12

Animating a Character

Character animation is, perhaps, the ultimate goal in using the Grease Pencil 2D Animation

Workspace. The preceding chapters have introduced the program's interface and the tools for

drawing which enable you to construct a Scene and perform simple Animation.

This chapter concentrates on animating a Character which could be a depiction of a human like

figure or an animal or an animate object. This is where your imagination comes into play.

The intention here is to introduce some of the basic concepts which will allow you to understand

instruction presented in the many interesting and informative video tutorials available on the

internet. There are many many techniques which can be applied but to understand the

application of those techniques it is felt that you have to, at first, understand the basics.

The demonstration in this chapter is intended to reinforce the concepts involved in producing a

Character Animation and not to create a sophisticated presentation. An animation is basically a

visual way of telling a story whether it is for amusement or a means of conveying a message.

That being the case, the process begins with an idea which develops into a concept requiring a

plan of action.

The plan of action is referred to as, The Storyboard, where a rough outline of the Animation is

sketched. In producing the Storyboard the components of a Scene are defined.

Example Storyboard: Sketches of proposed Scenes in the Animation.

Figure 12.1

121