| If you want to draw some stop motion animation | | | | expressive. They don’t have to be complex |
| but don’t know what to do this article will | | | | and even simple stick figures will do. But they will |
| help. Often times people think you have to spend | | | | give you a very wide range of expression from |
| endless hours drawing the same figures over and | | | | shock to excitement, happiness and well the |
| over with just a slight change between each | | | | whole range of human emotion. |
| drawing. And while this is true there are lots of | | | | 6 – Vary the speed of what is happening |
| creative techniques you can use to draw fun and | | | | This is an important tool. You have to remember |
| interesting animations without the endless | | | | that things don’t all happen at the same rate |
| repetition. This article shows you nine techniques. | | | | of speed so you should vary your drawings to |
| You can do all of these techniques with very little | | | | reflect this. Characters can run or walk and |
| tools. Apart from the necessary things for any | | | | items can move slow or fast. A flower grows |
| stop motion animation like a camera, computer | | | | slowly and a rock falls from the sky quickly. |
| and some free software you will be able to do | | | | Space your drawings to reflect these differences |
| these things with a paper, pencil and eraser or my | | | | in speed. |
| preferred method of a dry erase board. I prefer | | | | 7 – Vary the camera angle by panning or |
| the dry erase board because it is very easy to | | | | zooming |
| draw on and erase things as you go. | | | | You can pan or zoom in the animation without |
| 1 – Text and words | | | | moving the camera or the workspace. This is a |
| The point about an animation is to communicate a | | | | really neat technique that will make your video |
| message or a story and text is a great tool for | | | | more interesting and more attractive. To zoom |
| doing this. You can write words and sentences | | | | in on an object you simply draw it in steps that |
| directly on your work area. And you can do it in | | | | are larger and larger, and while you are doing this |
| an animation style by adding the letters or words | | | | you are also bringing it toward the center of your |
| one at a time. | | | | workspace. If you have drawn a background you |
| 2 – Draw a background | | | | can move it to the left or right to simulate |
| This is often overlooked in animation but a good | | | | panning. |
| background or even a simple background adds a | | | | 8 – Have multiple events going on |
| level of depth to the story you are telling. You | | | | Often times, when drawing an animation, it is |
| can animate it or simply leave it as it is with no | | | | easy to get fixed on one central character but if |
| motion at all. | | | | you want to make your animation more |
| 3 – Simple motion | | | | interesting you should remember that more than |
| This is the technique of drawing an object on the | | | | one thing can be moving at any given moment, |
| work area, taking a picture then erasing it and | | | | even if it is just because of wind blowing. |
| redrawing it in a new location. This motion of the | | | | 9 – Tell a story |
| object simulates movement and is very effective | | | | This is the most important technique and you |
| and easy to do. It can be as simple as rain drops | | | | should give it a lot of thought. It is the hinge that |
| progressing down the work surface or a ball | | | | the whole animation rests on. This is the reason |
| bouncing across the screen. | | | | for what is happening in the animation and it gives |
| 4 – Growth: add lines and features | | | | the viewer a good reason to continue watching. If |
| Think of this as something growing right before | | | | the viewer perceives a story is unfolding he is |
| your eyes. Trees and plants make good | | | | more prone to stick with the video to see how it |
| subjects for this. You draw a line, take a picture, | | | | turns out. |
| extend the line, take another picture, etc until full | | | | Stop Motion animation is a wonderful creative |
| growth is achieved. You can also reverse this | | | | pursuit and you don’t need a lot of materials |
| technique and have objects that shrink in size. | | | | and tools to make some great animations. And |
| You erase and take pictures in small increments. | | | | you don’t need to draw hundreds of pictures |
| 5 – Anthropomorphism: taking the human | | | | that are just a repetition with slight changes. With |
| shape to express things | | | | a little thought an creativity you can make some |
| You can draw simple human shapes that are very | | | | that are easy and fun. |