This book is packed full of the secrets of the old master animators, which Williams apprenticed under. Beginner to expert, this book is relevant to all life-long students of animation – an essential part of any animators library!
This book is packed full of the secrets of the old master animators, which Williams apprenticed under. Beginner to expert, this book is relevant to all life-long students of animation – an essential part of any animators library!
A beautiful tome written by legendary Disney animators, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. It chronicles the discovery and refinement of the animation process through the Golden Age of Disney animation. Features key chapters on the origins of the 12 principles of animation.
Written by Eric Goldberg, animator of Genie in Disney’s Aladdin. Less hefty than The Animator’s Survival Kit and offers fully animated examples of some of the techniques outlined. Every page packed full of brilliant character animation techniques.
A relatively small book compared to others of the genre but contains a ton of valuable information on great animation principles and technique with a particular emphasis on the timing of actions.
The first of two volumes of lectures delivered by long-standing Disney animator Walt Stanchfield. Delivered at Walt Disney Animation Studios, these lectures heavily influenced the likes of Brad Bird, Glen Keane, John Lasseter and Tim Burton.
The second of two volumes of lectures delivered by long-standing Disney animator Walt Stanchfield. The information is a little esoteric in places so these volumes should augment a good foundational knowledge of animation and it’s principles.
From classic 50’s character design to wonderful animation and lip-syncing technique, this book is bursting with fantastic animation knowledge. One of the first I bought and still referenced daily!
Tom Bancroft, designer of Mushu the dragon in Disney’s Mulan, describes the significance of basic shapes on character types and how the design of your cast of characters as a unit is just as important as the individual characters. Covers a range of characters and styles.
Draw dynamic, appealing characters that pack a punch! The book features step-by-step demonstrations of dynamic character design in Caldwells unique, cartoony style. Incredibly useful is the depiction of musculature and bone structure beneath the characters.
Anyone wanting to populate their own fantasy world with heros, monsters and wizards, this is the book for you. In Caldwells unique style, he demonstrates numerous ways to create an appealing cast of fantasy characters. Includes small section on fantasy backgrounds.
Christopher Hart’s books are great fun to all cartoonists and character designers. The style taught is that of Fairly Odd Parents and Dextors lab. This one is especially great for Flash character designers as the style is very flat and perfect for Flash animation.
One of our favourite ‘Art of…’ books. Master character designer Nico Marlet is featured heavily and it’s a gem just for that. Brilliant companion to the film showcasing fantastic dragon and character concept art. Beautiful atmospheric backgrounds, too.
This may be one of the original ‘Art of…’ books. It’s far bigger than other ‘Art of’ books is presented more like a diary of the crafting of the film. Features many Glen Keane drawings of Tarzan which is incredibly useful for studying masterful rendering of dynamic anatomy and musculature.
Drawing the human figure is hard. Drawing it and capturing the vitality and movement of the form on page is even harder. This book shows you how! Not just for animators, this book is for anyone who wants to change the way they view drawing the figure.
A more ‘modern’ figure drawing book. Very classical in it’s construction but hugely in depth. Breaks down all aspects of the figure into simplified shapes. Makes great use of colour overlays to depict the basic forms. Very informative and practically useful.
Excellent and in-depth look at the figure. Includes numerous ways to see all the body parts and tips and tricks on drawing it faithfully. No exaggeration or dynamism here. Straight up, classic figure drawing which is hugely informative for a relatively lightweight book.
George Bridgman and his unique, blocky style shows you how to piece the body together, muscle by muscle, bone by bone. Incredibly useful to understand how the body fits and moves together with in-depth naming of the various muscle groups.
Andrew Loomis books are a gem and this is no exception. A dedicated volume for heads and hands, two of the most expressive but difficult parts of the body to render presented by a master tutor.
Andrew Loomis provides another beautiful tome. Covers all your bases from simplifying the form, lighting the figure, foreshortening and more! All his books are worth every penny, simply for the inspiration they provide and the friendly conversational style he presents.
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