Animation-- How is it Done?

- Traditional animation, otherwise known as cell animation can be a very time consuming and somewhat tedious art form. The result can be very beautiful and full of life, but the viewer can easily not appreciate the vast amount of work, effort and time that is usually put into such projects (much like with other things.) With the numerous amounts of animated features as well as other media sometimes it’s taken as things only for young audiences when it can be for all.
- The animation in films/cartoons can contain thousands of frames, which are drawn by hand. They often start off as storyboards to plan the action of the feature. After the storyboard is agreed upon and finalized, all sounds/score/vocals to be used in the feature are created and recorded.
- Story reels are created in combination of the sounds and the finalized storyboard to further plan timing. If issues occur editing of the storyboard and or soundtrack can be done. Character model sheet are created next, to ensure consistency with animating of characters and props. With character designing in the works, landscapes and background designing is also worked on. The theme and scheme of colors are decided and determined before final backgrounds are created with decided media (such as paint or digital media.) After all planning is done, there’s still the animating that has to be done. The vast amount of planning helps avoid wasted time and money on hand drawn animation that could possibly not be used in the final film.




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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_animation

http://www.dreamagic.com/roger/04-22-96.html
http://www.blackwolf-images.com/page8.html
http://www.donbluth.com/cleanup.html

Gesso?

- What is Gesso? Well, gesso is a primer, a preparatory coating applied to a material before painting. It protects both the surface and the paint making the paint stick better to a surface as well as making the surface sturdier.

- Gesso adds tooth to the surface which adds textures and to the adhesiveness of a surface. It was originally made with animal glue and other various ingredients, but now is (acrylic gesso) “a combination of calcium carbonate with acrylic polymer medium latex, a pigment and other chemicals…” (Wikipedia). Titanium white (or T. dioxide) is usually the pigment added to the gesso ingredients to create white gesso.

- Acrylic gesso is the modern version of gesso which is often used with both acrylic and oils. In general, it’s not as dense as paint, but creates a thick surface. It help keeps moisture from soaking and weakening the surface. It’s not a requirement in painting and other things that gesso can be useful with, but the extra strength it gives surfaces as well as the added texture and absorbency can be a rewarding enough reason for consideration of applying it.





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http://www.aisling.net/journaling/gesso.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesso
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_%28paint%29
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http://members.cox.net/kellyshults/images/WC-B.jpg
http://emptyeasel.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/liquidgesso.jpg
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Eaten Color Lately?

- Have you ever wondered about that perfectly orange orange, or that perky pink frosting, or that cool refreshing blue-green beverage? Well, it's all generally washed over in food coloring. People have come to expect certain foods to be that certain "natural" color. Food can be identified by their signature color(s). Sometimes the color of a food can even signify the state of the food; such as it's freshness, whether it was cooked to long or not enough, or even whether its edible.

- There are two types of food coloring. They are known as dyes and lakes, which are both color additives. Color additives are basically anything that can apply color to things. Dyes dissolve in water and aren't soluble in oil. Lakes are also not soluble in oil, but are dispersive with oil. Lakes contain dye and insoluble substance.

- So why is food dyed exactly, again? If people want foods to have its natural color, the legitimacy of the food's color contradicts our fondness of "natural" color...

Reasons for dying can include: reducing color loss, reducing variation in color, enhancement of natural color and giving food a signature look. The consumer tends to associate flavors with color as well. In conclusion, the color of foods can determine its appeal, identity and its company's success. Ideals play a huge role in the use of food coloring.

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/colorfac.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_coloring

http://www.atlantaparent.com/07-04-Apr2007/apr07-art3-easter.html
http://www.oregonchocolatefountains.com/images/lemon-chocolate.jpg
http://www.dairy.com.au/consumers/images/dairyaustralia/ddf-adp-butter-home-1.jpg

Of All Colors... Blue?

- Why is the sky blue? Before discussing the sky being blue, let’s see what the sky really is. The sky is the part of the atmosphere that is seen from the surface of astronomical objects. What is air? If you’re thinking oxygen, you aren't completely right. Air is actually a mix of gases or the atmosphere. In Earth's case the air is mainly a mix of the gases of nitrogen and oxygen.
- So why is a part of the atmosphere blue? The molecules of the air molecules scatter the short wave-length (blue light) from the sun more than they scatter the other wavelengths in the light.
- At sunset or sunrise, the color changes to warmer colors because the blue light has been scattered away from the line of sight of the sun's direction leaving a gradient of red light. Clouds appear white, because their particles are thicker than the wave-lengths of light and scatter all colors evenly.



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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_sky_radiation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air

Northern Lights- Colors of the Sky

- The natural light show known as Aurora Borealis (in the northern latitudes) is an amazing phenomenon. The colored lights gracefully dance through the atmosphere in the form of a curtain or diffused glow. The Aurora Borealis, as its nickname intends, can only be seen in the northern hemisphere sky.
- First of all, what are the northern lights? Well it's the form of polar lights (auroras) which is unique to certain places. They are most notable the North (Aurora Borealis) and the South (Aurora Australis.) It is the result of charged particles that have collided from both the magnetosphere and the Earth's upper atmosphere. Many of the particles arrive from a solar wind from the sun. When the collision happens the energy becomes "excited" and gradually dissipates. For example the color of the aurora depends on the molecules participating. The greens and reds in the aurora could be dealt from atomic oxygen, while blue/violet and a weak red emission could come from nitrogen ions and molecules.
- Another notable fact could be how the auroras aren't unique to Earth, they happen on other planets as well; such as planets with stronger magnetic fields, Jupiter and Saturn. Though, they aren't always seen they always exist on some plane of the planet. Most of the time they are extremely faint and many obstructions (such as other lights and clouds) make it impossible to see. A clear, night sky is the best environment for seeing any aurora. Aurora opportunities can be very rare in some places, but common in others.

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http://odin.gi.alaska.edu/FAQ/#what
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29

Color Meaning

-Colors can have different implications in various situations. For a business, the color red could be intended for grabbing attention or give it a unique identity from its competitors. In general society it could be used to warn of potential danger or to emphasize an instruction. In nature it could also suggest danger, such as fire or blood (in general). Certain foods in nature are red and also some living things.
-The red used on stop signs is meant to be eye catching and not blend in with it’s surroundings. The general theme in traffic laws with color flows together, with red symbolizing denied motion or access.
-The red used in the retail industry can be used to invoke a “come and consume” feeling and for the general face of a company and it’s advertizing.

Conceptual Puzzle

- The class did an activity that required a group effort of drawing individual lines and placing them in a specified order to create a bigger picture. The picture was that of abstract lines that flowed throughout most of the composition, but certain sections of lines stood out, because of their placement on the papers. The lines tend to go from one corner to another corner, but some didn't follow the same procedure.

- During the process, it was a little confusing at first, because of the way the papers with lines had to be arranged as well as the order of how things were suppose to go.
This project reminded me of the activity where people take a smaller picture and enlarge it by drawing sections of the picture on many sheets of paper. Then, they piece them together as if it were a huge puzzle. The result would be a huge composition that was arranged with many individual drawings.

-The result of the conceptual activity was interesting, because of the general flow of the composition.