Introduction

Last week, we looked at breakdown frames in linear animation and ‘proper’ animation.

Now that I have looked at some of the basic skills, I am going to create an animation using a character that I design.

Character Sheets

Character model sheets are used as a standardised design for a character, and act as a reference for animators to draw the character in different poses and from different angles while remaining consistent with the character design. Character sheets include drawings of the character from different angles, and any common facial expressions they make.

Three important perspectives to include are a Front view, Side view and Three Quarters view of the character. The character might be posed in a T pose, A pose or Resting pose.

The lines on the sheet are to show the proportions of the character. For Garfield, there is a line where his feet touch the floor, where his legs meet his body, his neck, and the top of his head.