http://monstroanimation.blogspot.com

Animation Article Database

Last updated: July 13, 2012. Added an article by Mark Kennedy, "Staging and How it Affects Mood and Drama."

Please let me know in the comments if there are any dead or incorrect links. Thanks! I tried to give
credit to the authors of each articles, but if I got something wrong please let me know.

A couple notes: I don't include an article more than once. A lot of times, an article can fit into several
categories, but I try to narrow it down to one if I can. I don't see a point in making a list like this if I don't
narrow and specify the articles categories as much as I can.
So, for example, if you're looking for articles on "Weight", be sure to check out the articles categorized
under "overlap/follow-through," "squash and stretch," "physicality," ect. There are a lot of related categories,
so don't just look under one!ACTING
ANTICIPATION
APPEAL
ARCS
BLOCKING
BOUNCING BALL
BREATHING
CHARACTER & CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
COMEDY
CONTRAST
DEMO REEL
DESIGN
DIALOGUE & THE MOUTH
DIRECTING
DISTORTION
EDUCATION
EMOTION
EMPATHY
ENTERTAINMENT
EYES
EXPRESSION & THE FACE
FEAR
FEEDBACK
FOCAL POINT
GESTURES & BODY LANGUAGE
GIMBAL LOCK
HANDS
INVERSE & FORWARD KINEMATICS
JOB INTERVIEWS
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
LINE OF ACTION
MOTIVATION
MOVING HOLDS
MUSIC
NINE OLD MEN (DISNEY)
OBSERVATION
OVERLAP/FOLLOW-THROUGH
PANTOMIME
PHRASING & BEATS
PHYSICALITY
PLANNING
POLISH
POSING
PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION
PRODUCTION, ANIMATION
REFERENCE
SECONDARY ACTION
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
SILHOUETTE
SNAPPY ANIMATION
SPACING
SPLINES & TANGENTS
SQUASH AND STRETCH
STAGING/COMPOSITION/LAYOUT
TEXTURE
THOUGHT PROCESSES
THUMBNAILS
TIMING
TWINNING
WALK CYCLES
WEIGHT
WORKFLOW
WRITING

ACTING

Williames, Matt. “are you an Actor, or a Technician?” February 15, 2007.

Gordon, Andrew. “Why the muppets are such great inspiration for Animation.” February 21, 2008.

Hathaway, Travis. “more on texture...” May 21, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “Acting Ideas...” February 9, 2010.

Kricfalusi, John. “Specific Acting - Sven Hoek.” April 25, 2010.

Body, Brendan. "Some Thoughts on Acting Part 1 (subtext)." September 3, 2009.

Body, Brendan. "Some Thoughts on Acting Part 2 (capturing honesty)." September 27, 2009.

Gardner, Jacob. "Acting Analysis - Glengarry Glen Ross." February 18, 2009. Kelly, Shawn. "What Does an Animator Have to Learn about Traditional Acting? How Should This Learning be Applied to our Animation?" July 17, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "What is "Interior Monologue?" October 29, 2008.

Bruno, Nick. "What Steps Do You Go Through to Get into Your Characters Mind?" November 24, 2008.

Shorey, Kevan. "What Makes an Acting Shot Shine?" January 13, 2009.

Hartline, Aaron. "How Important Are Storytelling and Acting Skills for an Animator?" February 17, 2010.

Pullyblank, Mark. "What Did You Do Differently in Your Animation Studies That Made You Stand Out?" April 13, 2010.

Kricfalusi, John. "Acting Tools 1) Expressions- the basic expressions." January 25, 2010.

Kricfalusi, John. "Acting tool 2) - Head Motion To Punctuate Dialogue." December 21, 2007.

ANTICIPATION


Kricfalusi, John. "Disney Principles 7 - Anticipations." February 8, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Is Anticipation? Can You Provide Some Tips?" December 16, 2008.

Animation Mentor Staff. "How Do You Include Anticipation in Your First Blocking Pass?" February 23, 2009.

Chua, Chris. "Tips on Anticipation." July 2, 2009.



APPEAL

Kricfalusi, John. “Disney Principles 4 - Appeal 1 -“ December 9, 2008.

Casaway, Mike. "How Do You Make an Unappealing Character Design Appealing?" July 5, 2011.

Gilman, Aaron. "How Do You Make an Unappealing Character Design Look Appealing?" October 21, 2008.

ARCS

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Track Those Arcs.” January 19, 2007.

Fielding, Cameron. “Perfect Imperfection.” June 26, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "Arc (Part 1)-" June 11, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "Arc (Part 2)-" September 13, 2010.

Lango, Keith. "Arc D'Triumph!" August 30, 2004.

Sintay, Keith. "What Are Figure 8 Curves and How Do They Fit in With the Movements of Characters." September 10, 2008.

Bruno, Nick. "How Do You Improve the Arcs in Animation?" December 15, 2008.

Animation Mentor Staff. "What Does It Mean to Avoid Tangents in Animation?" March 16, 2009.

BLOCKING

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: One Step At A Time.” November 19, 2008.

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Think In Reverse.” August 5, 2009.

Gordon, Andrew. “Clean Blocking.” September 16, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “Blocking Followup.” October 5, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “Blocking No Mans Land.” March 22, 2009.

Boadway, Dana. "Could You Discuss Blocking Techniques?" April 8, 2009.

Chase, Ray. "What's the Importance of Clean Blocking? Can You Provide Some Tips on Clean Blocking?" September 28, 2009.

Chase, Ray. "What's One Step That Is Often Overlooked in Student Animation?" October 5, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "How many types of blocking are there? How many frames should I leave for blocking of a normal character?" May 4, 2010.

BOUNCING BALL

Jasmin, Francis. "What does a Bouncing Ball can teach us about animation?" January 30, 2011.

Body, Brendan. "Exploration, Analysis and Application of the Bouncing Ball." October 15, 2008.



BREATHING

Body, Brendan. "Acting, Breathing and Al Pacino." November 7, 2009.

Pontillas, Bobby. "Let 'em Breathe." February 22, 2010.

CHARACTER & CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Gordon, Andrew. “Character Development.” March 12, 2011.

Kricfalusi, John. “Jinks Is Iconic - a Real Character.” September 15, 2010.

Gardner, Jacob. “Specificity in Character.” January 5, 2010.

Gardner, Jacob. “Specificity in Character part 2.” February 24, 2010.

COMEDY

Kennedy, Mark. "True Comedy Comes From Character." February 15, 2012.

CONTRAST

Gordon, Andrew. “Contrast in Animation.” June 4, 2007.

Kricfalusi, John. “Cartoony Principles 1: Contrasts.” August 21, 2010.

Shorey, Kevan. "How Do Animators Use Contrast?" January 5, 2009.

Kennedy, Mark. "Contrast Can Be Enough to Tell a Story." April 15, 2012.

DEMO REEL

Gordon, Andrew. “Demo Reel Tips...” January 18, 2006.

Clark, Scott. “Demo Reel Tips... Part 2!” February 23, 2006

Gordon, Andrew. “Revisiting what makes a good reel.” May 4, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “More on Demo Reels.” August 11, 2009.

Pontillas, Bobby. "Demo Reel Reviews." January 12, 2010.

Pontillas, Bobby. "How I got in." November 6, 2009.

Sintay, Keith. "How Important Is Music on a Demo Reel?" September 29, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "If You Don't Have a Short Film, What Do You Show in Your Demo Reel?" April 22, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Would It Be Wrong to Ask an Employer if I Could Use a Shot That I Have Completed for My Demo Reel, When the Film Has Not Been Released Yet?" July 28, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Specific Shots Show the Most Knowledge of Animation Principles That You'd Want to See in a Demo Reel?" August 4, 2009.

Hartline, Aaron. "What Would You Suggest Are the Top 3 Types of Scenes to Include at the Start of a Demo Reel?" January 19, 2010.

Brown, Nelson. "What Takes a Demo Reel from Good to Great?" September 21, 2010.

Tohill, Travis. "How Important is Music on a Demo Reel?" March 15, 2011.

Morris, Jess. "If You Don't Have a Short Film, What Do You Show in Your Demo Reel?" May 3, 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "Non-Human Characters; The Spice of Your Demo Reel." November 2011.

DESIGN

Williames, Matt. “Design Basics.” January 12, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “emotion dictates design.” March 27, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “Designing and animating!” December 21, 2006.

DIALOGUE & THE MOUTH

Burke, Adam. “When The Dialogue Ends, The Character Keeps Talking.” June 28, 2007.

Gordon, Andrew. “Mouth-a-mation.” November 14, 2010.

Gardner, Jacob. “Gesture vs Lip-sync.” January 8, 2010.

Lango, Keith. "Principles for Lipsync Animation." 2001.

Riley, Josh. "Can You Provide Some Tips on Animating Dialogue?" July 13, 2011.

Martinsen, Jason. "How Can You Prevent Action From Overpowering Important Dialogue?" March 4, 2009.

Boadway, Dana. "Do you Have a Set Way on How You Go about Lip Synching? Is There Any Method You Have Found the Most Effective?" March 26, 2009.

Roy, Kenny. "Could You Provide Some Tips on Animating Dialogue?" April 27, 2009.

VIDEO: Animation Scout. "Mouth Corners." June 28, 2011.

DIRECTING

Kricfalusi, John. “Good Direction VS Turning The Furnace On and Off.” October 17, 2010.

DISTORTION

Nguyen, Mike. "Distortion of Shapes-" June 15, 2009.

EDUCATION

Gregory, Stephen. "Animation Schools." November 7, 2005.

Gregory, Stephen. “School follow up.” November 14, 2005.

Gregory, Stephen. “How to be a good animator?” December 2, 2005.

Gregory, Stephen. “Animation, is Animation, is Animation.” April 26, 2007.

Gregory, Stephen. “Computer Animation and Drawing.” April 30, 2007.

Burke, Adam. “Let’s put this 2D-3D thing to bed. Shall we?” May 5, 2007.

Fielding, Cameron. “Who’s Your Mentor?” April 23, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “Successful Traits of an Animator.”

Kennedy, Mark. “And Again...” March 8, 2006.

Navone, Victor. "So you want to be an Animator..."

Kelly, Shawn. "What's the Role of the Animator? Is It Beneficial to Explore Different Disciplines?" July 7, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Important Is an Art Background for an Animator Who Is Starting Out?" September 2, 2008.

Animation Mentor Staff. "Do Animator Enthusiasts Need to Attend Animation School?" March 2, 2009.

Roy, Kenny. "Students of Animation Need to Start Working Smarter, Not Harder." May 26, 2009.

Chua, Chris. "Tips on Becoming a Better Animator." June 17, 2009.

Navone, Victor. "What Separates the Good Animator from the Bad Animator?" August 24, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Do You Need a Formal Education to Get Work as an Animator?" November 5, 2009.

Russell, Matthew. "How Important Is an Art Background for an Animator Who Is Starting Out?" December 28, 2009.

Hartline, Aaron. "Are There Any Daily Practice Techniques That You Can Recommend to an Animator to Keep Your Animation Skills Sharp?" January 25, 2010.

Hartline, Aaron. "Do You Need to Have a Drawing Background to Be a 3D Animator?" February 1, 2010.

Kelly, Shawn. "I'm at the Student Level. How Many Hours Should I Practice? How Many Hours Do I Need to Work at a Professional Level in the US?" April 6, 2010.

Tohill, Travis. "What Separates the Good Animator from the Bad Animator?" June 23, 2010.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "Is It Important to Have a Background in Art to Be a Good Animator?" August 30, 2011.

Casaway, Mike. "How Important Was Schooling For You In Your Animation Career?" November 1, 2011.

Mandia, Joe. "What Type of Training Did You Receive in Animation?" November 29, 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "What Hobbies Improve My Animation?" February 2011.

EMOTION

Nguyen, Mike. “In regard to emotions-“ May 26, 2008.

EMPATHY

Hooks, Ed. "Empathy Matters." October 13, 2011.

ENTERTAINMENT

Nguyen, Mike. “Works in regards to ENTERTAINMENT.” April 2, 2007.

EYES

Gordon, Andrew. “The EYE’s Have it.” December 3, 2005.

Williames, Matt. “The Eyes have it!” February 3, 2006.

Gordon, Andrew. “Eyes in animation.” September 1, 2006.

Gordon, Andrew. “The Brows.” October 22, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “Eye Darts and the Social Triangle.” February 7, 2007.

Williames, Matt. “Eyes: Construction and Pitfalls.” March 22, 2007.

Fielding, Cameron. “Watch The Eyes.” May 13, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "The Eyes Have It - Eye Movements 1." March 12, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Eye Movements 2 - Where we look." March 17, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Eye Movements 3 - Saccades and Fixations." April 2, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Eye Movements 4 - Vanilla Blinks." April 28, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Eye Movements 5 - Flavored Blinks." June 7, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "A counterpoint on Blinking." June 10, 2008.

Baena, Carlos. "Eyebrows."

Kelly, Shawn. "Eye Animation and Blinks." October 7, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "What's the Importance of Eyelids in Animation?" February 3, 2009.

Chua, Chris. "What Are Some Good Tips for Animating Brows?" June 11, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Animating Eyes and Eyebrows." August 26, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Blinks in Animation." September 10, 2009.

VIDEO: Animation Scout. "Blinks." July 24, 2011.

VIDEO: Animation Scout. "Eyelids." June 22, 2011.

VIDEO: Animation Scout. "Eye Direction." June 21, 2011.

EXAGGERATION

Gilman, Aaron. "Where Do You Draw the Line of Exaggeration?" October 27, 2008.

Navone, Victor. "Exaggeration." August 2, 2007.


EXPRESSION & THE FACE

Williames, Matt. “Expressions.” January 30, 2006.

Gordon, Andrew. “Subtlety in the Face. “June 5, 2008.

Navone, Victor. "Animating a Facial Take."

Kelly, Shawn. "Are Facial Expressions as Important as the Body on Acting Shots?" July 30, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Facial Follow-Up Question - Timing The Face To The Body." August 1, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Do You Accentuate the Facial Performance to Enhance the Body Performance if You Have Already Animated the Body First?" April 13, 2009.

Gilbert, Wayne. "Why is Flexibility in the Face Important?" May 10, 2011.

Casaway, Mike. "What are Some Fundamental Concepts of Facial Animation?" May 24, 2011.

FEAR

Gordon, Andrew. “Fear.” October 15, 2008.

FEEDBACK

Martinsen, Jason. "What Is the Best Piece of Animation Advice You Have Received?" February 19, 2009.

Boadway, Dana. "How Long Did it Take for You to Feel Comfortable Showing Your Work to Others?" December 7, 2010.

Morris, Jess. "How Do You Take Criticism in a Professional Environment?" June 14, 2011.

Gordon, Andrew. “5 sets of Eyes.” June 8, 2006.

Mandia, Joe. "How often do you work on colleagues' animation and what are some tips for doing so?" December 6, 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "Why You Should Give Feedback." January 2011.

FOCAL POINT

Nguyen, Mike. "Movement and Focal Point-" December 20, 2010.

GESTURES & BODY LANGUAGE

Gordon, Andrew. “Gestures — Part 1.” December 20, 2005.

Williames, Matt. “Gestures: The Revenge of the Tutorials.” January 10, 2006.

Burke, Adam. “Let me hear your body talk!” November 7, 2006.

Fielding, Cameron. “The Power of Pyramids.” June 3, 2007.

Burke, Adam. “Elements of Strong Posing Part 2: Weight & Balance.” September 27, 2007.

Gordon, Andrew. “More on Shape Change.” January 10, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “A Gesture Here, A Gesture There...” October 15, 2009.

Navone, Victor. "Body Language." September 14, 2009. GIMBAL LOCK

VIDEO: Guerilla CG Project. "The Rotation Problem." December 28, 2008.

HANDS

Gordon, Andrew. “Thoughts on hand poses.” October 20, 2005.

Fielding, Cameron. “Hands.” December 23, 2006.

Kelly, Shawn. "Quick Tips on Hand Animation." January 7, 2009.

INVERSE & FORWARD KINEMATICS

Gordon, Andrew. “IK or FK?” January 8, 2009.

Burke, Adam. “IK Is Not Always OK.” July 7, 2007.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Is IK? How Do I Animate in IK but Avoid "That IK Look" in Certain Situations?" June 15, 2009.

Rabbit, Raquel. "Do You Have Any Special Techniques Using Inverse Kinematics (IK) in "Freehand Animation" When the Hands are Free From Other Objects?" April 26, 2010.

JOB INTERVIEWS

Sclark. “The Collaborator, the Prima Donna, and the Fanboy.” March 31, 2006.

Hartline, Aaron. "Interview at a Studio: What Was the Interview Like?" February 8, 2010.

Tohill, Travis. "Interview at a Studio: What Was the Interview Like?" May 25, 2010.

Morris, Jess. "Interview at a Studio: What Was it Like?" July 19, 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "The Email Cover Letter." August 2011.

JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

Fielding, Cameron. “Getting An Animation Job In Games.” November 19, 2008.

Fielding, Cameron. “You’re Going to Hollywood!” September 11, 2010.

Kelly, Shawn. "When Do You Know If You Are Ready to Apply to Movie Studios?" August 6, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "When Looking for an Animator Job, What is the Best Way to Approach a Company?" May 6, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Do You Have Any Tips for Animators Who Live Outside of the United States on How to Get a Job in the States?" June 5, 2009.

Williams, Chris. "What Would Be Your Advice to a Graduating Student as They Begin Their Career as an Animator?" August 13, 2009.

Chase, Ray. "What Should a Young Artist Do to Prepare for the Professional Animation Industry?" October 19, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Animation Is a Never-ending Process, but What Are a Few Things Animators Are Expected to Know?" February 4, 2010.

Rabbit, Raquel. "How Important Is It To Get An Internship As A Beginning Animator?" March 16, 2010.

Pullyblank, Mark. "How did you get your first job at a studio? Do you have any tips on what to do?" May 7, 2010.

Boadway, Dana. "What is your advice to a graduating student as they begin their career as an animator?" August 11, 2010.

Morris, Jess. "What is Your Advice to a Graduating Student as They Begin Their Career as an Animator?" November 9, 2010.

Gilman, Aaron. "How Important is Networking in the Animation Industry?" November 16, 2010.

Morris, Jess. "Is it Tough to Find Your First Job? Do You Have Any Tips for Finding That First Gig?" February 22, 2011.

Tohill, Travis. "What is Your Advice to a Graduating Student as They Begin Their Career as an Animator?" May 17, 2011.

Fournier, Rich. "The Importance of Time Management." January 9, 2012.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "How Important Are Social Skills in an Animation Career?" November 22, 2011.

Martinsen, Jason. "What Skill Sets are Needed for the Different Levels of Animation Positions?" November 15, 2011.

Riley, Josh. "When Looking for an Animation Job, What is the Best Way to Approach a Company?" November 8, 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "Internships: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." January 2012.

LINE OF ACTION

Kennedy, Mark. “More On Line of Action.” April 8, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Richard Scarry: Line of Action.” April 13, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Simplicity, Appeal, Line of Action, a lot of blabbity blah and Jordi Bernet.” April 25, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Willard Mullins: Line of Action.” April 28, 2006.

MOTIVATION

Gordon, Andrew. “I Suck.” November 10, 2005.

Burke, Adam. “What inspires you?” June 21, 2007.

Gordon, Andrew. “Why We Animate...” January 5, 2008.

Gregory, Stephen. “Animation Workout.” January 24, 2008.

Gordon, Andrew. “Air Guitarist.” May 11, 2008.

Fielding, Cameron. “Out the Other Side.” May 2, 2008.

Fielding, Cameron. “Inspiration Is Better Than Coffee.” September 1, 2009.

Gordon, Andrew. “The Stuff That Hangs on Your Wall.” November 15, 2009.

Chase, Ray. "My Shot Is Giving Me Trouble and I'm Getting Frustrated. Any Tips on What to Do in This Situation?" November 3, 2009.

Hartline, Aaron. "It's All About the Drive: If You Really Want to Be an Animator, It Will Happen." February 25, 2010.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "What Keeps You Motivated When working on a Long, Tedious Animation Project?" April 20, 2010.

Mandia, Joe. "Have You Ever Felt Discouraged in your Animation Career?" January 4, 2012.

Gordon, Andrew. "The Mountain." January 9, 2012.

Roy, Kenny. "Staying Motivated - Part 1." April 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "Staying Motivated - Part 2." May 2011.

Roy, Kenny. "Staying Motivated - Part 3. " June 2011.

MOVING HOLDS

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Moving Holds.” April 6, 2007.

MUSIC

Gilman, Aaron. "What role does music play in a scene? Is it important?" July 28, 2010.


NINE OLD MEN (DISNEY)

Kennedy, Mark. “Legacy Panel, Part One.” March 10, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Legacy Panel, Part Two.” March 14, 2006.

OBSERVATION

Gordon, Andrew. “Watching what’s around you.” November 22, 2005.

Burke, Adam. “The answers aren’t in the animation.” January 21, 2007.

Gordon, Andrew. “People Watching.” January 18, 2011.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Tips Can You Share about Your Observations of Real Life Body Language and How You Apply Them When You Animate?" April 6, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Do You Have a Method for Studying Live Action for Your Own Live Action Scenes? Do You Have Recommendations for Films or Books That May Help?" May 28, 2009.

OVERLAP/FOLLOW-THROUGH

Gordon, Andrew. “Overlapp in Style.” January 25, 2006.

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: A Simple Approach to Overlap.” April 7, 2007.

Kennedy, Mark. “Follow Through.” April 16, 2006.

Nguyen, Mike. "Breathe (Part 2)-" December 1, 2008.

Nguyen, Mike. "Leading Cause-" May 2, 2011.

Nguyen, Mike. "The Edge of Leading Force (philosophical)-" May 20, 2011.

Nguyen, Mike. "The Edge of Leading Force (practical)-" June 15, 2011.

Nguyen, Mike. "Delayed Parts and Opposing Directions-" July 8, 2011.

Nguyen, Mike. "Relation between Leading Force and Delayed Parts-" July 29, 2011.

Lango, Keith. "The Zen of Lead & Follow." August 25, 2004.

Kelly, Shawn. "What's the Exact Difference Between Overlap and Follow-through?" November 26, 2008.

Boadway, Dana. "How Do You Get a Proper Delay in Overlapping Action?" March 18, 2009.

PANTOMIME

Kelly, Shawn. "Can You Provide Some Tips for Good Pantomime?" March 23, 2009.

Boadway, Dana. "How Do You Approach a Shot Which Has No Dialogue?" April 15, 2009.

Tohill, Travis. "Can You Provide Some Tips For Good Pantomime?" January 18, 2011.


PHRASING & BEATS

Nguyen, Mike. "Phrasing (Part 1)-" September 7, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Phrasing (Part 2)-" September 30, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Phrasing (Part 3)-" October 16, 2009.

Martinsen, Jason. "What's a Beat? Do You Have Any Tips on the Best Way to Find Beats in a Shot?" February 25, 2009.

Brown, Nelson. "What's a Beat? Do You Have Any Tips on the Best Way to Find the Beats in a Shot?" February 1, 2011.

Mayerson, Mark. "Patterns of Motion." November 20, 2009.

PHYSICALITY

Gordon, Andrew. “Physicality in animation.” September 4, 2006.

Gordon, Andrew. “Residual Energy.” September 12, 2006.

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Feet First.” December 18, 2007.

Makarewicz, Michal. “Get down to the Root of things...” June 19, 2008.

Nguyen, Mike. “Source of timing cues-“ May 19, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Newton's Third: It's the Law." May 29, 2008.

Martinsen, Jason. "What Is Locomotion? Could You Provide some Tips on Locomotion?" February 11, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Does the Character's Motivation Affect Its Body Mechanics? (How Do You Determine the Initiation Source for the Movement of a Character?)" April 29, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "What's the Most Difficult Aspect about the Animation Process?" February 11, 2010.

PDF: Garcia, Alejandro. "Physics of Balance & Weight Shift." January 2011.

Kennedy, Mark. "Head, Ribs and Hips part 1." March 10, 2012.

PLANNING

Gregory, Stephen. “Thinking about a shot.” November 29, 2005.

Gregory, Stephen. “One Frame.” March 22, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “Step 1: Planning your Shot.” July 6, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “Breaking it down.” July 24, 2006.

Fielding, Cameron. “Don’t worry. . . Be Thinky!” February 6, 2007.

Williames, Matt. “Starting your Shot: THINKING, FEELING, AND PLANNING.” February 20, 2008.

Makarewicz, Michal. “Reference footage... and the planning process.” July 25, 2008.

Gordon, Andew. “Planning.” February 6, 2011.

Melagrano, Stephen. “Animation is like an Onion.” April 18, 2010.

Baena, Carlos. "Planning Case Study: Incredibles."

Kaytis, Clay. "Principles of Animation: Planning." May 25, 2005.

Gardner, Jacob. "March 11sec Part 1/4 - Thinking+Planning." April 14, 2008.

Sintay, Keith. "How Do You Know When to Stop Planning and Start Animating?" September 15, 2008.

Sintay, Keith. "What's the Best Way to Plan a Scene?" September 22, 2008.

Bruno, Nick. "How Do You Approach an Animation Sequence Once You Have an Idea From the Storyboards?" December 8, 2008.

Roy, Kenny. "How Do You Plan a Shot?" May 18, 2009.

Russel, Matthew. "Do You Have Ideas to Speed Up Your Work? How Do You Decide When to Sketch Things Out?" December 14, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Do You Go About Planning an Action that Already Has a Camera Moving?" January 4, 2010.

POLISH

Koch, Kevin. "How much polish is too much?" June 24, 2008.

Lango, Keith. "Life After Pose to Pose: Taking Your Animation to the Next Level." 2003.

Boadway, Dana. "What is Your Workflow to Polish a Shot? What Makes it Polished?" April 1, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Are Some Extra Goodies to Add in Polish to Make the Animation Stand Out Even More?" October 8, 2009.

POSING

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Zero Zero Zero.” August 6, 2009.

Kennedy, Mark. “Number 2 and number 3.” March 14, 2006.

Navone, Victor. "Posing." July 27, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Is a Key Pose?" July 9, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "When Deciding on Acting Choices What Factors Help you Decide on Poses?" October 1, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Important Things When Posing a Character." January 15, 2009.

Shorey, Kevan. "Tips on Smooth Key Framing in Animation." January 26, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Are Some Tips on Putting Force into Your Poses?" February 17, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Do You Traverse the FIne Line of Always Creating New and Interesting Poses but Keeping the Actions as Simple and Readable as Possible?" October 14, 2009.

Chase, Ray. "What Are Some Tips on Creating Effective Key Poses?" October 27, 2009.

Riley, Josh. "When Deciding on Acting Choices, What Factors Help You Decide on Poses?" November 23, 2010.

Boadway, Dana. "When Deciding on Acting Choices, What Factors Help You Decide on Poses?" April 26, 2011.

PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

Hathaway, Travis. “My (not necessarily THE) Principles.” June 12, 2008.

Kricfalusi, John. “Disney Principles 1: Of Animation.” November 25, 2008.

Belgrave, Tito. "Applying the 12 Principles to 3D Animation." July 23, 2003.

Kelly, Shawn. "Of the 12 Principles of Animation, Which Is the Most Valuable? How Do You Apply It on the Job?" June 30, 2009.

Williams, Chris. "What Is the Most Valuable Principles of Animation in Your Opinion? How Do You Apply It on the Job?" July 16, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Do All Animation Principles Apply to All Types of Animation?" November 19, 2009.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "Which Animation Principle Do You Think is Most Important, and Why?" March 1, 2011.

PRODUCTION, ANIMATION

Kricfalusi, John. “Spumco Production System Step By Step.” September 14, 2010.

Williams, Chris. "What is the Importance of Teamwork in Animation and What Makes a Most Effective Team?" July 23, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Does an Animation Supervisor of a Big Studio Like ILM, Pixar or Blue Sky Plan the Distribution of the Shots Done by the Animators?" December 7, 2009.

REFERENCE

Koch, Kevin. "Video Reference." March 18, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "More on Video Reference for animators." March 20, 2008.

Nguyen, Mike. "The source-" November 3, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Reader's Question: How Do You Do Video Planning?" June 26, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Pros and Cons of Video Reference." January 22, 2009.

Roy, Kenny. "Can You Provide Some Recommendations for Good Actors to Watch?" June 2, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Do You Find Reference for an Unusual Four-Legged Creature?" September 23, 2009.

Pullyblank, Mark. "Where's the Best Place to Get Your Reference Footage From?" June 1, 2010.

Rabbit, Raquel. "Do You Have Any Tips on how to Take Good Video Reference?" July 19, 2010.

Stern, Mike. "Do You Have Any Tips on How to Take Good Video Reference?" August 25, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "From Reference to Animation-" September 6, 2011.

Casaway, Mike. "How Much Reference Do Studios Provide to Animators?" January 17, 2012.

Roy, Kenny. "Video Reference - Your Best Friend or a Misleading Guide?" March 2012.

SECONDARY ACTION

Koch, Kevin. "Secondary Action vs. Secondary Motion." October 29, 2009.

Koch, Kevin. "Secondary Action in The Apartment." March 4, 2008.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS

Gilman, Aaron. "Can You Provide Some Tips on Animating Secondary Characters?" July 6, 2010.

SILHOUETTE Burke, Adam. “The Power of Silhouette.” April 8, 2007.

Deja, Andreas. "Strong Silhouette...or not?" August 29, 2011.



SNAPPY ANIMATION

Gordon, Andrew. “Snap or not to Snap?” June 27, 2008.

Lango, Keith. "Tricks for Cartoon Snappy Motion: An Energy Crisis." 2003.

Breaux, David. "How Do You Mix Snappy Animations with Non-snappy, Realistic Actions?" November 9, 2009.

SPACING

Williames, Matt. “Spacing: Tricks of the Trade.” October 30, 2005.

Williames, Matt. “More Notes on Spacing.” November 7, 2005.

Nguyen, Mike. “Spacing-“ August 31, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "The missing Animation Principle: Spacing." February 7, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Spacing — the hand-drawn days." February 16, 2008.

Nguyen, Mike. "Velocity (in 1st pass)-" March 29, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Could You Explain the Animation Terms Cushion and Settle?" September 2, 2009.

SPLINES & TANGENTS

Bruno, Nick. "What Are Splines? What's the Best Way to Approach Editing Splines When Animating?" December 1, 2008.

Navone, Victor. "Splinophilia Part 1."

Navone, Victor. "Splinophilia Part 2."

Navone, Victor. "What Is the Best Way to Approach Editing Splines When Animating?" September 8, 2009.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "How Do You Deal With Curves in Character Animation? Should I Be Cleaning Up Curves and Deleting Unnecessary Keys?" May 19, 2010.

Stern, Mike. "How Do You Deal With the Animation Curves for a Character?" November 2, 2010.

Casaway, Mike. "Taking Control of your Animation." December 20, 2011.

Fournier, Rich. "What Tangents in the Graph Editor Do You Typically Use-- Clamped, Splined, Linear, or Plateau?" December 12, 2011.

SQUASH AND STRETCH

Gordon, Andrew. “Water Balloon Head.” November 3, 2005.

Nguyen, Mike. "Breathe (Part 3)-" December 31, 2008.

Nguyen, Mike. "The Two Sides of Squash and Stretch (Part 1)-" June 30, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Squash and Stretch (Part 2)-" July 14, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Squash and Stretch Applications (Last part)-" August 19, 2009.

Kennedy, Mark. "Squash and Stretch (Part One)." October 11, 2011.

Kennedy, Mark. "Squash and Stretch (Part Two)." October 26, 2011.

Kennedy, Mark. "Squash and Stretch (Part Three) and Creating a Believable World." November 6, 2011.

STAGING/COMPOSITION/LAYOUT


Kricfalusi, John. "Disney Principles 6 - Staging -1 - Clarity." December 17, 2008j.

Kricfalusi, John. "Disney Principles 6a - Staging 2 - examples to compare and contrast." December 28, 2008.

Kricfalusi, John. "Disney Principles 6b - Staging 2 - For Mood." January 1, 2009.

Kricfalusi, John. "Disney Principles 6c - Staging 3 - Make your poses read well." January 1, 2009.

Kennedy, Mark. “10 Minute Art School: Composition 101.” March 18, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Rowland Wilson on Composition.” March 20, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “5 Minute Art School: Composition 102.” March 30, 2006.

Kricfalusi, John. “Opposing Poses in 2 and 3 different dimensions.” June 17, 2010.

Kricfalusi, John. “Best of Opposing Poses.” October 30, 2010.

Kricfalusi, John. “Design Balance: Fitting one character’s positive shapes into another’s negative space.” May 27, 2010.

Baena, Carlos. "Shapes/Lines."

Baena, Carlos. "Status/Personal Space."

Iten, Oswald. "Scorsese vs. Hitchcock: Camera as Character." July 1, 2011.

Iten, Oswald. "Bear Fight in the Snow." April 23, 2011. Kricfalusi, John. "Staging 4 - one action at a time." January 2, 2009.

Kricfalusi, John. "How to tell if your staging and composition is clear." December 31, 2008.

Deja, Andreas. "Disney Staging." August 15, 2011.

Kennedy, Mark. “Layout help from Carl Barks.” March 8, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Directing the Eye.” March 10, 2006.

Martinsen, Jason. "Could You Provide Some Tips on Staging and Composition?" March 11, 2009. Kennedy, Mark. "Staging and How it Affects Mood and Drama." July 7, 2012.

TEXTURE

Nguyen, Mike. "Amount of Extremes-" December 8, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Texture of Movement-" February 25, 2010.

Navone, Victor. "Rhythm and Texture." September 9, 2009.

Navone, Victor. "3 Speeds." September 14, 2007.

Roy, Kenny. "Can You Talk about Speeds in a Shot? How Many Speeds Should You Use in a Shot?" May 11, 2009.

THOUGHT PROCESSES


Baena, Carlos. "Thought Process."

Kelly, Shawn. "Can You Provide Some Tips on Showing Characters Thought Process?" February 9, 2009.

Casaway, Mike. "How Do You Add More Life to a Scene." September 8, 2010.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "Who is Your Character and What is His State of Mind?" April 12, 2011.



THUMBNAILS

Kennedy, Mark. “Robert Fawcett thumbnails.” March 5, 2006.

Kennedy, Mark. “Albert Dorne thumbnails.” March 6, 2006.

Nguyen, Mike. "Thumbnailing-" March 25, 2011.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Much Detail Should I Include in My Thumbnails? Should I Draw the Beat, Balance, and Character Movements and ALL of the Breakdown Poses?" July 14, 2009.

TIMING

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Draw your Timing.” February 16, 2011.

Nguyen, Mike. “Element of time-“ March 24, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "How Do You Go About Timing Out Animation That Can't Be Performed in Real Life?" October 14, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Regarding Timing, Do Professional 3D Animators Use Exposure Sheets? Does the 'Old School' 16 Frames Interval Remain?" August 11, 2009.

Animation Mentor Staff. "Reader's Question: How Do You Figure Out the Correct Timing of Your Work Just on Paper?" October 22, 2009.

TWINNING

Kricfalusi, John. “Disney Principles 3 - ‘Twins’ - a bad thing.” December 3, 2008.

Shorey, Kevan. "What Is Twinning? When Should You Use Twinning in a Shot?" December 19, 2008.

WALK CYCLES

Williames, Matt. “Walk this way!” January 18, 2006.

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Push Off!” January 22, 2007.

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Less is More.” December 18, 2007.

Gordon, Andrew. “’The Walk’ part one.” January 25, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Organic speed-" January 27, 2009.

Jasmin, Francis. "A Walk Cycle Tutorial." October 23, 2010.

Body, Brendan. "Walk Cycle." December 16, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "What to Do with a Characters Balance and Weight When Walking?" July 21, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Could You Provide Some Tips on Creating a Walk with Personality?" January 2, 2009.

Chua, Chris. "What Is the Best Way to Go about Animating Walks?" July 9, 2009.

Gasaway, Mike. "Can You Provide Some Tips on the Mechanics of Walking?" January 4, 2011.

Gilbert, Wayne. "Why is Timing Important in Walks?" March 29, 2011.

WEIGHT

Nguyen, Mike. “Matter of weight-“ May 12, 2008.

Nguyen, Mike. "Weight (Part 1)-" October 2, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "Weight (Part 2)-" October 17, 2010.

Gilbert, Wayne. "Weight in Animation." November 18, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "My Animation Is Looking Very Weightless and Squishy -- What Do I Do?" June 20, 2008.


Body, Brendan. "The Weight Problem." April 7, 2010.

WORKFLOW

Gordon, Andrew. “Being Directed — part 1.” June 21, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “Random nuggets of joy.” August 1, 2006.

Williames, Matt. “Tie Down: Refining your acting, drawing, and the technical side.” September 2, 2006.

Burke, Adam. “Work with an image.” December 7, 2006.

Fielding, Cameron. “The importance of cleanliness.” December 21, 2006.

Burke, Adam. “Pose to Pose w/ Layers.” January 26, 2007.

Gregory, Stephen. “Anticipation, Arcs and Overlap Oh My!” January 21, 2008.

Fielding, Cameron. “Quick Trick: Crop Your Shot.” August 5, 2009.

Makarewicz, Michal. “Hurry up and choose!” February 21, 2009.

Koch, Kevin. "Anatomy of a Shot." July 31, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "Animate from the Gut." July 1, 2008.

Koch, Kevin. "How do you animate really, really fast?" December 21, 2007.

Nguyen, Mike. "Pose-to-Pose vs. Straight-ahead-" March 11, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Technique and Impulse-" June 1, 2009.

Nguyen, Mike. "Thoughts to Animation Workflow-" April 2, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "The Plotting Approach-" April 15, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "Unfolding extremes forward-" May 3, 2010.

Nguyen, Mike. "Unfolding forward including inbetweens-" May 20, 2010.

Barrett, Justin. "Animation Stages: Puss in Boots."

Phan, TJ. "THE DOPE SHEET: How I Work." March 8, 2008.

Gardner, Jacob. "March 11sec Part 4/4." May 21, 2008.

Haas, Jean-Denis. "My Animation Workflow." November 15, 2007.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Kind of Workflow Do You Use?" June 18, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Reader's Questions: How Much Time Do You Spend on Each of the Workflow Steps." July 2, 2008.

Kelly, Shawn. "Tips on Speeding Up Animation Workflow and Animating Faster." September 18, 2008.

Williams, Chris. "Describe Your Workflow When You Start Animating a Shot. Is There a Right or Wrong Way?" August 19, 2009.

Chase, Ray. "Is It Better to Animate Pose to Pose or Straight Ahead?" October 13, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "What Is "Layered" Animation and How Does It Work? Is It Good / Better for Human Characters?" November 12, 2009.

Kelly, Shawn. "Have You Ever Tried the Layered Approach with Something Where the Foot Placement Is a Little Less Flexible?" January 12, 2010.

Russell, Matthew. "Do You Use the Same Workflow for Scenes that Are more Acting Focused vs. Scenes that Are more Action Oriented?" January 6, 2010.

Kelly, Shawn. "How and When Do You Clean Up Animation?" June 8, 2010.

Boadway, Dana. "Do You Have Any Ideas on How to Increase Productivity and Speed up Workflow?" June 29, 2010.

Tohill, Travis. "Describe Your Workflow When You Start Animating a Shot. Is There a Right or Wrong Way?" August 18, 2010.

Rabbit, Raquel. "Can You Tell Us About Your Animation Checklist?" October 5, 2010.

Stern, Mike. "Can You Tell Us About Your Animation Checklist?" December 14, 2010.

Gilman, Aaron. "Describe your Workflow when you start animating a shot. Is there a right or wrong way?" January 25, 2011.

Brown, Nelson. "What Kind of Workflow Do You Use?" April 19, 2011.

Nguyen, Mike. "My Little WORLD Animation Workflow-" August 18, 2011.

Levasseur, Jim. "Workflow."

Roy, Kenny. "Is There Ever A Time to Sacrifice Workflow?" March 2011.

WRITING

Kricfalusi, John. “How To Write Dialogue.” March 30, 2008.

Kricfalusi, John. “The Rarity Of Clarity - The Writer and The Screen 1.” September 13, 2009.

Kricfalusi, John. “Clarity - Screenwriting 2 - Obligatory Cave Origins.” September 16, 2009.

Kricfalusi, John. “Writing For Character, rather than plugging characters into a generic plot.” February 19, 2011.

Kricfalusi, John. “Dialogue Wisdom.” March 5, 2011.