2D ANIMATION

 What is 2d animation?

2D animation is the art of creating movement in a two-dimensional space. This includes characters, creatures, FX, and backgrounds.

The illusion of movement is created when individual drawings are sequenced together over time. One second of time is usually divided into 24 frames. Depending on the style of animation there can be as many as 24 unique drawings in one second of animation (24fps) or as little as two. Conventionally animation is done on "2s" meaning there is a drawing every 2 frames (12fps). This allows artists to save on production time/costs and gives 2D animation its unique look.

While this process is sometimes referred to as traditional animation, mainstream 2D production has evolved from hand-drawn processes using pencil and paper to the implementation of digital techniques using computer software like Toon Boom Harmony or Adobe After Effects. Learn more about the essentials of 2D animation in our course Bachelor of Digital Art majoring in 2D animation.

2d animation in today's scenerio

2D animation is a popular and diverse medium that's making a massive comeback. It can be seen prevalently in TV shows, video games, feature films, advertisements, mobile apps and on websites. Popular modern examples of 2D animation include TV shows Rick and Morty and F is for Family. Social media platforms like Snapchat are launching 2D animated series with snappy 1-3 minute episodes. And there's even been a recent surge in 2D platform video games such as Cuphead.

Animation is used for everything online (advertising, entertainment), even if you don't realize it initially,” says Scott Claus, 2D Animation Mentor at CG Spectrum. “The medium is evolving quickly. Television animation has taken off, and streaming services are constantly looking for new content.

Demand for 2D animators who can create entertaining and engaging content has grown significantly in the last decade. There’s a need for skilled and enthusiastic artists who love motion graphics and are adept at creating original and appealing content.

So what does a 2D animator actually do? What are the job prospects? What can a junior artist expect to earn vs. an established one? What’s the best 2D animation software?

We’ve done the homework and gathered everything you need to know about the industry to help you prepare for your future.

What does 2d animator do?

2D animators convey stories or messages by making their characters, objects and backgrounds move in a two-dimensional environment.

Besides drawing, they must also be excellent storytellers. They are responsible for clearly communicating a story or message by moving characters in a way that engages viewers. (Anyone interested in becoming a 2D Animator should get to know the 12 Principles of Animation, which are covered in detail in our 2D animation courses) While most of the work is done on computer, traditional hand-drawn techniques are still a useful skillset to have.

Additional responsibilities may include:

-Sketching designs

-Designing characters

-Developing storyboards

-Creating special effects

-Animating scenes

-Transitioning backgrounds

This job is just one part of the production pipeline, which is divided into three parts: pre-production, production and post-production:

In pre-production, a project is in its early stages and the team may be working on story and character development, writing scripts, recording dialogue, storyboarding, background layout, and character animation.

In the production stage, animators breathe life into their characters and objects by giving them movement. The figures are then colored and processed (“digital ink and paint”) and composited over their appropriate backgrounds.

Post-production is the final stages of adding sound and editing to ensure the project looks sharp and flows seamlessly, and then it is exported in the final format.

Depending on the project and the size of the studio or agency, animators may work with a number of other people, so strong communication and people skills are a must.

Job/career opportunities:

Being such a diverse industry, animators can choose to work on feature films, TV shows, video games, as well as for production companies and advertising agencies who produce 2D content for advertisements, mobile apps and websites.

It’s important to note that if you’re studying 2D animation, you won’t necessarily become an “animator”. There are many types of jobs in this industry. And with technology evolving so quickly, new jobs are being created all the time.

Some of the many different roles include:

Animator

Animation Supervisor

Animation Director

Games Developer

Character Designer

Storyboard Artist

Illustrator

Graphic designer

Motion designer

It is also possible for 2D artists to transition to 3D (Read: What is 3D Animation?) if they choose, though it can be more difficult to switch the other way around. Learn the differences between 2D and 3D animation.

Animated character

Animated character👉

Animated characters are fascinating creations that have captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences for decades. Whether they're hand-drawn, computer-generated, or stop-motion, these characters come in all shapes, sizes, and species, and they often possess unique personalities and traits that make them unforgettable.

One of the remarkable aspects of animated characters is their ability to transcend the limitations of live-action performance. Since they are not bound by the constraints of reality, animators can bring them to life in ways that are limited only by their creativity. From anthropomorphic animals to fantastical creatures to inanimate objects with personalities, animated characters can be as diverse and imaginative as the worlds they inhabit.

Moreover, animated characters have the power to evoke a wide range of emotions in audiences. They can make us laugh with their comedic antics, cry with their heartfelt stories, or feel inspired by their bravery and resilience. Whether they're starring in a children's cartoon, a family-friendly feature film, or an adult-oriented animated series, these characters have a unique ability to connect with viewers on a deep and meaningful level.

Additionally, animated characters often serve as powerful symbols and cultural icons. They can represent larger themes and ideas, serve as role models for viewers, or challenge societal norms and expectations. From Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny to SpongeBob SquarePants and Elsa from Frozen, animated characters have left an indelible mark on popular culture and continue to influence generations of fans around the world.

In essence, animated characters are more than just drawings or pixels on a screen. They are complex, multidimensional creations that have the power to entertain, educate, and inspire audiences of all ages. Whether they're embarking on epic adventures, solving mysteries, or simply living their daily lives, animated characters continue to captivate and enchant audiences worldwide.

VFX

 VFX (Visual Effects)  is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filimmaking and video production The integration of live-action footage and other live-action footage or CGI elements to create realistic imagery is called VFX.

VFX involves the integration of live-action footage (which may include in-camera special effects) and generated-imagery (digital or optics, animals or creatures) which look realistic, but would be dangerous, expensive, impractical, time-consuming or impossible to capture on film. Visual effects using computer-generated imagery  (CGI) have more recently become accessible to the independent filmmaker with the introduction of affordable and relatively easy-to-use animation and composting software.

In 1857, Oscar Rejlander created the world's first "special effects" image by combining different sections of 32 negatives into a single image, making a montaged

 combination  print. In 1895,Alfred clark created what is commonly accepted as the first-ever motion picture special effect. While filming a reenactment of the beheading of Marry, Qu                                  een of scots  Clark instructed an actor to step up to the block in Mary's costume. As the executioner brought the axe above his head, Clark stopped the camera, had all the actors freeze, and had the person playing Mary step off the set. He placed a Mary dummy in the actor's place, restarted filming, and allowed the executioner to bring the axe down, severing the dummy's head. Techniques like these would dominate the production of special effects for a century.

It was not only the first use of trickery in cinema, it was also the first type of photographic trickery that was only possible in a motion picture, and referred to as the "stop trick

". Georges Meleis, an early motion picture pioneer, accidentally discovered the same "stop trick."

According to Melies, his camera jammed while filming a street scene in Paris. When he screened the film, he found that the "stop trick" had caused a truck to turn into a hearse, pedestrians to change direction, and men to turn into women. Melies, the director of the Theater Robert Houdin, was inspired to develop a series of more than 500 short films, between 1896 and 1913, in the process developing or inventing such techniques as multiple exposures time-lapse photography dissolves and hand-painted color.

ANIMATION

 ALL TYPE OF ANIMATION

 Animation is the art of making inanimate objects appear to move. History’s first recorded animator is, arguably,of Greek and Roman mythology.

The theory of the animated cartoon preceded the invention of the cinema by half a century.

Snow white and the seven dwarfs. was the first film to use up-to-the-minute animation techniques and receive a Hollywood-style release. When it was released in 1937, the film was an immediate box-office sensation and was honoured with a special Academy Award.

The first film-based animation was made by j.stuart Blackstone, whose Humorous Phases of Funny Faces in 1906 launched a successful series of animated films for New York’s pioneering Vitagraph Company.

The word "animation" stems from the Latin "animātiōn", stem of "animātiō", meaning "a bestowing of life". The earlier meaning of the English word is "liveliness" and has been in use much longer than the meaning of "moving image medium".

Before cinematograph

Long before modern animation began, audiences around the world were captivated by the magic of moving characters.

For centuries, master artists and craftsmen have brought puppets, automatons, shadow puppets, and fantastical lanterns to life, inspiring the imagination through physically manipulated.wonders.In 1833, the stroboscopic disc (better known as the pronunciation) introduced the principle of modern animation, which would also be applied in the zoetrope (introduced in 1866), the flip book (1868), the praxinoscope(1877) and film.

Early history

The theory of the animated cartoon preceded the invention of the cinema by half a century. Early experimenters, working to create conversation pieces for Victorian parlours or new sensations for the touring magic-lantern shows, which were a popular form of entertainment, discovered the principle of persistence of vision. If drawings of the stages of an action were shown in fast succession, the human eye would perceive them as a continuous movement. One of the first commercially successful devices, invented by the Belgian joseph_plateau in 1832, was the phenakistoscope, a spinning cardboard disk that created the illusion of movement when viewed in a mirror. In 1834 William jeorj Horner invented the zoetrope, a rotating drum lined by a band of pictures that could be changed. The Frenchman Emilie raynode in 1876 adapted the principle into a form that could be projected before a theatrical audience. Reynaud became not only animation’s first entrepreneur but, with his gorgeously hand-painted ribbons of celluloid conveyed by a system of mirrors to a theatre screen, the first artist to give personality and warmth to his animated characters.

With the invention of sprocket-driven film stock, animation was poised for a great leap forward. Although “firsts” of any kind are never easy to establish, the first film-based animator appears to Stuart Blacktone, whose Humorous Phases of Funny faces in 1906 launched a successful series of animated films for New York's pioneering Vitagraph Company. Later that year, Blackton also experimented with the stop-motion_technique stop—in which objects are photographed, then repositioned and photographed again—for his short film Haunted Hotel.

In France, Émile Cohl was developing a form of animation similar to Blackton’s, though Cohl used relatively crude stick figures rather than Blackton’s ambitious newspaper-style cartoons. Coinciding with the rise in popularity of the Sunday comic sections of the new tabloid newspapers, the nascent animation industry recruited the talents of many of the best-known artists, including Rube Goldberg, Bud Fishers (creator of Mutt and Jeff) and George Herriman (creator of Krazy Kat), but most soon tired of the fatiguing animation process and left the actual production work to others.