Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling good.

I'm so pleased that you're here.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, which I'm feeling really pleased about because today we are looking at animation.

I wonder what that makes you think about and how that makes you feel when you hear that word "animation." So what your experience of animation, I wonder.

Have you had a go before? Or maybe you're a keen consumer of animation.

Our lesson is called "Introduction to Animation: Bringing Digital Art to Life." Hope that sounds interesting to you.

A lesson comes from the unit of work, foundation workshops, developing skills.

So if you are ready to develop your skills in animation and you have some energy, focus and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can create a short digital animation loop using frames, key frames, and a timeline to bring my artwork to life.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Animation, frame, keyframe and timeline.

So what do these keywords mean? Animation is the process of creating the illusion of movement by displaying a sequence of images or frames.

Frame, a single still image in an animation sequence.

Keyframe, a frame that marks a significant change in movement or design.

And timeline, a digital workspace showing the order and duration of frames.

These are our keywords, animation, frame, keyframe, and timeline.

Let's look out and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Introduction to Animation: Bringing Digital Art to Life." And it has two learning cycles, introduction to animation, and then creating and refining a short animation.

Let's begin with an introduction to animation.

So let's begin with this question.

How might an audience respond if your art could move? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Imagine if the drawings, characters, or photos you create could come alive.

Animation allows us to transform still images into moving stories.

Through photography and digital tools, art can be brought to life and turned into an animation.

Animation connects visual art with storytelling.

It's used in film, gaming, advertising, social media, as well as other spaces.

Learning how to animate gives your art new directions and possibilities to communicate your ideas.

Pause here and share with someone.

What is one of your favorite animations? Thanks for sharing.

Animation is the illusion of movement created by showing a sequence of images in order.

Each image is called a frame.

When shown quickly, our brains link the images to create smooth motion.

There are many different types of animation, including: 2D animation: hand drawn frames, 3D animation, CGI: digitally made 3D models, motion graphics: animated graphic design, rotoscoping: tracing over live action footage, timelapse: slow action photos played back quickly, stop motion: moving physical objects frame-by-frame, photo animation: manipulating a still image into a sequence.

Pause here and share with someone.

Which of these different types of animation do you enjoy the most and why? Thanks for sharing.

I love rotoscoping and stop motion, sneaking too in there.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Animation refers to.

Finish the sentence.

Is it A, drawing one picture really quickly; B, a photograph edited with filters; C, a video clip recorded on a phone; or D, a sequence of images shown in order to create movement? Pause here while you decide what animation refers to.

Well done if you selected answer D.

Indeed, animation refers to a sequence of images shown in order to create movement.

Great animation requires planning and preparation.

It can also be a time consuming process.

Creating each frame and making believable transitions between frames can require a dedicated animator or team of animators.

The next time you watch a film with animated elements or special effects in it, check the credits to notice how many animators worked on it.

It might be more than you think.

A frame is one single still image in an animation sequence.

So we can see six different frames here.

And when we run them together, we get this animation.

Think of frames like pages in a flipbook, when turned quickly, the images move and are brought to life.

Pause here and share with someone your impression of this animation sequence.

Thanks for sharing.

Often animators will use a storyboard to get a sense of the pace, flow, and direction of the animation.

A storyboard should feature the most important moments in the animation.

Even if your animation idea does not use a narrative format, such as if the animation will feature moving geometric shapes, a storyboard is still useful to create before getting immersed into the process of animating each frame.

Pause here and share with someone.

Have you used a storyboard before? Thanks for sharing your use of storyboards.

A storyboard does not need to be made up of highly detailed and beautifully rendered images.

It can be rough sketches that indicate an intention for the animated sequence, featuring descriptive annotations to explain your idea more clearly.

You can see a great example of a visual storyboard here.

There are different possibilities for animations depending on the tools and software you have available.

When starting out, it can be helpful to keep your ideas simple and use minimal technology.

For instance, stop motion animation requires only a camera, a stable surface or tripod, and a movable object.

Discuss with the partner an idea you have for a short animation.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing your idea for a short animation.

Here is Aisha.

I'd like to make a stop motion animation of a plasticine character jumping up and down in the air.

I'll use thin wire to move it slightly before taking each photo.

And Alex.

Using digital software, I'm going to create a short animation of a bouncing ball, changing its roundness as it bounces, and adding an elliptical shadow underneath to make it look more realistic.

I love these ideas.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is a frame in animation? Is it A, the border around an image; B, the tool used to crop a picture; C, a still image that is part of a sequence; or D, a folder where animations are stored? Pause here while you decide, what is the frame in animation? Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, a frame in animation is a still image that is part of a sequence.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to sketch or digitally design a short animation storyboard, which includes three to four frames with annotations.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of sketching or digitally designing a short animation storyboard, which includes three to four frames with annotations? You might have said something like this.

Here is Alex.

So in this first image, we've got, the shadow gets lighter when the ball is further from the ground.

In the next image, the ball lands on the ground and Alex has made that ball wider.

Next, the ball lengthens when bouncing back up and we can see the shadow is lightened again.

And then in the final image, the ball steadily comes to a stop on the ground.

My storyboard shows the key features and frames for an animated bouncing ball sequence.

I think this is gonna be really effective.

Great job, Alex.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle; creating and refining a short animation.

All animators, including those in games, films, and adverts, rely on the same basic principles of animation.

Even complex animation start with storyboards, simple keyframes and loops.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this storyboard that we can see on the screen.

Thanks for sharing.

A keyframe marks a change in the movement or design.

They are important because they guide the in-between frames and shape the overall flow of the animation sequence.

Your keyframes might be created by referring to a storyboard and making sure they exist in your animation timeline before creating the subtler transitional frames.

If you're making a hand drawn animation of a blinking eye, then the two keyframes would be an open eye and a closed eye.

So you've got keyframe 1, the closed eye and keyframe 2, the open eye.

And here's our animation.

With these two key frames in the timeline, you would create more frames to fill the in-between moments of the eyelid, gradually opening and closing to create a natural blink.

Loops can be used in an animation to create repetition or reverse a sequence to save time re-animating.

Social media GIFs are often loops that run endlessly without stopping.

There may be a clear beginning and end that jumps between frames or a loop can be made to end the sequence in the same way it begins for a seamless timeline transition.

Let's have a check for understanding.

A frame that marks a significant change within an animation is known as a.

A, key frame; B, sequence shifter; C, key point; or D, moment maker.

Pause here while you decide what a frame that marks a significant change within an animation is known as.

Well done if you selected answer A.

Indeed, a frame that marks a significant change within an animation is known as a key frame.

Artists approach making animations in different ways to creatively tell stories and communicate their ideas to audiences.

Hayao Miyazaki is a co-founder of Studio Ghibli, renowned for hand-drawn animation that blends fantasy with real-world themes.

His films showcase rich storytelling and imaginative character designs demonstrating how traditional 2D animation brings art to life.

Matt Partridge works with hand-drawn frames and character animation showcasing classic animation techniques.

Emily Howells is a 2D mixed-media animator and illustrator.

Her style shows expressive and achievable possibilities with animation.

Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume's work blends digital 2D animation with analog techniques, drawing inspiration from textures, traditions, and cultural memory.

Ishu Patel is known for experimental short animations using paint on glass and innovative digital techniques.

His films reveal cultural symbolism and creativity through animation.

And Sarah Ezekiel creates artwork using assistive technology, EyeGaze.

She highlights how tools and technology can be used to enable expressive animations and artworks.

A common mistake when making animations is using too few frames, which makes movement look jumpy.

Whilst animating, check the flow and transitions of your images by scrolling through the image gallery or moving through the timeline.

Animation takes time and practice to master.

With each animation you make, you'll learn more techniques to help create convincing sequences that captivate your audience.

There's more to animation than simply drawing moving pictures quickly.

It requires planning, storyboards, frames, keyframes and timelines to carefully control movement.

Keyframes outline important moments.

Frames gradually build movement.

And timelines and loops can be used to organize the pace and smoothness of the animation.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following is a common mistake when making animations? A, testing the animation frequently; B, planning the sketches before animating; C, adjusting timing on the timeline; D, using too few frames, making movement look jumpy.

Pause here while you decide which of these is a common mistake when making animations.

Well done if you selected answer D.

Indeed, using two few frames making movement look jumpy is a common mistake when making animations.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to create a short loop animation.

You should: select a simple movement to animate, such as a blinking character, a bouncing ball, waving hand, or a moving object.

Plan and use key frames to mark changes in movement or design.

Apply loops to smooth your animation.

So pause here while you have a go at creating a short loop animation.

Enjoy your task and I'll see you when you're finished.

That's good feedback with you.

How did it get on with that task of creating a short loop animation? We might have created something like this.

Here's Alex.

I made an animated bouncing ball sequence through digital software.

I widened and lengthened the shape of the ball to make it look bouncier and applied a loop to make a continuous animation.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of Alex's animation.

Thanks for sharing those impressions and now sharing your short animations with each other, offering each other some feedback on your animations.

Can you spot the keyframes? Can you spot any little touches like Alex? Change the shape of the ball and also the lightness or darkness of the shadow.

What things can you spot in each other's animation that have really helped them to be effective and successful? Take some time to share with each other.

Thanks for sharing.

And finally, I'd like you to share with each other what's an idea that you have for a future animation? What might you like to create next? Take some time to share your future animation aspirations.

Thanks for sharing.

In our lesson, "Introduction to Animation: Bringing Digital Art to Life," we've covered the following.

Animation is created by sequencing images over time.

Frames and keyframes are the building blocks of digital animation.

Timelines help animators to create the structure and sequence of an animation.

Well done everyone for joining me with this lesson.

It was so great to explore animation together, your experience of it, your enjoyment of it, and to then have the go at creating your own sequence of animation.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson, and I hope you're excited about where you're going to take your animation next.

And run to look out for the credits on the next animation that you watch.

Check out how many animators were involved in that piece of work.

I've really enjoyed teaching you and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.