Books › The animator's survival kit
The animator's survival kit
382 pages
A masterclass in a book that feels like sitting beside an animation legend at his drawing board.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like pulling up a stool next to a master animator at his drafting table. It is an intensely focused, workshop-like experience, brimming with the infectious passion of a lifelong artist sharing his hard-won secrets. The pace is steady and deliberate, demanding that you pause, study the meticulous diagrams, and absorb the mechanics of movement. Yet, the tone is never dry; it is conversational, anecdotal, and deeply encouraging, punctuated by emphatic advice and stories from the golden age of animation. It transforms the daunting complexity of walk cycles and frame rates into an empowering, accessible craft. This is a bible for visual storytellers, delighting anyone who wants to understand the painstaking, magical discipline of breathing life into a static image.
- Mood
- inspiring
- focused
- creative
- workshop-like
- Tone
- authoritative
- passionate
- instructive
- anecdotal
- encouraging
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the illusion of life · mastery of craft · creative discipline · the mechanics of movement · artistic dedication
- The writing
- Conversational, highly visual, and punctuated by enthusiastic anecdotes and emphatic advice.
- The arc
- Moves from a daunting appreciation of the craft's complexity to an empowering sense of technical mastery and creative possibility.
- Who it's for
- Aspiring animators, seasoned artists, and anyone fascinated by the painstaking magic of making drawings move.
About the book
Richard Williams, notable for his work on "The Thief and the Cobbler", intimately outpours all his animation knowledge to You. The book covers all 12 principals of animation as well as walk cycles, workflows, and general "Do's" and "Don'ts". Although colleagues have told me before that Williams can go a bit too detailed when it comes to information about walk cycles and frame rates.
Description from Open Library.
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