Why Is Drawing so IMPORTANT??

it's just that is so much FUN.

well in any case, tell you a secret.

your sense of appreciation of something you don't know
how to do is deepened when you try doing it.

it's all about appreciation.
of other people. of yourself

That's animation--just movement.
What about composition, sillhouette values, line quality ( on linear forms), light/shade/colour values etc?

I deem these things inherent in the animation process. A person is able to evaluate these aspects of an image and make creative decisions without the ability to recreate them traditionally. I count myself in this.

Just being able to move something per se, might work out well for a job, but not so well for a career. We can pretty much train monkeys to animate--okay, at least take the layman off the street and train them to use their associated visual memory to emulate movements seen in the natural world.

I don't really see what you are getting at here. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I assume you are saying that a 3D animator doesn't really understand the motivation behind the movements they create. That's all down to training and experience, like anything else! Aren't you denigrating computer animation simply because the tool has made the medium more accessible and less exclusive?

I see a LOT of horrid 3D animation--too stiff and clunky.
Its horrid because the animators get too locked into the rigged forms they have and dont know how to "cheat" their animation. That insight mostly comes from drawing, knowing when to "pop" an action because drawing it out simply conveys physics that don't "work" under normal circumstances.

You're absolutely right - there is a lot of bad 3D animation out there. There is also a boat load of bad traditional/stop-mo/paper cutout animation out there too. People get better through experience and training. It doesn't happen overnight. When people are learning computer animation it is easy to start with a simple rig of bones and get most of the basics in there. Have you ever rigged a character? It is the hardest part of the 3D pipeline by a long way. Advanced controls take a while to implement and this is why they are not usually used most of the time.

I mantain that if you ask a 2D and 3D animator to do a character acting an extreme cartoon "take", that the 2D animator will be able to pull it off better simply because of the nature that drawing implies.
I haven't seen a extreme take done right in 3D yet--and those that have been done OBVIOUSLY had to use 2D ( or 2D experience) as reference.

So you're telling me that if you and I sat down to do a take on two different shots yours would automatically be better because you would use a pencil and I would use a computer? Um, doesn't it come down to talent? I would craft poses (probably on a frame-by-frame basis for a quick take) in a similar way that you would draw them.

I've seen extreme takes done brilliantly in computer animation, as I assume have you, since you mention the ones done right that had to use 2D reference. That is an assumption on your part, and even if it is true, why does that make it any less valid? Isn't the point to perform a lovely exaggerated take as you described? Sounds like it must have worked in order for you to say that, no? We all draw from the same knowledge base, after all.

You're right though - it is "easier" in traditional animation to accomplish this form of extreme movement thanks to the flexibility a drawing can enjoy, but the computer artist can achieve the same results.

K

That's animation--just movement.
What about composition, sillhouette values, line quality ( on linear forms), light/shade/colour values etc?
Just being able to move something per se, might work out well for a job, but not so well for a career. We can pretty much train monkeys to animate--okay, at least take the layman off the street and train them to use their associated visual memory to emulate movements seen in the natural world. That's just part of the equation--what happens when genres change to something that not just movement, but creation?
Its like training to be JUST an inbetweener in 2d--limited career prospects.
Being an "animator" might mean only moving the vectors on some rigged 3D form, or it might mean someone tasked with creating other visuals as well.
If its the later, you need to genuine artist skills to pull that off.

I see a LOT of horrid 3D animation--too stiff and clunky.
Its horrid because the animators get too locked into the rigged forms they have and dont know how to "cheat" their animation.
That insight mostly comes from drawing, knowing when to "pop" an action because drawing it out simply conveys physics that don't "work" under normal circumstances.

I mantain that if you ask a 2D and 3D animator to do a character acting an extreme cartoon "take", that the 2D animator will be able to pull it off better simply because of the nature that drawing implies.
I haven't seen a extreme take done right in 3D yet--and those that have been done OBVIOUSLY had to use 2D ( or 2D experience) as reference.

But I digress, both mediums have their strengths, but my adamant feelings are that to take fullest advantage of the 3D medium, one needs drawing skills. Cannot say it plainer than that.

Hi Ken,

I'm another one that has to disagree with you. Like Kev said, animation is about performance, acting and movement etc. None of that has got anything directly to do with drawings. Just being able to draw well doesn't make you a good animator- not even in drawn animation. "Emulate movement seen in the natural world" is also very difficult and maybe too much for a monkey to do! I have met many average animators who draw every well but can't animate. It is true that you need to have both skills to be a 2d animator but if we are talking about stop motion or computer animation, I don't see why we should be talking about drawing skill the whole time.

Cartoon and extreme movement is not limited to 2d animation at all. Go watch " For the birds", " Ice age2" or "Madagascar"(While you're at it, check out all the Pixar movies.) and you will see what could be done now in terms of cartoon style animation. It's 3d but it's certainly not all "stiff and clunky". Some of the beautiful animation was done by people who haven't done a single day of 2d animation and might not even draw well. There are a lot of new animators working on cg features these days. They understand animation basics as much as any 2d guys and they have just as much knowledge about the history of animation. I don't even know if they can draw well or not. All I know is they are doing some beautiful stuff. To me it is a good thing, if someone has got animation talent and is not into drawings, he or she can still showcase their talent by wroking on cg or stop motion. I love films like " Wallace & Gromit" and "Nightmere before Christmas" too. But don't tell me all the animators who worked on them are top draftmen . I know quite a few of them and I have respect for every single one of them because of the great animation they produced. Whether or not they draw is not important to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love 2d animation and like to draw a little bit myself. After all I spent 20 years working as a 2d animator before I switched to 3d. I worked with some of the best 2d and 3d animators around and all of them have something in common- they all have animation skills, not just drawing skills. In some cases, mostly animation skills.

All these talk about drawing can help your animation is very true but it's not the be all and end all. We animators are actors and performers. We either use our pencils or computer or puppets to act just like live action actors. Are you saying that you have to draw to become an actor? What you have to understand is when someone is animating with the computer, he or she has to animate just like a 2d animator would- create poses; set timing; do lipsync; create facial expression etc. All the animation basics like ovelap. following through; break of joins have to be used here- Just like 2d. You can do squash and stretch too if you like. You toggle your keys just like you flip your drawings. The difference is that you use your mouse and keyboard instead of your pencil. But you animate just the same. There's not an "animation" button you can press to make the character move the way you want it to. It's not "software' skill vs " drawing skill" We are talking animation here.

I would say if you're interested in animation but can't drawing very well, don't give up! You can still be a good animator.

-Paul

Don't get me wrong, I love drawings and I was a 2d animator for 20 year before I switched to 3d. I just don't want people to get the wrong idea about animtion. I'll say if you're interested in animation but can't drawing very well, don't give up! You can still be a good animator.

-Paul