2D ANIMATION - UTD AHT

SPRING 25 - 2D Animation Class WED 1p - 345p 15 Weeks

Professor Frederick Gardner (University of Texas at Dallas)

Course Information
Course Number/Section: Class 24774 / Course 000843

ANGM 3313.001.25S
Course Title: 2D Animation Spring Term 25S 1/22/25 - 5/7/25 WED 1P - 345P

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions:
Some ability to draw traditionally on paper with pen or pencil and ability to draw digitally on Photoshop CC & Toon Boom Harmony using a stylus and Cintiq or graphic tablet. Drawing for Animation ANGM 2309 with a grade of B or better, and Instructor consent with Portfolio Review.

Course Description:
ANGM 3313 - 2D Animation (3 semester credit hours) 2D Animation introduces students to traditional 2D digital animation techniques using pencil/paper, Photoshop CC, Harmony, stylus and WACOM Cintiq. A solid foundation of animation principles and theories will be built before exploring more advanced topics such as weight, physicality, emotion, fx and basic character. Prerequisite: ANGM 2309 with a grade of B or better.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes:
Students will experience a professional studio environment, using the current software, tools and techniques to develop the movement of characters, props and environments from traditional pencil thumbnail through to final digital animation. Live action and animation movement mechanics will be studied and referenced as foundational skills are demonstrated in a studio setting. Notes may be given online and the discussion will continue throughout the week on Teams (online/phone app). It is your responsibility to take detailed notes everyday. 


Required Textbooks and Materials:
The Animators Survival Kit (ISBN  978-0571238347) by Richard Williams (2012)

Required Materials:
Computer (MAC or PC) w/ Webcam, Microphone 
Photoshop CC & Toon Boom Harmony
Stylus & Tablet or WACOM Cintiq
Portable Drive or USB Drive
Moleskin Sketchbook (Unruled)
Fine Point (or Extra Fine Point) Black Sharpie
Prismacolor Verithin & Prismacolor Pencils in Indigo Blue, Sepia or Black w/ Pencil Sharpener
Kneaded Eraser
Smartphone w/ Camera
Microsoft Teams software (for phone & computer)
** You are REQUIRED to use the PC, Cintiq and Software provided in the classroom

Suggested Course Materials:
The Illusion of Life (ISBN 0786860707) by Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnston (1995)
The Nobel Approach (ISBN 1452102945) by Tod Polson (2013)
Drawn to Life (ISBN 978-1032104416) by Walt Stanchfield (2023)

Suggested Course Films:
Steamboat Willie (1928) Walt Disney
What’s Opera Doc? (1957) Warner Bros
A Bear For Punishment (1951) Warner Bros
Robin Hood Daffy (1958) Warner Bros
Sleeping Beauty (1959) Walt Disney
Muybridge Motion Studies (1884) Pennsylvania University
Get A Horse! (2013) Walt Disney
Mickey Mouse Series (2013-2018) Walt Disney
Primal (2019) Cartoon Network
Wall-E (2008) Pixar
Up! (2009) Pixar
Frozen (2013) Walt Disney


15 WEEK LECTURE OUTLINE (Lecture Topics may change at any time):

- SHAPE & MOTION - Foundations of Animation/Bouncing Ball

- CHARACTER IN DESIGN - Character Model Sheet/50 Circles

- CHARACTER TURN AROUND - Design Character Turn/Size Comparison

- BOUNCING BALL/ROLLING COIN - Pose to Pose Animation Ball, Rolling Coin, Timing Brackets

- SIZE COMP, WALK CYCLE, HAMMER STRIKE - Hammer Strike, Film Personal Walk Cycle, Timing, Muybridge Walk Cycles

- PS TURNTABLE, HARMONY TURNTABLE - Animate Character Turn in PS/Harmony

- WALK CYCLE, TIMING - Character Walk (Single & Double Bounce), Western & Japanese Walk, Timing, EX Sheets

- RUN CYCLE, JUMP, LAND
 (MID TERM) - Animate Character Run, Jump & Land, Stagger, Anticipation, Overlap

- ANIMATION TAKE, REACTION - Animate Various Expressions, Acting, Turn

- LIP SYNC, MUSIC BEATS, EX SHEETS - Dialogue Tracks, Music & Timing, Phonemes, Stylized Mouth Shapes, Whistle

- FX ANIMATION - Straight Ahead FX Animation: Fire, Electricity, Water, Smoke

- MULTIPLANE & PANS - Create Depth with 3 Planes, Ratio, OLs, ULs, OL/ULs & Pan BGs

- 2 CHARACTER INTERACTION - Characters Holding Each Other/Fighting, Multi Interaction, BG Interaction (Props)

- ANIMAL LOCOMOTION - Muybridge Animal Motion, 4 Legs, Fins, Wings and No Legs

- FINAL PRESENTATION - Final Pitch of Animation Portfolio to Jury Final Grade, Portfolio
Assessment, Assemble a Portfolio Reel, Online Presence

LIFE DRAWING, GESTURE & PLEIN AIR SKETCHING:

Life Drawing is available on Wednesdays in the Life Drawing Studio (4th Floor) 10-1115a at Standing Easels based on Availability. Live Model provided. Bring Newsprint (18x24") & Vine or Willow Charcoal w/ Chamois.

Gesture Sketching is always available at the Student Union Mon - Fri. Take advantage of the students lounging in the area and try capturing 2 or more students, sharing the same space. Bring Moleskin Sketchbook, Ultra Fine Point Sharpie and 20% Gray Marker (Tombow Brushpen Cool or Warm Gray 2).

 

 

Plein Air Sketching is offered several times a semester at the Texas State Fair, Tiger Refuge, Dallas Arboretum or Zoo. At these locations, you will be given the opportunity to Gesture Sketch animals in a semi-natural environment and study their motion and biomechanics. Schedule to be announced in the first weeks of the semester. Gesture Sketching done in Moleskin Sketchbook, Ultra Fine Point Sharpie, 20% Gray Marker or pencil.

ANIMATION REFERENCE -


"Steamboat Willie" (Walt Disney) 1928

"Robin Hood Daffy" (Warner Bros) 1958

"Sleeping Beauty" (Walt Disney) 1958

"A Bear for Punishment" (Warner Bros) 1951

"What is Motion - Eadweard Muybridge" (Cantor Arts Center) 2017

2D Animation Poster Annotation - Animation and/or Animation Layout by Frederick Gardner

 - Upper Left Image - "Teca Pyramid - Puma Golum Transformation A - v001" from "Maya and the Three" (Netflix Animation) 2019 

- Upper Middle Image - "Orchid Bay Street - Ming's Restaurant" from "The Life and Times of Juniper Lee" (Cartoon Network) 2004 Emmy Winner

- Upper Right Image - "London Graveyard - End of Path" from "Tom & Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros Animation) 2009

- Bottom Left Image - "London Graveyard Angel w/ Diamond" from "Tom & Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros Animation) 2009

- Bottom Upper Right Image - "Sundae Bloody Sundae" from "The Simpsons - Oh Brother Where Art Thou" Season 2 (Klasky Csupo/Fox) 1991

- Bottom Lower Right Image - "Desert Mountains (EXT) PAN" from "The Powerpuff Girls" (Cartoon Network) 2004 Emmy Winner

The Simpsons Wikipedia - Frederick Gardner (Animator)

 

 My first job in animation was on The Simpsons. I was hired when Producers of the show walked by my desk at Cal Arts in my freshman year and left me a note, offering me to test to take as Animator. The test was to turn Skinner's Mom. I passed the test, was hired as a Full Animator (not Assistant) and never finished my second year at CalArts. Here is a link to my page in The Simpsons Wikipedia. It is not 100% accurate, there are many other contributions I made to The Simpsons while I worked for 20th Century Fox and Klasky Csupo. I will try and update this information in the near future. Some of the additional Simpsons work I did was publicity art/press photos for the Main Characters, Storyboard, Prop and Background Design for some episodes, completely animated and designed my own Itchy & Scratchy cartoon (solo), "Sundae Bloody Sunday", Character Design, Animator on several Butterfinger commercials, Animator on the second version of the Main Title for The Simpsons.

Sundae Bloody Sundae (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/AzPpkEJBJhM?si=-otsj1n9wvCBIb6R

NOTE: I (and the entire crew) won my first Emmy (certificate) for Best Animated Series working on The Simpsons.

The Simpsons Wikipedia link is here:

https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Frederick_J._Gardner_III

NEW Portfolio web sight!

"Tesla" Copter from Turkeys

I have launched a NEW portfolio web sight containing some of my designs from the past 12 years. You can see the artwork at: IndigoBluePencil.com. 

Indigo Blue Pencil

La Muerte's Castle

La Muerte's Castle for The Book of Life

Inspired by Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. I also used reference from photos from Sandra and Jorge Gutierrez's romantic trip to Spain and other designs from Gaudi. The challenge was to keep the Gaudi asthetic in the shape language of the Land of the Dead (later called the Land of the Remembered). 

Gaudi Cathedral Ceiling (Detail)

Gaudi - La Sagrada Familia Cathedral

The entryway to La Muerte's castle went through several design iterations, from a large skull whose mouth opens for entry to a giant sacred heart/tree of life with a lego-like doorway.

I added skulls, mustaches, antlers and hearts in varying scales to play up the enormity of the place. 

The final version of La Muerte's Castle Doorway came about by trying to get the design to fit in the HD 1:1.78 aspect ratio. A majority of the drawing was manipulated in Photoshop using the transform tool and then redrawn. 

La Muerte's Castle Entryway (Final)

In designing the interiors, I noticed shapes that reminded me of "The Lorax" from Dr Seuss. I embraced that and pushed the Seuss quality to keep things magical, light and yet, mysterious. La Muerte is a goddess and her power should be felt in the majesty of the structure. Jorge wanted the interiors to feel open and massive. 

Tree of Life - G Klimpt

The Gaudi cathedral interiors are the same way. Many of the pillars in the cathedral are designed as huge trees, so I kept that idea and the "swirl" design from the Gustav Klimpt "Tree of Life" (La Muerte's castle exterior). The floating pillars inside the castle now look like a forest with a canopy of prayer flags above. 

La Muerte's Castle Walkway

Book of Life - "El Matador" Posters

I began working on Book of Life in June, 2010, back when the title was "El Matador". My first assignment from the writer/director, Jorge Gutierrez, was to design movie posters to help pitch the film to prospective distribution partners. 

I didn't know much about the original story (at that time) except that it involved the life and death of a matador, Manolo and his love for his childhood friend, Maria. The story was similar to Romeo and Juliet, but continued beyond Shakespeare's tragedy. The idea of love from beyond the grave inspired the following images...

"El Matador" Poster Concept 1

This poster design (Concept 1) was the first image I had in my head. It depicts Manolo in a traditional matador pose surrounded by victory roses in a pool of light, and skulls in the shadows. The source of the "light" is a portrait of Maria, shown as a window to the living world. Manolo is a skeleton. Manolo's bullfighting victory is bittersweet. This is my favorite of the designs I had done because it concisely portrays the story in a simple image. 

"El Matador" Poster Concept 2

"El Matador" Poster Concept 2 (Sepia)

This concept was inspired by the balcony scene in Romeo & Juliet and some of the posters for West Side Story. There are more concepts illustrated here, from the pool of light with the victory roses to Maria being the source of "light". The difference here is the roses are at the bottom of a grave and Maria is seen reaching into the same. The graveyard is seen behind Maria. Calavera skulls are shown in the shadows and ancestral bones are layered in the walls. The roots from the ceiling share the shape language of Maria's hair and are shown sprouting tiny hearts (a symbol of hope).

"El Matador" Tattoo Poster Concept 3

"El Matador" Poster Concept 4

"El Matador" Sacred Heart Poster Concept 5

"El Matador" Sacred Heart Poster Concept 5 (Sepia)

This is another favorite. The concept of the bull skull resembling the "sacred heart" (a popular Mexican symbol) came together nicely. The one image telling different sides of the same story was exactly what I was looking for. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus

None of these images went beyond my concept stage. Here is the final release poster and teaser for comparison...

BOL Teaser Poster

BOL "Sacred Heart" Logo

BOL Release Poster

Here are some inspired "fan made" posters for "The Book of Life":

Car Fox Den

Here is an early concept for a redesign of the Car Fox den. The drawing suggests the "den" is not too far underground (due to the low hanging roots) and perhaps "Car Fox" has been stealing computer equipment and internet from the neighborhood to operate his data center. The spiral staircase and circular design are a nod to SPECTRE and the early Bond films.

Car Fox Den

Time Vehicles

In 2014, I designed a "Time Vehicle" for a museum interactive installation. The vehicle would be built as a motion control ride in a 360 degree projection environment. Having worked on a few 'time travel" projects in the past, I chose to focus on realistic details and authenticity. My drawings were influenced by deep ocean submersibles and the pods from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

DNA Poster Designs

In Feb 2014, I was asked to design a poster for a Sci-Fi (live action) Thriller in development called, DNA. With only a brief synopsis and a lot of imagination, I did some quick comps. I started in the entertainment industry in 1988 working as an Ass't Field Publicist for Warner Bros Publicity. My first assignment was Tim Burton's Batman! I designed posters, standees, mobiles, buttons, cards, etc for many of Warner Bros releases for the next year and a half. I learned a lot from that experience and Warner Bros Publicity was the best in the business. 

Getting someone's attention from across a crowded room was key. I used that same logic for this design assignment. I wanted these poster to stand out from the other posters in a lobby. A good thriller should ask more questions than it answered, I think the poster should do the same. 

The previous is one of my favorite designs from the series. It portrays a nanobot/skin mite in an "x-ray" macro view. The composition suggests the mite is some strange alien in an environment suit.

The simplicity of the composition adds to the shock value. It's easy to read and the images stays with you after. 

Color palettes were kept to a minimum and I tried to create a "second read" to reward the viewer for taking a step closer. I think most great paintings do the same thing. 

In this series of designs, I really tried to push a "Matrix" look for the nanobots. It doesn't take much to cross a machine and an insect and the combination with additional wires for hair adds to the creepiness.

Being a huge fan of the horror and sci-fi genres, I chose shocking images and colors that would grab my attention and make me ask for more. I was inspired by the imagery of David Fincher and David Cronenberg and used the themes of technology, medical research and death for the project.