Cartoon Animation - Production Diary Laura Ireland UP648161 Developing further on the basic animation principles I obtained in my first

st year of university, I was able to create more complex animations by applying my existing skills to more challenging characters and settings. Exploring traditional 2D character construction methods, this unit enabled me to explore with the construction and deconstruction of characters, as would be required within an industry setting as well as creating my own figures and individual personas. Take Girl Jumping Reaction to Snail Revisiting the initial squash and stretch techniques learnt from first year, I applied these to my first animation of this unit, within which a girl jumps in a surprised reaction to a snail emerging from its shell. Once again exploring character anticipation, I had to pay particular focus to timing in order to show my character reacting at a believable pace for my audience. I therefore, held my character for a few frames as she bent down in order to convey the power and force of her jump before making her spring upwards. Having previously established the squash and stretch technique, I was really able to experiment with my character through the exploration of exaggeration. Pushing and pulling my character to her limits while maintain her characterisation, was challenging and I initially had difficulty gauging how far I could exaggerate her movements before she lost her personality and sense of persona. This was eventually overcome after a few tests and through the use of key framing. I believe I successfully achieved an exaggerated display of anticipation, while still maintaining my character. Flower picking girl Within my next animation, I reverted back to the basic animation principles of weight and timing, as a young girl attempts to pull a flower from the ground with some difficulty. My goal within this piece was to pay particular attention to conveying exaggeration and my characters turmoil at picking this flower, by using timing to hold frames and really emphasis her struggle. Pleased with this piece, I feel that my timing in particular, accurately conveyed this struggle and is further emphasised through the small detailing of adding long hair onto my figure. This is because it acted as an aid in conveying my characters sharp actions and the speed at which she was moving however, I believe there are times in my animation where these movements may have come across as too jerky. Dark dog taste reaction My third animation required me to use a limited number of key frames in order to express the character of Dark Dogs, reaction to a spicy taste. By having a limited number of key frames in which to create my animation for this piece, I was really able to overstress this

character and push him to his limits. I believe this was aided through my creation of original character pose and expression sheets which enabled me to explore with Dark Dogs. skeletal structure and anatomical build, effectively creating a strong final piece of animation. Retrospectively, I believed this could have been used more sparingly in order to make it more effective within my animation, conveying extreme jumps of movement and exaggeration in my characters expression rather than smaller ones which may have been as effectively achieved through the use of key framing and inbetweening. Existing character For my existing character, I chose the boisterous Scottish terrier Jock, from Disneys Lady and the Tramp, as he was brimming with personality and opportunity for exploration which I felt was somewhat overlooked by his lack of on screen film time within the movie. After deep analysis and pencil studies, I created a stable construction sheet of his persona which aided me throughout my work and animation. It was vital that I kept close observations on maintaining his existing character traits and expressions as they play a big role in his genetic makeup as an established character with a pre-existing fan base. Looking back on my animation, I am really pleased with the results and feel that he is my most successful piece. As most of my characters personality comes across in his facial features, I decided to do a close up animation of his face in order to really express his persona. In addition to this, I also got to experiment with the movement of his jowls and hairy eyebrows however; I believe I could have challenged myself further still, by attempting a walk cycle or portraying the figures whole body instead of focusing solely on his facial expressions. Original character Initially, I struggled to achieve a consistent character that was not only appealing for an audience but also fun for me as an animator to animate and experiment with. Subsequently, I created pages of rough doodles to gain inspiration and it was through these quick sketches that my character eventually emerged. In order to aid my understanding further and effectively evolve my character, I created a character profile sheet which enabled me to fully establish Einsteins persona and background through the inclusion of subcategories such as self-perception, goals, family and history. Creating an original character and drawing on previous knowledge of animation techniques and experiences really opened my eyes to the depth and complexity involved in creating these fictional characters which appear throughout various media on a daily basis. I think I have successfully managed to create a believable character that is both consistent and appealing to audiences. I am particularly proud of my timing, especially through my depiction of the acorn being pulled from the tree. If I was to redo this piece I would like to

depict how my character runs and moves more, as although proud of my animation, I feel he is rather static and stationary in my final animation. In conclusion, I am proud of my work produced in this unit, focusing on basic animation principles and returning to traditional techniques while facing new challenges pushed me to challenge myself and deeply explore with cartoon animation.