the making of an original animated short film. This project will involve the method of practicing various animation principles through exercises found in the workbooks that were discovered through research. Techniques that renowned animators used in their work will be emulated and applied in the original final animation. My animated film will focus on recreating the nostalgic energy that frame-by-frame animation has.

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Literature Review. Animations are created by showing many different images in succession to create the illusion of movement and has been used as a medium in many films to tell stories. Examples of famous animators include Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, John Lasseter, and Hayao Miyazaki (Sandler). Animation can be used to create works that contain visual elements that would be difficult to replicate in real life. One of Walt Disney’s first major motion pictures, “Fantasia”, contains fantastical elements that could not be replicated in a live-action film (Solomon). “The Animator’s Survival Kit” contains animation techniques along with exercises that can be used to practice these techniques which include showing weight while a character picks up an object, animating walk cycles of characters, and animating a bouncing ball. The exercises in all of the workbooks gathered through research will help the researcher develop important skills that will be used for their final project.

Methods. For the Capstone project, the researcher will be utilizing both online and physical resources to practice various traditional two-dimensional hand-drawn animation techniques. The researcher will practice these techniques using the digital animation software Adobe Animate and Astropad, a screen-mirroring software for the iPad. The researcher will use the workbooks and online resources that they have gathered through their research in the University of Maryland’s Art Library and prior experience that contain various exercises that traditional animators have used to create the illusion of motion in their cartoons. The techniques that are learned will eventually be used to create an approximately one minute long short film. To plan the short film, the researcher must first create a concept for the story, then draft character designs and a storyboard in Clip Studio Paint, a digital illustration software for the iPad. Using what they draft, the researcher will then begin the process of animating in Adobe Animate. If there is time, the researcher will add color and effects to the animation.

Audience & Impact.  The final Capstone project will appeal to animation fans of all ages. The project will remind the audience of golden age era animation from the mid-twentieth century. The final work will not contain any dialogue and instead rely on visual storytelling as opposed to a story that heavily relies on verbal cues. This way, it will be accessible to a much wider audience that does not rely on full understanding of any language.

References. 

Furniss, Maureen. The Animation Bible : A Practical Guide to the Art of Animating, from Flipbooks to Flash. Abrams, 2008.

This book contains information on important hand-drawn animation techniques. It is related to the other animation guidebooks on my list, as they all contain valuable information on animation principles. I will utilize the information in this book by using the principles it describes in my final piece.

Solomon, Charles. Enchanted Drawings : The History of Animation. 1st ed., Knopf, 1989.

This book contains information about the history of animation. This source is related to the others on my list as it gives background information about the development of animation techniques. I will use this information to help further my understanding of the artform and inspire me while I create my final project. This source has exposed me many different styles of animation that I was previously unfamiliar with, and will influence my work going forward.

Williams, Richard. The Animator's Survival Kit. Expanded ed., Faber and Faber, 2009.

This book contains hand-drawn animation exercises. Like some of the other sources in this list, it is an animation workbook. I can use the information in this book to practice my animation skills. The approach taken by the author of this book breaks complex animation techniques down to more simple concepts, making completing a finished piece seem much less daunting.

Greenberg, Raz. Hayao Miyazaki : Exploring the Early Work of Japan's Greatest Animator. Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.

This book contains historical information about Hayao Miyazaki, a highly influential Japanese animator. This source expands upon the historical information that the other sources on my list provide. I can use the information found in this book to inspire me while I create my final work. 

Mattesi, Michael D. Force : Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators. Focal Press, 2006.

This book contains resources on drawing lifelike forms. This source is a workbook, like many of the other sources on my list. I can use this information to practice my life drawing skills. This source has shown me that learning life drawing basics is very important in the making of animations.

Mattesi, Michael D. Force : Animal Drawing : Animal Locomotion and Design Concepts for Animators. Focal Press, 2011.

This book contains resources on drawing lifelike animal forms. This source is a workbook that focuses on skills necessary for making detailed animations. I can use this information to practice my animal drawing skills. This has shown me that it is very important to get the basics of drawing down before starting to create movement.

Sandler, Kevin S. Reading the Rabbit : Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation. Rutgers University Press, 1998.

This book is a historical resource containing information about the Warner Bros. animation studio. This source relates to the others in my list because it gives historical context for the animation principles that the workbooks contain. The works in this book can give me inspiration for my final project. It has also shown me how important it is to study classical, golden-age animation.

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Acknowledgements. Thank you to my Arts Scholars instructors, Heather Bremenstuhl and Harold Burgess, and my Capstone advisor, Gabi Tillenburg.