We
see the rubber ball SQUASH and
STRETCH. Now squash and stretch other basic
shapes such as squares and triangles. TIP:
Always try to maintain the volume, i.e., the area
within a form. TIP:
Work
ruff with basic shapes. The add the details last.
The details, i.e., mouth, nose eyes, squash and
stretch too. Timing
is important. Keep in mind the movement of
a pendulum. It does a SLO-IN and
SLO-OUT at the begining and end of
each swing. NOTE:
The PATH OF ACTION of the pendulum
is an ARC. The same movement
applies to the swinging door
below. Now
apply this information to a simple action such as a
swinging door. Play the door to one side of the
middle position or the other. Use arcs, set your
tic marks, and avoid the middle position. Begin
movement with a SLO-IN and end with a
SLO-OUT. TIP:
In
the case of a slamming door, you will have a
SLO-IN but no SLO-OUT. This is
because a slammed door stops abruptly. Actions will
always begin with a SLO-IN unless an object
enters the frame already AT SPEED (in
motion). SQUASH
is a great way to show the object's or character's
weight. Note the weight in the feet above. The
heavier the character, the more squashed the feet
will look. The
weight (or squash) is based on on three
elements: TIP:
Start
with simple shapes and add to them. Details are
added last, as shown above with the face.
Here's
one more thing to ponder as you create your simple
animation. Facial movements during dialogue will
SQUASH and STRETCH according to the
movements of the jaw and the muscles in the
cheeks. KEY
POINTS TIPS All
images copyright © Larry Lauria, 1999
BOUNCING BALL 2...
...or
the FURTHER ADVENTURES FROM THE BOUNCING
BALL. Now that we know the bouncing ball, we
can apply some of its principle such as squash,
stretch, arcs, slo-ins, and slo-outs to other
actions and shapes.
STEP
1
STEP
2
Let's have some more fun using SQUASH and
STRETCH with more developed figures. The
ball and the cube go from normal to squash then
stretch, but you can also go from normal to stretch
then squash, as shown in the car example
below.
STEP
3
TIP:
Try
to avoid the "middle" position of the arc. Strong
verticals stop the action or become
neutral.
STEP
4
SUMMARY
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