Regular sessions combine traditional life drawing and sculpture with newer digital forms of creating anatomically informed characters ready for animation in all pathways.


Classes will conform to a structure of analysis and practical application of principles of anatomy and character design in the creation of human based assets for animation.


You will be shown how to create and maintain character assets in STOP MOTION, 3D DIGITAL and 2D DIGITAL, working ‘under-the-hood’ to get an overall view of the strengths and weaknesses of each media from inside-out.


You will explore how this work can be applied to creating effective animated characters and how far you can push a character asset before its design or fabrication becomes a weakness.


Students will explore the form and volume of the human figure, and how to use poses to communicate thoughts and feelings by using the principles of staging.


Through the module you will be required to demonstrate your understanding and application of the core concepts required to develop animation production skills that you will require throughout the award and your future career. Traditional and digital tools will be available to use throughout the module and students should explore a range of production techniques appropriate to the given task.


By the end of the component all students will have produced a portfolio of work that demonstrates competence in visual communication including practical animation, observational studies and motion analysis which demonstrate observation and understanding of movement, weight and dynamics in support of several acting principles in a range of forms of Animation.

Journal (LO 1,2,3)

Students will generate an iterative reflective body of visual explorations with traditional drawing at the core, but including digital and sculptural studies, movement analysis exercises, movement cycles and other negotiated responses to given themes, prompts and practical challenges

EG. 15 X 3 HOURS over the year

4 milestone points

1-2-1 tutorials midpoint

1. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN AN ORGANISED LEARNING JOURNAL OF ITERATIVE IMAGE-MAKING AND VISUALISATION ENQUIRY THAT USES STRATEGIC FEEDBACK AND DEMONSTRATES KEY PRACTICAL AND THEORETIC SKILLS

LEARNING

ENQUIRY


2. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN ANATOMY & MOVEMENT USING DRAWING AND DESIGN VISUALISATION SKILLS TO GENERATE EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO A RANGE OF PRACTICAL STILL AND SEQUENCIAL IMAGE MAKING CHALLENGES

KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING

APPLICATION


3. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PRESENT OUTCOMES CLEARLY EFFECTIVELY AND REFLECT ON THE APPROPRIATENESS OF TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES WITHIN A SPECTRUM OF CONTEXTS

REFLECTION

COMMUNICATION

Animation Studios Facilities

Industry Standard software and equipment tools.

Animation pathway specific apparatus and equipment.

Media Centre bookable resources.

Library and digital learning resources

Study support resources

VLE’s

Mattesi, Michael. (2006) Force: Dynamic life drawing for Animators. Focal Press.

Uldis Zarins & Sandis Kondrats (2014). Anatomy for Sculptors. Anatomy Next, Inc.

Iijima, Takashi (2005) Action Anatomy: for gamers, animators and digital artists. Harper Design.

Mybridge, Eadweard. (1955) The human figure in motion. Dover.

Parr, Peter. (2018) Sketching for Animation: developing ideas, characters and layouts in your sketchbook. Bloomsbury.

Shaw, Susannah (2008) Stop Motion, Craft Skills for Model Animation, Focal Press

Chong, Andrew. (2008) Digital animation. Lausanne.

Philips, Adam. (2014) Animate to Harmony: The Independent Animators Guide to Toon Boom.

Cheryl, Briggs. (2021) An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging. CRC Press.

Walsh, Christopher. (2019) Stop Motion Filmmaking: the complete guide to fabrication & animation. Bloomsbury.

Visually Explore the fascinating and complex realm of human anatomy, its mechanics, capabilities, limitations, and near infinite ability to emote, express, and communicate through gross and subtle movement.