Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Sta. Mesa Manila

College of Education
Department of Business Teacher Education

A Self-Learning Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Instructional Materials

in BTLE30093 – Introduction to ICT Specializations 1

Lesson 4
Topic: 2D Animation

LOUIE C. DUTERTE, RGC, EdD

Facilitator

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 LESSON 4: Introduction to 2D Animation

Overview

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.
2D 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 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?
In this lesson you will learn the concepts, underlying principles and the core competency
in animation as well the animation requirements in creating 2D Digital Animation.

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 Learning Outcomes

After completion of this lesson, you will be able to competently do these:

1. To discuss an understanding of the concepts, underlying principles, and the
core competency in animation.

2. To evaluate animation requirements in creating 2D Digital Animation.

3. To relate traditional animation to 2D digital animation Work with symbols,

timeline and library Integrate sound animated objects and backgrounds

Course Materials

Animation

“To animate” means “to give life to”. Animations are created from a sequence of still
images. The images are displayed rapidly in succession so that the eye is fooled into perceiving
continuous motion.

Persistence of Vision

This is the tendency of the eye and brain to continue to perceive an image even after it
has disappeared.

Animation generally deals with hand drawn images in contrast to motion video which deals
with actual photographs of real-world objects taken through a camera, although both uses the
concept of displaying sequences of images one after another to depict motion.
In multimedia, animation is regarded as an important and useful tool for communicating
information. The main application areas of animation include:
• Marketing and advertising
• Educational Multimedia Programs
• Sports
• Games
• Interactive Magazines
• The Internet

History of Animation

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 In 1824, Peter Roget published a paper called “Persistence of Vision With Regard
to Moving Objects.” This paper describes the phenomenon that occurs in human vision where an
image lingers even after the light from the source has ceased. This phenomenon make animation
possible. This led to numerous “philosophical” toys during the 19th century. These include the
Zoetrope, and the ever famous Flipbook.

The first animated cartoon(in the traditional sense, i.e. on film) was “Fantasmagorie” by
the French director Emile Cohl. Released in 1908.

One of the very first successful animated cartoons was “Gertie the Dinosaur” by Winsor
McCay. It is considered the first example of true character animation.

In the 1930s to 1960s, theatrical cartoons were produced in huge numbers, and usually
shown before a feature film in a movie theater. MGM, Disney and Warner Brothers were the
largest studios producing these 5 to 10 minute “shorts”. Competition from television drew
audiences away from movie theaters in the late 1950s, and the theatrical cartoon began its
decline.

How animation works

In the traditional animation process, animators will begin by drawing sequences of

animation on sheets of paper often using colored pencils, one picture or “frame” at a time.

The Animators

A key animator will draw the key drawings (“key” in the sense of “important”) in a scene,
using the character layouts as a guide. The key animator draws enough of the frames to get
across the major points of the action

The clean-up animators take the lead and assistant animators’ drawings and trace them
onto a new sheet of paper, taking care in including all of the details present on the original model
sheets, so that it appears that one person animated the entire film.

The inbetweeners will draw in whatever frames are still missing in between the other
animators’ drawings. This procedure is called tweening.

TV video builds 30 entire frames or pictures every second. Movies are shot at a shutter
rate of 24 frames per second, but using projections tricks the flicker is in-creased to 48. On some
projectors each frame is shown 3 times before the next frame, for a total of 72 flickers per second
which helps eliminate the flicker effect.

Types of Animation

Traditional Animation

• Animators draw images on a transparent piece on a top of a lightbox, one frame at a

time.
• Requires very strong drawing skills.

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2D Vector-based animation
• Computer generated animations, that uses the exact same techniques as
traditional animation.
• The animator has the option to move the body parts individually instead of drawing the
characters over and over.
• Does not require very strong drawing skills.

3D Animation

• Also referred to as Computer Generated Imagery

• Instead of drawing, the characters are digitally modeled in the program, and then fitted
with a “skeleton” that allows animators to move the models.
• Body parts are always present and should be taken into consideration, not like in 2D
Animation.

Motion Graphics

• Animated logos, commercials, television promos or film opening titles.

• Usually involves animating images, texts, or video clips.

Stop Motion

• Any animation that uses objects that are photographed in a sequence to create the
illusion of movement.

• The process of stop-motion is very long, as each object has to be carefully moved inch
by inch, while it is being photographed every frame to create a smooth sequence of animation

Types of Stop-Motion

Claymation

• One of the most popular stops- motion form

• Working with CLAY or PLAY-DOH characters
• Some Claymation uses metal skeletons on which clay is molded

Puppets

•Animation using Puppets (built with skeleton rig; some with strings)
• The faces of the characters can be replaced based on the expression.

Cut-out

• Using construction paper or cardboard characters and placing them on paper while
shooting the animation from above.

Silhouette

• Also uses cardboard or some flat material, but the objects are all black and the shot is

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depicted with silhouette or shadow only.
• One of the oldest forms of stop motion.

Action Figures/ Lego

• Uses action figures or Lego Characters

• Popular on YouTube.
• Dedicated to create funny skits.
• Some use popular action figures to make fun of pop culture.

Pixelation

• Uses real people and real environments to create unreal videos.

• Taking a still (not moving) photo, moving things around and then taking another photo.

12 Principles of Animation

The 12 basic principles of animation is a set of principles of animation introduced by the

Disney Animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book The Illusion of Life: Disney
Animation. Johnston and Thomas in turn based their book on the work of the leading Disney
animators from the 1930s onwards, and their effort to produce more realistic animations. The
main purpose of the principles was to produce an illusion of characters adhering to the basic laws
of physics, but they also dealt with more abstract issues, such as emotional timing and character
appeal.

The book and its principles have become generally adopted and have been referred to as
the "Bible of the industry. In 1999 the book was voted number one of the "best animation books
of all time" in an online poll. Though originally intended to apply to traditional, hand-drawn
animation, the principles still have great relevance for today's more prevalent computer animation.

1. Squash and stretch

The most important principle is “squash and stretch”, the purpose of which is to give a
sense of weight and flexibility to drawn objects. It can be applied to simple objects, like a bouncing
ball, or more complex constructions, like the musculature of a human face. Taken to an extreme
point, a figure stretched or squashed to an exaggerated degree can have a comical effect.

2. Anticipation
An action occurs in three parts:

1. the preparation for the action - this is anticipation

2. the action
3. the termination of the action

Anticipation can be the anatomical preparation for the action, e.g., retracting a foot before
kicking a ball. It can also be a device to attract the viewer's attention to the proper screen area
and to prepare them for the action, e.g., raising the arms and staring at something before picking
it up, or staring off-screen at something and then reacting to it before the action moves on-screen.

3. Staging

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 This principle is akin to staging as it is known in theatre and film. Its purpose is to
direct the audience's attention, and make it clear what is of greatest importance in a scene;
what is happening, and what is about to happen. Johnston and Thomas defined it as "the
presentation of any idea so that it is completely and unmistakably clear", whether that idea is an
action, a personality, an expression or a mood.

4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose- to-Pose Action

Straight Ahead Action in hand drawn animation is when the animator starts at the first
drawing in a scene and then draws all the subsequent frames until he reaches the end of the
scene. This creates very spontaneous and zany looking animation and is used for wild, scrambling
action.

Pose-to-Pose Action is when the animator carefully plans out the animation, draws a
sequence of poses, i.e., the initial, some in- between, and the final poses and then draws all the
in-between frames (or another artist or the computer draws the in between frames). This is used
when the scene requires more thought, and the poses and timing are important.

5. Follow through and overlapping action

These closely related techniques help render movement more realistic, and give the
impression that characters follow the laws of physics. "Follow through" means that separate parts
of a body will continue moving after the character has stopped. "Overlapping action" is the
tendency for parts of the body to move at different rates (an arm will move on different timing of
the head and so on).

6. Slow in and Out

This refers to the spacing of the in between frames at maximum positions. It is the second
and third order continuity of motion of the object. Rather than having a uniform velocity for an
object, it is more appealing, and sometimes more realistic, to have the velocity vary at the
extremes.

7. Arcs

Most human and animal actions occur along an arched trajectory, and animation should
reproduce these movements for greater realism. This can apply to a limb moving by rotating a
joint, or a thrown object moving along a parabolic trajectory. The exception is mechanical
movement, which typically moves in straight lines.

8. Secondary action

This is an action that directly results from another action. It can be used to increase the
complexity and interest in a scene. It should always be subordinate to and not compete with the
primary action in the scene. An example might be the facial expression on a character. The body
would be expressing the primary action while the expression adds to it.

9. Timing and Motion

The speed of an action, i.e., timing, gives meaning to movement, both physical and
emotional meaning. The animator must spend the appropriate amount of time on the anticipation

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of an action, on the action, and on the re-action to the action. If too much time is spent, then
the viewer may lose attention, if too little, then the viewer may not notice or understand the
action.

10. Exaggeration

Exaggeration is an effect especially useful for animation, as perfect imitation of reality can
look static and dull in cartoons. The level of exaggeration depends on whether one seeks realism
or a particular style, like a caricature or the style of an artist. The classical definition of
exaggeration, employed by Disney, was to remain true to reality, just presenting it in a wilder,
more extreme form.

11. Solid drawing

The principle of solid — or good — drawing, really means that the same principles apply
to an animator as to an academic artist. The drawer has to understand the basics of anatomy,
composition, weight, balance, light and shadow etc.

12. Appeal

Appeal in a cartoon character corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor.

A character who is appealing is not necessarily sympathetic — villains or monsters can also be
appealing — the important thing is that the viewer feels the character is real and interesting.

Drawings in Animation

Rough Drawing

• A rough drawing is always done first

• It is the skeleton of the character
• It is done to get a feel on the weight and form of the character.
• Often done in a very loose fashion.

Clean-up Drawing

• It is the drawings you see in the finished film

• The artist doing the clean-up is responsible for the final line and finished look of the
character or scene.
• Usually done on a new sheet of paper.

Inbetween Drawing

• The drawing generated between two images to give the appearance that the first image
evolves smoothly into the second image.
• The drawing that gives the appearance of motion.

Model Sheet

• also known as a character board, character sheet, character study or simply a study
• is a document used to help standardize the appearance, poses, and gestures of an
animated character.

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 • a communication tool that a character designer uses to show other artists how the
character works, and therefore how he/she/it should be represented
• Model sheets are required when large numbers of artists are involved in the production
of an animated film to help maintain continuity in characters from scene to scene, as one animator
may only do one shot out of the several hundred that are required to complete an animated feature
film.
• A character DRAWN according to the production's standardized model is referred to as
“ON- MODEL”
• While a character NOT DRAWN according to the production's standardized model is
referred to as “OFF-MODEL”

Character rotation

• a template that shows the character from all sides – front, side, ¾ and back views.
• Its purpose is to show the character from all sides

Expression sheet

• helps show what your character looks like in different situations. It is helpful to see how
their eyes, brows, nose (beak), mouth, and other features m

Suggested Readings:

https://www.cgspectrum.com/blog/what-is-2d-animation

2D Animation: Everything You Should Know About it source:

https://www.renderforest.com/blog/2d-animation

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 Activities / Assessment Tasks

A. Written Test
Directions: Read each statement below carefully. Write T in the space provided if you think a
statement is TRUE. Write F if you think the statement is FALSE.
________1. “To animate” means “to give life to”.
________2. The inbetweeners will draw in whatever frames are still missing in between the other
animators’ drawings. This procedure is called twining.
________3. The animator has the option to move the body parts individually instead of drawing
the characters over and over.
________4. 2D Animation also referred to as Computer Generated Imagery.
________5. In 2D instead of drawing, the characters are digitally modeled in the program, and
then fitted with a “skeleton” that allows animators to move the models.
________6. 3D Animation Usually involves animating images, texts, or video clips.
________7. Motion Graphics is any animation that uses objects that are photographed in a
sequence to create the illusion of movement.
________8. Cut-out also uses cardboard or some flat material, but the objects are all black and
the shot is depicted with silhouette or shadow only.
________9. The purpose of staging is to direct the audience's attention, and make it clear what
is of greatest importance in a scene.
________10. Straight Ahead Action in hand drawn animation is when the animator starts at the
first drawing in a scene and then draws all of the subsequent frames until he reaches the end of
the scene.
________11. Appeal in a cartoon character corresponds to what would be called charisma in an
actor.
________12. Slow In and Out refers to the spacing of the in between frames at maximum
positions.
________13. Pixilation uses real people and real environments to create unreal videos.
________14. The first animated cartoon (in the traditional sense) was “Phantasmagoria” by the
French director Emile Cohl. Released in 1908.
________15. In the traditional animation process, animators will begin by drawing sequences of
animation on sheets of paper often using colored pencils, one picture or “frame” at a time.

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 B. Performance Test
Directions: Relate traditional animation to 2D digital animation

Rubrics in Assessing Performance Task

Criteria Percentage Score

Creativity 20

Neatness 20

Relationship of traditional 60
animation to 2D digital animation
is observed

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 References

Lester, J.D. (2015). Writing research papers: a complete guide, 15th Edition.
England: Pearson Education Limited.

Literature Review. (2010). Retrieved May 3, 2020 from:

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review

Literature Review and Purposes of the Reviewed Literature And Studies (2009). Retrieved May
3, 2020 from: https://www.slideshare.net/jennylsalgados/purposes-of-the-related-
literature-and-studies-73528523

Marano, A. P. (2018). Social Media Usage of High School Students In The Division Of Lipa
City: Basis For Curriculum Enhancement. Unpublished PUP Thesis

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