Hello everyone, today I will share with you a secret that no one but me will tell you, which is how easy it is to start learning animation, not through institutes or complicated “courses” as many think, but in a fun way that you will never get bored of throughout your life, which is watching anime, which has been the secret to my learning animation since my childhood until today.
My Patreon account where you can find a detailed screenshot of the animation
Passion for Japanese anime: Learning animation by watching
One day I was struck by art block and lost all desire to draw, so I decided to turn off my computer and watch Attack on Titan for the first time. From the very first episode, my lost enthusiasm returned, and I didn't even finish it before turning my computer back on and excitedly starting to animate.
Yes, it is the magic of anime; just watching half an episode was enough to ignite my passion for animation.
Understanding the secrets comes from anime, not from lessons.
You will not find in courses and lessons all the secrets that Japanese studios follow in the anime industry, even if you search for a long time.
Anime and Japanese films are the secret lessons that will truly teach you animation. For example, if you want to animate a walking scene, tutorials will show you the basics, but watching an anime walking scene will teach you about angles, frame count, movement style, and how to practically distribute movement expression.
Animation techniques for walking scenes in anime
Through continuous viewing, I learned that Japanese studios employ diverse techniques such as:
- The character is fully animated from head to toe.
- Moving the feet only reduces the effort required by the motor.
- Moving the hands alone while walking.
- Showing only the top of the head to the shoulders with an up-and-down movement to simulate walking.
- The characters are drawn entirely in black when moving a herd of people.
- Choosing smart shooting angles (from above or from behind) makes movement easier.
Studying and analyzing anime clips to learn how to learn animation by watching.
When watching anime, I could predict the next action and camera movement, and every scene was a practical lesson, for example:
- When filming a group of people, I notice whether they are all animated or just one character.
- In fight scenes, pay attention to using the camera and effects to hide animation flaws.
- I monitor whether the character moves the whole thing or just specific parts to reduce the burden.
Less movement and more reliance on the camera
Anime frames are shorter than cartoon frames, as in cartoons the characters move constantly, while in anime they only move when necessary, which is a style I love and apply in my work:
- In dialogue scenes: the characters remain still while only the mouth and camera move.
- Slowly move the camera from bottom to top while speaking to add depth.
- When shocked: The camera moves quickly from bottom to top instead of moving the character.
- Moving an entire group in one motion, such as sitting down or turning over, to reduce effort.
Repetition and repetition to reduce effort
One of the secrets of anime: clever repetition and recapitulation, such as:
- Repeating a simple movement such as the character jumping up and down with extended dialogue.
- Recreating an old move in a new scene without the audience noticing.
- Using only two frames for a quick movement (e.g., opening and then quickly closing the hands) is popular in comedy scenes.
Additional things for the engines
- Focusing the camera on the background while the protagonist is doing something, such as eating, reduces the need for full movement.
- Move a group quickly with fog or tree effects to hide the bugs.
Don't forget that repeatedly watching the same scene at a slow speed helps you notice details you haven't seen before.
Focus on camera movement, character expressions, and effects used during the scene.
Record in your sketchbooks the number of frames used, camera angles, and character movement in each shot.
Ten years of my unique website, Summer Art
When I found it difficult to move my eyes, I didn't look for courses, but immediately went to watch an anime clip, slowed down the clip, studied the movement, and went back to applying it in my own style without copying it verbatim.
I taught myself animation by watching anime, and I learn every day because every anime is a complete learning course. Every shot, every scene, and every line of dialogue in an anime is a lesson, which is why learning animation by watching is better, easier, and more enjoyable than any long, boring course.
And so, we've learned how to learn animation by watching anime – a fun way to learn animation and quickly develop our skills. Thank you, and I'll see you soon, God willing.
