ANIMATION PRACTICES
I pulled these from a useful animation website but the source itself has some malicious content within it, so I just copied and pasted it here. These are some very helpful exercises that anyone/everyone should practice.
Feel free to make add and/or make changes to the current list.
Go by one level at a time, once you are knowledgeable about the subject you are currently learning you can move up to the next level of exercises.
>BOLD LETTERING means that it's crucial to learn these animations before moving on.
>*Single Asterisk means that there's a little note when practicing this animation
>Strikethrough means that it's not necessary to do this animation to move on to the next level
(Do not discount their simplicity! Here you have the principals of animation, which all other animation is built on. They are worth your time and effort.)
CHALLENGES
>Level 1
No rough drawings/animation, every animation should have clear and concise lineart
>Level 2
Color each animation. Understand how colors work, don't be afraid to use different colors! For example, make the sky green, the Simpsons did it and people hardly seemed to notice. It doesn't matter if the color isn't what it's supposed to be, the contrast between the colors will make it look nice and pretty.
>Level 3
Add a background, this will help with the story telling of the animation. But note that animation isn't about the background, it's about the actions itself.
>Level 4
Add secondary action with each animation.
>Level 5
Add shadows within the animation
>Level 6
Alter the animation with more or less weight than you desire. Switch it up a bit and try something other than the standard move set.
BEGINNER PRACTICES
>Level 1 Exercises: Simple Objects
Ball Bouncing in place, no decay (loop)
Ball Bouncing across the screen
Brick falling from a shelf onto the ground
>Level 2 Exercises: Character
Character head turn with anticipation
*Character blinking
Character thinking [tougher than it sounds!]
Simple character head turn
*Character blinking should have weight and more than one frame, don't cop out on this
>Level 3 Exercises: Weight
Flour Sack waving (loop)
Flour Sack jumping
Flour Sack falling (loop or hitting the ground)
Flour Sack kicking a ball
INTERMEDIATE PRACTICES
[All of the basics should be known now]
>Level 4 Exercises: Character Intermediate
[THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LEVEL]
Change in Character emotion (happy to sad, sad to angry, etc.)
Character jumping over a gap
Standing up (from a chair)
Walk Cycle [oldie but goodie!]
Character on a pogo stick (loop)
Laughing
Sneezing
Character being hit by something simple (ball, brick, book)
Run Cycle
>Level 5 Exercises: Objects Intermediate
Reaching for an object on a shelf overhead
Quick motion smear/blur
Taking a deep breath [also tougher than it sounds!]
A tree falling
ADVANCED PRACTICES
[You must know the principals of animation before moving on]
>Level 6 Exercises: Character with Object Advanced
Close up of open hand closing into fist
Close up of hand picking up a small object
Character lifting a heavy object (with purpose!)
Character painting
Overlapping action (puffy hair, floppy ears, tail)
Hammering a nail
Stirring a soup pot and tasting from a spoon
Character blowing up a balloon
Character juggling (loop)
Scared character peering around a corner
Starting to say something but unsure of how
Zipping up a jacket
Licking and sealing an envelope
Standing up (from the ground)
Pressing an elevator button and waiting for it
EXPERT PRACTICES
This is professional level animation
>Level 7 Exercises: Character with Object Expert
Character eating a cupcake
Object falling into a body of water
Two characters playing tug-of-war
Character dealing a deck of cards out
The full process of brushing one’s teeth
A single piece of paper dropping through the air
Run across screen with change in direction
Sleeping character startled by alarm then returning to sleepy state
Opening a cupboard and removing something inside
Putting on a pair of pants
Opening the “world’s best gift” and reacting
MASTERY
–Move the camera as the action progresses, don't just pan the camera, move the camera around in a 3-dimensional space
–Add sound effects, voice acting, etc to any of the previous exercises