Books may be a bit old school these days, but a good book is still a great place to start learning about and exploring the world of character animation.
The best books will teach you, immerse you - and inspire you to do your very best work. So, what are the top five books?
The ASK is now the standard textbook for animators and easily the most comprehensive book available for learning animation.
You can also buy it as an eBook download, for use on your iPad. It's even better as an eBook since you can watch the videos as well, to illustrate the examples.
My own copy is well thumbed. If I ever get stuck on a shot I'm animating, The Animator's Survival Kit is my first place to look for inspiration on how to fix the problem. Nine times out of ten the ASK will give me an "aha!" moment - and I can keep working.
2: The Illusion of Life
The Illusion of Life was written by Disney animation legends Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnstone, and represents the accumulation of knowledge of the first "Golden Age" of Disney animation. It's a great read, though it's easy to get lost in the great stories about the early days of animation.
3: Cartoon Animation
Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair was the first available book on animation, and has been in print since the early 1950s, regularly updated since then. Still full of very useful material.
4: Timing for Animation
by Harold Whittaker and John Halas is another very useful book on animation. It was first written some years ago but was recently updated and edited by former Animation Guild President Tom Sito.
5: Character Animation Crash Course
The Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg is an excellent resource by one of the most talented 2D animators in the world - the man behind the genie in Disney's Aladdin. It is out of print, but you can still download the Kindle edition.
2: The Illusion of Life
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The Illusion of Life |
Only about ten percent of The Illusion of Life is about the making of animation, the rest is anecdote and history - but this vital ten percent is a golden resource.
3: Cartoon Animation
Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair was the first available book on animation, and has been in print since the early 1950s, regularly updated since then. Still full of very useful material.
4: Timing for Animation
by Harold Whittaker and John Halas is another very useful book on animation. It was first written some years ago but was recently updated and edited by former Animation Guild President Tom Sito.
5: Character Animation Crash Course
The Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg is an excellent resource by one of the most talented 2D animators in the world - the man behind the genie in Disney's Aladdin. It is out of print, but you can still download the Kindle edition.
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