Halloween Scene Animation

This GIF demonstrates animation principles previously practiced in older animations. These include Timing & Spacing, Squash & Stretch, Arcs, Weight, secondary action, and more.
By incorporating photoshop into this Halloween scene process, I was able to create a strong background (with the broad use of PS brushes) and effective moving characters. Importing these elements into Adobe Animate allowed me to manipulate individual layers, adding motion onto the digital drawings.

Further Research: Disney's Animation Principles:

1. Squash and Stretch - Gives the illusion of weight and volume during a movement. This is created by expanding and compressing the subject or character.

2. Anticipation - Communicates to audiences that a significant action is about to take place. 2 smaller actions will usually take place before a major action as a signal. 

3. Staging- all poses created by a subject or character need to convey a clear intention. This often requires exaggeration to effectively pull-off. This also applies to the position of the camera.

4. Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose - refers to techniques that craft an animation. Pose to pose involves drawing key poses and filling in the transitional space. Straight ahead involves an animator crafting one frame after another, which creates effective fluidity and realism. Pose to pose is more dramatic and emotional. 

5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - nothing stops all at once, hair, eyes and the general body will respond differently to stopping or slowing down. 

6. Slow In and Slow Out - a principle designed to suggest realism to characters. Transitions in a similar fashion to a pendulum, creating a gradual transition. 

7. Arc- all realistic actions have a circular motion, Rarely will a limb thrust straight in and out. a little circle is often added to avoid harshness. 

8. Secondary Action - additional action that reinforce the main action, adds dimension and meaning to a shot. 

9. Timing - creates the illusion that an action is abiding by physics. Adjusting timing can create smoothness and slowness (more frames) or speed and crispness (less frames).

10. Exaggeration - overstating movements to help evoke a point, but doesn't damage the scenes believability.

11. Solid Drawings - encourages mindfulness; 2D should strive to act 3D. Drawings and characters should be perceived with weight.

12. Appeal - Animations should also strive to create interesting and compelling images, a focus on cinematography rather that animating itself.