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All animators must learn to walk before they can run. In 2D Character Animation, industry expert George Maestri teaches the basic principles every animator must know to build a foundation for more complex work. These principles are relevant regardless of software used or animation style. George explains how good animation depends on a firm knowledge of the laws of motion, which inform the principles of animation. He teaches the basics of creating characters, squash and stretch, pose-to-pose animation, walking and running, track reading, and dialogue animation. He also shows how to use After Effects and Flash to apply the tools learned in the course. Exercise files accompany this course.

Course 2D Character Animation Author George Maestri SKU ISBN Release Date 2009-11-13 Duration 5.50 hrs / 73 tutorials Work files Yes Price $ 49.95 Retail price $ 99.95 Language Tags 2D

1. Creating Characters for Animation Designing characters 03:22 Tracing characters 04:32 Creating joints that work 03:53 Working with outlines 04:00 Accessorizing your characters 02:21 Creating parts for replacement animation 01:41 Rigging hierarchies in After Effects 05:33 Rigging replacement animation in After Effects 05:52 Rigging with the Puppet tool in After Effects 03:16 Rigging Flash characters 05:50 Rigging replacement animation in Flash 04:25 Rigging with the Bone tool in Flash 03:36 2. Principles of Animation The first law of motion 03:03 The second law of motion 03:45 The third law of motion 03:19 Using slow in and slow out 05:34 Arcs and smooth motion 05:04 Understanding overlap and follow-through 05:16 Animating overlap and follow-through 05:46 Understanding squash and stretch 03:10 Animating squash and stretch 04:40 Squashing and stretching characters 05:16 Understanding weight 03:27 Understanding anticipation 04:54 Animating anticipation and weight 02:15 3. Animating Characters Internal vs. external forces 04:45 Bringing characters to life 04:57 Animating blinks 04:37 Animating changes in eye direction 02:43 Animating head turns 08:01 Creating a strong line of action 04:16 Creating strong silhouettes 02:19 Pose-to-pose animation: Blocking 04:32 Pose-to-pose animation: Animating 04:21 Pose-to-pose animation: Finalizing 05:19 4. Animating Walks A walk in four poses 02:27 Motion of the head and body 01:32

Walk cycles and backgrounds 01:40 Skeleton motion and walking 04:02 Animating a walk: Contact position 03:00 Animating a walk: The feet 09:10 Animating a walk: The body 05:19 Animating a walk: The legs 08:21 Animating a walk: The upper body and arms 03:46 Animating a walk: The head 02:50 Animating a walk: Squash and stretch 04:46 5. Animating Runs A run in four poses 04:10 Animating a run: First pose 04:39 Animating a run: Second pose 03:45 Animating a run: Third pose 03:27 Animating a run: Fourth pose 05:01 Animating a run: Upper body 05:50 6. Facial Animation and Dialogue The basics of dialogue animation 04:35 Reading tracks and assigning mouth shapes 05:33 Phonemes and lip-syncing 08:36 Animating dialogue: Animating the body 06:27 Animating dialogue: Assigning mouth shapes 04:10 Animating dialogue: Finalizing 07:45 7. Animating Characters in After Effects and Flash Animating a scene 02:00 Setting up the scene in After Effects 03:02 Animating the feet in After Effects 10:40 Animating the legs in After Effects 04:21 Animating the upper body in After Effects 09:44 Animating the mouth and blinks in After Effects 07:05 Setting up the scene in Flash 04:06 Animating the feet in Flash 09:00 Animating the body in Flash 05:23 Animating the legs in Flash 07:24 Animating the hands in Flash 11:54 Animating the mouth in Flash 12:26 Conclusion Goodbye 00:33