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Stepped and Spline Blocking in Animation

Stepped and Spline Blocking in Animation

When designing animation, especially 3D animation, there are many steps that are involved. One of these steps is blocking which tends to put many animators in the dilemma of which specific method to use. Blocking is a technique used in animation in which key poses are shaped in order to set up the timing and placement of characters and props in a given specified shot. There are different methods in which blocking can be achieved some of which are stepped and spline blocking as discussed below.

Stepped Blocking

In Stepped blocking the animation curves of the blocked shot do not provide interpolation between the animation poses. This method is significant because it communicates big ideas and general clarity through the keys and breakdowns. Additionally, the main purpose of blocking using this method is just to verify and prove the concept. Moreover, by using the stepped blocking method, the animator is forced to think in terms of poses, beats and tremendously explains the large ideas.

Some of the advantages of working with this method are that it is normally faster and gives one the option of correcting and rectifying mistakes as early as possible. This means that if any change is necessary it is easier to do it in the rough state.

However, its main disadvantage is that it is difficult to add more information to market your idea by keeping it simple and clear.

Spline Blocking

On the other hand, the spline-blocking technique helps the animator assume a vivid understanding of who the characters are and how they are supposed to move. Hence this method allows one to work organically and straightforwardly. This is important because it enables one to know how the animation is going to work right immediately from the blocking stage.

In addition, with the spline method, the computer usually interpolates for you and hence you are able to get a clear grasp of how the timing of the animation is going to be. In the event that it does not satisfy the animator, he/she is able to shift the keyframes without playing the full animation. This helps in focusing on the posing rather than the animation.

Consequently, with the spline method, it is easier to fix things like following through and overlapping actions. This gives the significance of the method as you can get 70-80% of the way right in your first pass and hence finishing the shot can be a little bit easy.

The disadvantage is that it is easy for one to be distracted by the exclamation of the keyframes when one should only focus on the timing.

In summary, for an animation to be complete it can be blocked in any method above according to the animator’s preference. Hence if you need your animation to be blocked in either method, simply contact us for the same.

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Trends in animation to expect in 2018

Trends in animation to expect in 2018

It’s one of the high times in years, 2018 it carries a lot of energy in all sectors from action movies to high-end dramas. This has not left behind the animation industry, it had good times back in 2017, and still, up to this time, there are high hopes that it will do better than last year as they are a one-of-a-kind niche.

1. Merger of Giants- in animation we have giants who have created a name for themselves such as Fox, Disney, and Blue Sky. These giants have had good times in the past and now they are aiming to make it into the same playing field with other players like Netflix; with that ambition, a merger of Disney which has a dominant of animated characters and Fox’s of the mainstream will make a one of a kind. The mergers this year will bring good work to the viewers who have an unquenchable thirst for thrilling animations.

2. YouTube will no longer be a platform of choice for creators- YouTube in most cases isn’t a friendly place for creators to launch their products. This is because of hard economic times and depending on ad clicks relies solely on the mercy of Google algorithms. Other content creators have sought other hosting services like Vimeo, Kickstarter, or Patreon which will help them have a share of the market and create a return on their investments.

3. Child animation on the crisis? – In the past years the general public was very unaware of the effects of what children watched on their tabs or phones. In recent times the adults and parents woke up to the fact that the kids are exposed to the negative effects of social media and hence a lot of backlashes are expected from the parents and adults. Therefore, animation studios have to devise a way of dealing with the backlash or make losses.

4. More Adult Animations- back in 2017 Netflix made a debut in adult animation by releasing Castlevania it was a success and now the second season is on the way. This is one of the few examples of how even adults love animations, though primarily they were meant for kids. Though much of it is available on subscriptions, still this year promises greatly as this is one of the boon niches.

5. 3D CGI losses to 2D CGI- 3D CGI animations have enjoyed their share in the last 24 years, and most people have been exposed to them almost in every movie. In an attempt to cut costs and still provide the same quality companies have started to shift to 2D CGI and its improvements have surpassed those of the 3D CGI. This does not mean that 3D CGI is dead but it’s time for it to transform into better forms.

Times have changed and it’s really important to create high-quality trending animations and comic books with limited time. Prayan Animation is always updated with the latest trends and technology to serve the best quality output. Contact the Prayan team to learn more about our services and team.

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Five questions that each creator needs to ask themselves.

Five questions that each creator needs to ask themselves

Creators like everyone else desire improvement and make something different out of what they have been doing in previous times. This desire cannot be achieved if they cannot realize who they are, who they can become, and what new they can develop. These five questions will help one to evaluate them easily and come to realize their potential apart from the assumed one.

1. What was I doing a year ago?

This is one of the simplest questions that one will need to ask themselves as it triggers one to look back into their journey of creating content for a market. Was I too much into comics? Was I immersed in hand-drawn graphics or in the streamlined distribution of content? By understanding fully your past one can engage further to explore.

2. Am I still growing?

In this world full of competition, growth is another aspect that a creator cannot avoid, simply who you were a year ago doesn’t matter; what you now count a lot and it’s very significant. Those intense times when you feel like doing more are very useful as they push us into doing more than what we imagined, there’s no comfort zone for creators unless you keep pace with the rest and hold your share.

3. What makes me unique?

Every time I do ask myself “What is that thing that only I can do?”

This question really needs seriousness in tackling: there are as many creators like you out there and as much you can keep up to their pace, it’s also good to cut yourself from the rest by providing something unique from the rest. In that way you could have cut competition in half and taken your market share, take things that you are really good at seriously as being good isn’t all about your one thing but a sum of all your input.

4. What skill do I need to learn next?

Being a creator needs constant improvement, and this does not apply to bettering your acquired skills but also adding a little more on top of what you know. In a nutshell, each skill you add to your life will lead you to a good path as you never know where you will land the next day. Take time off your normal schedule and discover another skill that you can perfect and don’t be forced to learn but do it out of your own will as part of exploring new heights.

5. Do I enjoy what I’m doing?

This is a mother of all questions as it digs deep into the heart of the creator’s work and life. Enjoying what you do creates an environment good for growth; this is because in each set of loving what you do, that feeling of boredom and being burdened disappears, and as a creator rise to new heights of success

Prayan Animation is a good and clean example of creating great talents in the animation industry.

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Animation techniques for Beginners

Animation techniques for Beginners

It’s very weird to go head straight into animation without knowing what to expect and what it entails, the techniques used, ways of distributing your content, or what software/hardware to use. Instead of heading direct to YouTube for more info here is a guide to help you cover a lot and learn quickly.

Flash Animation

These are vector-based animations that are made using Adobe Flash, an animator needs to create enough frames and ensure that the movements are not jerky. A full-blown flash cartoon resembles a Cel animation highly. This can be seen on my little pony.

Rotoscoping

This is capturing realistic human movements through drawing on film footage of live characters. Rotoscoping is considered to be one of the funny animation techniques used by animators as it’s like cheating. This is not true considering other Films like Walking Life (2001) it impressed almost everyone even those who criticized it, this is because it was so complicated that one could not consider it as a rotoscope animation. In rotoscoping, a little artist’s impression converts it to be one of the classiest works.

Cutout and collage animation

This is one of the simplest animations mostly used in TV; literally cut-out animation uses puppets that have been cut from the drawing paper and have been painted of which then they are loosely arranged and their shots are taken again and again after being repositioned. In another version, collage is added to this form of animation to bring a different texture and taste as these are real photos cut off from magazines and books.

3D CGI Animation

CGI refers to Computer-generated Imagery, this is one of the popular forms of animation as it provides realistic texture in designing backgrounds or even in movies to make characters where they used models. Although the 3D CGI in the past required special programs to run, nowadays things have been made easier and you can make one from the comfort of your sitting room. In addition, 3D CGI requires a lot of time and clarity when detailing a character so as to make it seamless and believable.

With the above tips hope you will start your journey well and achieve the best.

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Are Comic Books an Effective Way for Education?

Are Comic Books an Effective Way for education?

This is one of the subjects that has caused an uproar and debates all over the world, as other people refer to being juvenile. In the real sense, why would one call such a work of art juvenile of which someone took time to craft and fine-tune each detail so as to pass information? This is the fundamental question that one has to ask in each forum since these graphics are part of art which encompasses music and dance.

When we look at comics from a wider perspective we find that they aren’t only used to represent fables and other fun stories but also they have penetrated into the teaching arena. This is because children and most people tend to remember what they have seen more, than teaching a whole science class with theory and a few diagrams as they are engaging. Therefore the comics are able to deliver their effectiveness through the following:

A. Engage the students with the language and the graphics at the same time. This is because they tend to motivate and support those ones who struggle to read and by the end of it they understand a concept they were having a hard time with.

B. The comics in their real representation present a bulk of information within a very short time and one can actually use them to recover on lessons that they were not present. The graphical representation plays well with the text to provide the relevant meaning. This helps to simplify complex issues in subjects such as math, science, and social studies.

C. Enhance high memory retention. Memory retention is high and that’s very important, just like when narrating a superhero story to fellow kids: the comics for different subjects make learning easier as the kids can recall the pictures and the wording of each step as they were amazing, what happens next is discovering a great bank of knowledge.

Also before one familiarizes themselves to read texts well let them follow the story line of the comic and they will understand better and verbalize it later. Therefore with the benefits of comics, it’s highly advisable to use them to enhance the learning process and achieve better results. Why wait to contact the best comic book creators in India?

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10 Things To Know Before You Start A Comic

Comic Book Creation

Each one of us grew up admiring certain superheroes that we saw and read about in comic books. That alone triggered a lot of questions on how one came up with all those amazing characters well-drawn and portrayed superhero characters. Hence we came up with this simple guide that will help you start a comic successfully.

1. Understand what are comics: It’s very paramount when we are conversant with what we want to create as that alone will serve as an impetus to creating the best art that everyone would love. This comes in as some might want to do know just out of fun or make webcomics as they are no-name artists and want to have fun.

2. Planning: Planning for a comic is getting all the necessary information before starting one, this includes the entire items that you might need in the course of the drawing, costing, and sourcing.

3. Get the idea: After you have planned for it, get the idea of what you want to pass on to others. This is very important as it helps one to fully interpret every character to its best as graphic novels require dedication and love to do them.

4. Writing a script: Most people feel like hell when they realize that there’s much writing to be done. That’s the sweetness of doing comics, by writing down a storyline and getting to interpret the flow of each one by one will help you to draw without forgetting a detail and makes work easier by making a work schedule for each part.

5. Layout: The most attractive way to do this is by designing a storyboard that fully presents the picture of your work so someone can easily visualize it. It simply gives you the finer details of each step and any new thing to introduce.

6. Drawing: Here it doesn’t matter whether you are doing it traditionally or digital way, drawing seems tedious always. Here you can draw your comics well and it’s good to avoid spending too much time on perfection.

7. Inking: Here perfection is always needed for all characters, this is because you are going to show the last product that you want to give out and any mistake should be eliminated.

8. Lettering: This comes in handy when showing sound effects or an action. Proper lettering brings out the good of a comic and it’s good to try quality lettering fonts and hands draw a few.

9. Marketing: Getting your comic a market isn’t an easy thing, one has to be patient. Luckily nowadays we have social media, try and tell your audience about the journey you are undertaking and even give them a snippet of the same that will market the work well.

10. Don’t fear asking questions: It’s good if one takes in criticism from someone who has checked the work and asks how you can make the work better.

With all the above tips hope you are all good to go and make a great comic book and tell your story.

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5 Tips for Making Great Animations for 2D Games

5 tips for making great animations for 2D games

Ever since animation acquired the power to attract much attention, many animation and game designers usually strive to keep up-to-date with more sophisticated and trending animation and game designs. However, in order to achieve the best and make great animations, especially for 2D games, you have to consider some important aspects of importance concerning the same.

First and foremost, push the animation to the limit. In order for the animation to be more interesting, the designer has to use the extremes and this means embroidery and attractions without forgetting to think about the possible reaction from other people and ensure their limit is achieved. Additionally, if the animation uses real expressions and movements, it has fewer chances of succeeding since people are familiar with these moves and definitely will not be impressed. Intense animations will draw much attention and will have higher chances of succeeding.

Secondly, make everything in the animation effervescent and feel lively.  The animation should not appear as if they are stiff and made up of autonomous moving parts.  Even if the animation is as simple as drinking water, strive to make the hand look like it is picking up the cup and taking it toward the mouth. However, the main idea is that your animation should seem moving even if it is at a standstill and this can be achieved by adding some bounce to the character to make it give the impression that it is alive and kicking.

To add that, for the animation to be perfect, they have to contain strong keyframes. When animating your sprites, you should ensure that they have strong and extreme keyframes that depict a particular movement. To add on that, for the animation to be best, the sprites should also be in order according to the stated move.

Furthermore, to ensure that you get a good one, you should limit the animation keyframes. Even though sometimes most animators exaggerate the specified animation to achieve a visible move, some designers tend to over-exaggerate and therefore make the animation lose its desired meaning. It is however advisable to use a limited number of frames but boldly highlight the important moves.

Last but not least, do not give much care and attention to the craft. Many 2D game designers usually pay too much attention about the craft and end up losing sight over the entire content. However, great care is supposed to be directed to the whole image and take much care of what it transmits and also the message it posts to the viewer.

For more details about animation and 2D game design, contact us and we will ensure you acquire what you desire. Satisfaction is our priority.

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Explore the Use of Illustration in Advertising

use of illustration in advertising

An illustration at first thought can be any artwork such as paintings, drawings, or any printed work that ideally expresses or conveys a message in the right order so as to create attention or sell a product. Illustrations are very vital these days when it comes to advertising and marketing. This is because they help simplify a complex idea into a simple one that people can relate to and understand and sometimes feel happy with the humor employed in some of them. Here are some factors to consider before using illustrations in your Advert.

Accuracy:  This is a factor that needs experts to portray well. It simply means correct representation of facts so as to avoid it being misunderstood. Hence for it to be well received, it should blend in with the theme of the advertising campaign that you are running to draw attention to the advert rather than distract viewers and cause discomfort.

Target audience: The target audience in many circumstances the one that defines your use of illustrations and graphics in an advert. Therefore before putting up a message on illustrations, one has to be aware of the age, lifestyle, and gender of the target audience. It’s essential to consider those things as you structure the message so as to touch them directly and embrace clarity.

Balancing of graphics: The act of balancing mostly checks on the text and illustrations, these things have to be looked into to avoid confusing a potential customer with too much text or illustrations. Let them be simple and expressively flawless so that the text and the illustrations sync in a good pattern which portrays quality and quantity in enhancing the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

Lastly, you should monitor the advert and act according to the feedback from those who have viewed it so as to amend or make corrections that can suit your purpose and audience coverage. Let everything blend in and enjoy the illustrations advert. Find out the best illustrator now.

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Factors Separating Good Animator from the Bad Animator

Factors separating Good Animator from Bad Animator

When we talk about animation, the key things that come into our mind are the art involved in making these animations, the qualities, and the skills that are employed in order to ensure one is a potential and good animator. However, not everyone who practices the art of animating is a good animator. As a result, we bring you the factors that one considers and hence separate a good animator from a bad one.

First and foremost, for one to be a good animator, one major aspect that an individual can bank on while separating a good animator from a bad one is the level of creativity and imagination. A good animator from the works of his/her art portrays a high level of creativity and imagination since the graphics that he animates are amazing, eye-catching, and attention-seeking. Thus for one to be such a good animator, the level of creativity and imagination should be good to ensure all his works are at the epic of animation.

Additionally for one to be characterized and separated from the rest as a good animator, the person has to be patient and ensure great attention is directed to the finer details of the art. This means that good animators not only do the animation tasks for rewards and wages but as well as the passion to do a good thing. This directs him to take his time and ensures he delivers a quality job rather than a shoddy job for the sake of final rewards.

Furthermore, a good animator is characterized by a sense of humor and his level of keen observation of an object before doing the job. This facet of humor is important since it helps to maintain the audience during the presentation and also it attracts and imparts interest in someone to know more about something.

In summary, from the above explanations of qualities of a good animator, just to mention but a few, a good animator has much that is expected from him/her. Furthermore, to be a good animator, one also is supposed to be conversant with a variety of computer software and graphic techniques.