Customer Reviews

Animation 1: Learn to Animate Cartoons Step by Step (Cartooning, Book 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What more can I say about the Preston Blair book? Only that the trade paperback version is long overdue. This edition combines the two paperback versions into one and though it could have used some editing, you have everything at your fingertips. Blair's 1980 update of his 1942 classic was the better of the two books, and readers should be aware that some information in the book is contradictory, but otherwise this is without question still the best textbook on character animation yet published.

There are some weak spots. Be aware that Blair's 'guide to lipsync' has misled generations of animators and should not be taken as gospel. Synchronizing mouth action has more to do with the type of character you are working with and the type of acting you are performing; there are no 'formulas'. Once you know this, you can follow the instructions in theory without imitating the grossly overstated mouth actions in this book.

Layout and scene planning are handled cursorilly, though there is more information in the newer section. Teachers should supplement this work with other volumes. I have found it the best for Animation I students, with the more advanced ones proceeding to Shamus Culhane's ANIMATION FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN.

Generations of artists have learned animation acting and timing from Preston Blair. It makes no difference if you use a computer or a pencil. If you are trying to create a living, believable character on screen, this is the best place to learn the basics.

I have been drawing cartoons and doodling for years and could never figure out why my flat drawings didn't look as good as the masters from the "golden age". (almost all comic strips nowadays look flat too, so people just accept that it's how they are supposed to be). Well taking the advice from John K's blog, I bought this book and basically started over from scratch. The basis of Preston Blair's technique is starting with an egg or circle with 2 lines in it and making the characters face from there. You wouldn't believe how it makes the images pop out, and how much easier it is to draw them from different perspectives all the while keeping your characters consistent. Other techniques are how to draw cartoon hands, facial expressions, and body positioning. If you are an amateur cartoonist looking to refine your work, buy this book now. Best 8 dollar investment you will ever spend.

The book is arranged like this: Drawing principles, character design, then animation. The principles are about constructing forms and wrapping guidelines & features around them properly, facial expressions, building a simple skeletal foundation, how bodies can be drawn, and hands!

The character design section is small, but brilliant. There are great example drawings to work from and trust me when I say the characters are pleasing to look at.

As for the animation section, it's got the essentials for walks, runs, understanding squash & stretch and line of action in movements. It might not have enough movements as one may want, but really, using what you learn here to analyze actions from life will enable you to learn how any movement can be strengthened for animation. I actually haven't started animating yet (still doing the drawing sections), but I know I'll be perfectly fine with just this. Harold Whitaker's "Timing For Animation" does seem like it could be a perfect supplement to this though, so you might wanna check that out as well.

Other pages include things about dialogue phonemes, takes (when's the last time anyone's seen a Tex-Avery-style reaction in a cartoon? learn this and bring it back!) pointers on animation, and, best of all, TONS of characters to practice from.

The book is only eight bucks and, being from Preston Blair, a genius from the golden-age era of animation, you can't go wrong. Buy it, follow everything that he says, draw from each drawing in the book until the concepts seep in, and make some cartoons. Even if you wanna draw comic strips and/or comic books, get this now!

It's a lot wider and taller than I expected and it's a little thinner than I expected...I really don't know what I was expecting though come to think of it =) But it's a very easy quick read and even though i also bought Cartoon Animation (also by same guy) and this book seems like a summary of that bigger book I still liked it and will refer a lot I'm sure to this and his other book.

My only complaint is that it doesn't really fit on my book shelf unless it's on its side XD

Very informative in the use of art work. Hopefully, this book will help my son in the future with his career in art work.

I started ordering these books in order to refresh things I'd learned long ago - and maybe remember a few things I've forgotten. Great examples to work though. Clean layout. Clean simple text that is understandable.

If you have a young child who is interested in animation, don't worry that this might be too advanced. It will be perfect for them.

I got this book through the post in a large box. I thought the book was smaller than what it was. It is actually A3 sized and quite slim. I won't expect this not to get damaged as I already have a few kinks in it. The content is great and I understand the reason for the size as this is normally the size paper animators use. Absolutely brilliant for any one who is a fan of cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Tex avery cartoons (Droopy etc) and of course disney.

This book assumes that you can already draw well and you're comfortable drawing n-turns of characters. I wish it broke down tips of shaping a character and the angles better. The book is also huge! I mean it's the size of a souvenir book. So don't count of reading in on the subway. Great help for you artists that can already figure draw though!

Animation 1: Learn to Animate Cartoons Step by Step lives up to its title. It's a good introduction to the concepts and techniques in animation "old school" style. Don't look for techniques in CGI like Maya and Blender or for 2D animation using Photoshop or Toonz or Anime Studio or ToonBoom Animate. This is "nuts and bolts" take out the pencil and paper and draw. Liked the book - relatively inexpensive and the lessons were good and straightforward.

If you are looking for a small, comprehensive analysis of how to do animation, this is your book. Walter Foster is one of the best companies out there on drawing books, though I wouldn't recommend them all. I highly recommend this one. :)