Starting a Digital Animation course soon? Find out everything you need to know to prepare for your studies.
1. Keeping a sketchbook
Before embarking on the Digital Animation course, it would be a good practice for students to keep a personal sketchbook. Find weekly challenges or a theme and try to draw daily from life if possible. There is also the Inktober challenge which encourages artists to draw a page a day based on keywords.
You could focus on a simple subject that has clear geometric shapes such as a box, cylinder or sphere. It does not have to be beautiful drawings but most importantly it is about observation, proportions and form. Keep practicing, you may not get it right the first few times but will only get better through time. Use different drawing materials besides pencils, you can use charcoal, pen and ink, painting etc. Experiment to see what works for you.
If you are up for the challenge, you could also try quick sketches of people you observe in café, bus stops etc. Just make sure you are not staring awkwardly.
2. Observational Skills
Relating to drawing, from what you see and observe to how you can translate that to paper. Observe and study the subject in detail, take your time to understand its form, shape and function. It is a practice of drawing by looking directly at the subject rather than using memory or imagination.
When drawing, start simple by breaking down your subject into basic shapes like rectangles, circles or triangles. Start by drawing lightly as a guideline and getting the proportion correct before adding finer details or lines. Don’t be tempted to get a finished drawing. It’s all about getting the roughs right first.
This simple exercise will help improve your hand-eye coordination and build a repository of visual information that you can recall in future without having references at hand.
3. Research
You can keep a series of images and studies in your sketchbook all together. Your research and material could come from images either found (Secondary) or images taken by yourself (Primary) is an invaluable asset to have when it comes to gathering new information. For example, if you are studying a particular subject (A butterfly) I would been looking into specific species, its habitat, textures, close ups of anatomical studies, micro and macro studies, how it flies and interact, the metamorphosis etc. These information will help you make informed decisions when it comes to understanding and developing your own content or for character development.
Throughout the course, we would be expecting students to provide research and process as part of their hand ins.
4. Technical Skills
Here are some suggestions to prepare yourself technically, do explore some of these free programs which can help you to be more proficient and confident in using various tools. Of course, you will be taught to use specific programs during your degree.
Autodesk Maya and Blender are free for students to use. You would need to register yourself on the website.
ToonBoom Harmony is not free but there is a 21-day trial use but can help you familiarise yourself with the programme before the course starts. We will be providing you a personal copy at the start of the term.
For video editing and compositing, there is a free version of DaVinci Resolve.
Digital Animation at BCU
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5. Useful Links and Reading Materials
There will be a list of suggested reading list for every module, however these will be the ones that you would be using most often. They form the core principles of animation whether you are into 2D or 3D, the foundation remains the same.
We would suggest going through some of it before the start the course, so you have a better understanding of the terminology used during lectures and practical sessions. Some of the books will also be available on campus and on our E-Learning portal.
Reading Lists
- The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams
- Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks
- Timing for Animation by Harold Whitaker and John Halas
- Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation by Francis Glebas
- Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen by Steven D. Katz
