Which character is good to animate? I mean, there any principles to follow when you design cartoon character? Is any thing can be a cartoon character? May be spoon, table or chair? *sorry for my poor english* help me!
On the latest Woody Woodpecker dvd, there's a little documentary film inwhich Walter Lantz himself addresses this. He basically said that characters are constructed with simple shapes so that they can be animated more easily.
So, to answer your question, yes anything can be animated. Even spoons. Hell, Ub Iwerks in his prime could animate an entire house. Just keep the shapes simple and you should do fine.
I hope that helps.
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I would like to add: not only simple, but also clear.
There is some serious abstraction going on, where personal observations (a chair, a spoon) are transformed into a line drawing that is easy to draw and animate. This means the designer not only has to use simple shapes, but also have a very clear idea about the character's behavior in the animation (what the character does and how he does it). The design should allow for animation. To check this, the designer has to create a model sheet, which, when approved by the director, can be used by animators as a reference. The model sheet should demonstrate the emotional reach of the character, and also how it is drawn from different perspective, not only in drawings, but also in explanatory text.
On the latest Woody Woodpecker dvd, there's a little documentary film inwhich Walter Lantz himself addresses this. He basically said that characters are constructed with simple shapes so that they can be animated more easily.
So, to answer your question, yes anything can be animated. Even spoons. Hell, Ub Iwerks in his prime could animate an entire house. Just keep the shapes simple and you should do fine.
I hope that helps.
Order my book Jesus Needs Help on Amazon or download on Kindle.
You can also read the first 18 pages of my next book for free at this link: The Hap Hap Happy Happenstance of Fanny Punongtiti
The "Simple Shape" idea is a common theme with all the professional animators. It sounds like a good idea to follow.
I would like to add: not only simple, but also clear.
There is some serious abstraction going on, where personal observations (a chair, a spoon) are transformed into a line drawing that is easy to draw and animate. This means the designer not only has to use simple shapes, but also have a very clear idea about the character's behavior in the animation (what the character does and how he does it). The design should allow for animation. To check this, the designer has to create a model sheet, which, when approved by the director, can be used by animators as a reference. The model sheet should demonstrate the emotional reach of the character, and also how it is drawn from different perspective, not only in drawings, but also in explanatory text.
My 2 cents.