The single most critical yardstick for measuring success as an effects animator is how willingly we embrace the fine art of drawing rough (or ruff, as veterans are fond of saying). I mentioned earlier the importance of feeling the energy of a particular effect and allowing our hand and pencil to flow with the direction of that energy. If we are trying to draw with our pencil held tightly (that is, pinched in the classical writing style with the point of our pencil pointed directly down towards the drawing surface at almost a 90 degree angle), we cannot even begin to draw elegant, flowing effects animation. Heeding the sage advice from great life drawing artists and teachers, effects animators have learned to draw with the side of the pencil lead, holding the pencil lightly between the thumb and forefinger. This allows us a broader range of motion which originates with the shoulder, instead of the wrist. It also facilitates drawing with more flowing arcs and broader paths of action. Some effects artists who have honed their skills like to use a very thick, dull, and soft pencil to animate their effects. Working with the side of a stick of charcoal could be a very good way to break an animator of holding a pencil rigidly. The trick is to stop trying to control the tip of the pencil in order to create ‘shapes’ and to let the energy flow through our shoulder, arm, wrist, and hand to create ‘energy’!

Whether it is a house on fire, or a 40-foot wave rolling towards the coast of Hawaii, there is cause-and-effect playing out in the metamorphosis of energy patterns. That energy must inform our hand as we sketch our initial effects animation drawing. If we have studied our elements thoroughly, we will instinctively move our hand with arcs and paths of action that possess this very energy.

In the chapters to come, we will discuss these patterns in detail. The emphasis here is to understand that the underlying substance of every effect is pure energy. We will also discuss what happens when that energy collides with an object, or an opposing energy force. Here are just a few examples of this phenomena: light rays hitting an object and casting a shadow; a wave colliding with the shoreline creating splashes, then receding and colliding with the next approaching wave; smoke billowing upwards and spreading out across a ceiling; and raindrops landing on a sidewalk.

So if the structure of our effects drawings contains this energy, this thrust of pattern and motion, then what of the details? Where and how do they fit into the picture? This is the key to every great effects drawing. Every tiny ripple on an ocean’s surface, every droplet of a splash, every detail of a nuclear mushroom cloud, is informed by a similar energy pattern. Sometimes it is the same force that drives the overall effect; sometimes it is a subset of that energy, or an opposing force. As we finesse our effects drawings and add details, these energy forces must inform every stroke of the pencil. The droplets that break off of a splash are moving with the same energy of the overall splash. They move within a pattern of energy, and our hand, our brain, and ultimately our pencil, must connect with that energy and express its elegant logic.

The sketchy, rough drawing on the left has a strong directional energy flow, and provides a strong basis for the elegant effects drawing design on the right. A quality effects drawing should always start this way.

A turbulent river flowing through a canyon is being driven by gravity — everything it does is informed by that energy. However, along the shore of the river, rock formations may collide with the energy of the water and whip it into whirlpools and eddies, creating splashes and spiral patterns, mixing the water with air to create bubbles and foam. A gust of wind may be creating small waves on the surface of the river that move in the opposite direction of the river’s flow. All these forces, or overlapping actions, need to be taken into consideration when creating a special effects scene.

While some highly detailed effects drawings may appear to be filled with random details, it is very important to understand that if it is a good effects drawing, every detail in it is informed with a pattern of energy. Also intrinsic to effects drawings are natural design principles, which are best observed and felt rather than scientifically understood, though we will do our best to describe the more scientific aspects of these design principles in the following pages.

By carefully studying patterns in nature, one begins to discover a cosmic similarity in all the natural elements on this planet, which are at once perfect and chaotic, yet wholly unique (for instance, every snowflake has its own discrete design). The patterns in nature shift between the macrocosmic and the microcosmic, bridging the distance from the cosmic to the cellular. The spiral of a galaxy is reflected in the twist of our DNA, a budding fern, a snake’s skeleton, and a snail’s shell. The branching out of pure energy as it flows from place to place is evident in a bolt of lightning, in the spreading branches of an oak tree, in the veins that run through our bodies, in a crack on the sidewalk, or in the arterial channels of a river delta flowing into the ocean. The fractal beauty of a mountain range that takes our breath away can be seen in ocean waves heaving in a storm, or in a single rock held in our hand. Even if we are animating supernatural phenomena, like pixie dust or flying spirit entities, there must be contained somewhere deep within our drawings these archetypal principles of natural design. They are everywhere around us, and yet escape the eye and the hand of a great many artists. Study nature, observe and feel the patterns of energy inherent in the world we live in.

Drawing in this unblemished, raw manner, allows us to create organic shapes and energy patterns that would otherwise elude us. From the sketchy-looking scribbles of a rough effects drawing, one can extract the most marvelous shapes and patterns.

Sensitivity to style is another crucial layer in the effects animation process, which determines how the look of the drawings fit in with the art direction of a film. It’s also important to realize what purpose the effects are serving in any particular scene. In most cases, effects are used simply to add a subtle sense of realism to a scene, as with shadows, lighting, or reflection effects. A basic splash should never draw undue attention to itself if the audience’s attention is intended to focus on a character in the scene. It’s basic stagecraft: always know your part, and never upstage another character or story element simply because you want to demonstrate your skill. As a rule of thumb, effects should hardly be noticeable and should always complement the scene more so than dominate it. In some scenes, the effects animation may be driving the humor in a gag, and will therefore need to be more conspicuous. The effects still should play second fiddle to the character animation, where the viewer’s attention is focused.