Today we learned about the main principles of animation. The principles are important to take into account because without some of them an animation might seem dull, inaccurate or incomplete.
Arcs
Arcs are an important part of animation because they are linked to the physics of objects and characters. The best way of describing an arc of an object would be when a ball is thrown and it falls to the ground. The path that the ball follows would be an arc.
Arcs are also used in the movement of characters. Like how they would move their arms smoothly, or transfer from one pose to another naturally.
Anticipation
Anticipation is when an object or character is about to perform an action, or about to move, and it is affected in some way.
For example, when a person goes to jump, they bend their legs in anticipation.
Exaggeration
Exaggeration is when a movement of an object or character is over exaggerating an action. This is normally done for dramatic or a comedic effect.
A good example of when this would be done is in a fast-paced scene, where it would go more unnoticed, and create the illusion of more movement.
Appeal
Appeal is when an animation is matched to an object or character. For example, a bubbly, lively character in an animation wouldn't always be walking slowly, and would most likely had a flounce or skip in their step.
Secondary Action
Secondary actions are when two different animations overlap. For example, when a character is walking, their clothes might be reacting to the wind, causing a secondary action.
There is an example of this in almost any animation.