Animation, From Pencils to Pixels - by Tony White

[Rodney]

I knew I'd be buying this book.

 

Many years ago I found Tony White's 'The Animator's Workbook' in the bargain bin of a book store for the hefty price of $1.99. This was a very nice discount from the cover price of $27.50.

My only regret? I should have bought every copy they had that day!

 

'Animation: From Pencils to Pixels' is not an update to The Animator's Workbook but is rather a whole new book w/CDRom filled with information, tips, observations and lessons learned in pursuit of animation. At a cover price of $49.95 it made me cringe for a moment (hey... I'm cheap!) but I knew I'd be putting back the other books I thought I might buy that day.

 

I took this book along with another on lighting by Jeremy Brin to a comfortable chair to start skimming through. As I sat down my attention was diverted. I got lucky, Borders books had two copies of 'Animation, From Pencils to Pixels' on a rack right next to my chair. That little corner sticker on the book with 30% off really made my day!

 

'Animation, From Pencils to Pixels' covers about every aspect of animation. Working from Development through Character Design to Project Financing on through Filmmaking, Sound, Storyboards and Animatics Tony moves into the digital world. He writes about Production, Teamwork and Workflow, Project Management and more. The Principles of Animation aren't neglected and much of the 200+ pages of this 500 page book deal with those principles as applied in 2D and 3D animation. Lots and lots of real world animation experience collected together in one place.

 

Of special interest to users of Animation:Master is a inserted commentary in Chapter 15 (pages 420 and 421) entitled 'A Word About Software'. In it Tony explains how the majority of computer generated illustrations were created in Softimage XSI, which he has used in production. His commentary is telling especially in his words that 'Software is just another tool that the true animator has at their disposal'.

 

He goes on however to spotlight a program he didn't use in creating his book; a program by the name of Animation:Master. Of it he says:

If I am to show a little software bias, I can only suggest that at the low cost end of the spectrum I cannot be more impressed with the capabilities of Animation:Master.

 

He goes on to say:

What particularly impresses me about this program is its manual. Unlike all the other software manuals, this one actually speaks to you with the soul of an animator, not a techie. It is a perfect starting place for the aspiring young animator who, for relatively little cost, can one day make their Hollywood dreams come true.

 

Ladies and gents, Tony White knows the soul of the animator and this fills me with pride to know that I can be a part in providing such tools to aspiring young (and old!) animators everywhere via this forum. That Animation:Master recieves such praise from Mr. White says something to me about the animation tools I've chosen to use.

 

Tony does get one thing wrong though. On page 453 when writing about Character Motivation he includes a quote, "I think, therefore I animate". As Tony isn't a user of Animation:Master he can be excused for not knowing it is, "I think, therefore I A:M".

 

I haven't yet read 'Animation, From Pencils to Pixels' from cover to cover. I haven't yet taken the time to look on the included CDRom. However, just in the initial read through I've found it worthy of a prominent place on my bookshelf.

 

Congratulations to Tony White for publishing this valuable resource.

It will be indispensable to a whole new generation of aspiring animators.

 

 

For more information on Tony White I suggest you visit his website which is a nice resource all on its own; http://www.tonywhite.net/ Note: The website doesn't have any information on the new book. References there point to a different book that is currently in haitus or of which parts were incorporated into the current book.

 

For more information on his new book or purchasing online visit:

Amazon's writeup on Animation, From Pencils to Pixels

[johnl3d]

I bought the original after someone "borrowed: it permanently from the local library. If the new version is anything like the original it should be as great as you have said.

[Rodney]

I bought the original after someone "borrowed: it permanently from the local library. If the new version is anything like the original it should be as great as you have said.

 

Its very much unlike 'The Animator's Workbook in so many ways.

If I could pinpoint a primary difference it would be that the workbook was exactly that, a step by step procedural look at the timing of character animation.

 

While Animation From Pencils to Pixels does have some nice bits on timing its more like an encyclopedia of animation resources from classical techniques to digital filmmaking. There is an emphasis on general rules and processes used in the making of one of Tony's recent short films; 'Endangered Species'. Its a movie that chronicles the history of animation from black and white hand drawn animation to the digital process within a paperless studio.

 

'Endangered Species' was, according to the book, created so that this book could be put together.

Quite a lot of ground has been packed this book from throughout animation's long and varied history. I want to see this film as Tony has found a way to include characters from Steamboat Willie to Beavis and ButtHead and a whole lot more in a very ingenius way. Its not every day you get to see Fritz the Cat and Mickey (from the Sorcerer's Apprentice) share time on the screen. No wonder Tony is considered such a talent in the industry. Update: 'Endangered Species' is on the CD in hybrid PDF format!

 

Not necessarily better or worse that 'The Animator's Workbook'... different.

 

If you have the old book even better as they'll complement each other nicely.

[nimblepix]

Looks like I've got something to put on my Christmas list.

If I can wait that long.

[johnl3d]

Thanks for clarifying

[ypoissant]

Yes. "From Pencil to pixels" is a huge book. 500 pages. I am reading it and I'm now at page 380.

 

Things I find a plus for the book is that, as Rodney mentions, Tony White covers about every aspect of animation including the financing, project management, story, animation techniques, etc. Everything really. For example, there is a section of the book that explains and show how to properly do page flipping to preview a set of frames. The technique is different when working with top pegs vs bottom pegs and he explains both ot them.

 

This is not an "how to draw and animate" book though. It is really more about the process of making an animation, the tools, the supporting documents, the preparations, the markups, etc. The principles of animations are also reviewed but not more than in his previous book "The animator's Workbook". For someone looking for how to proceed for an animation project, this book covers it all from start to finish.

 

I like that Mr White debunks some of the accepted "rules" of animation that were devised for when everything had to be done manually and mechanically but have no good reasons to still be used now that we work with computers. He also debunks some more fundamental rules too. I did like his passage about Squash and Stretch where he recommends staying with squashes and stretches that stay anatomically plausible. He writes :

 

"Today, where most animated characters possess a solid anatomy and the notion of a structured skeletal foundation beneath their skin, the old idea of rubbery extremes are obsolete. Nevertheless, the principles of squash and stretch remain valid, although today they are implemented within the limits of the anatomy"

And he continues on by showing how squash and stretch should be done. Still very exagerated but still anatomically plausible.

 

Mr White wrote this book to try to supplement the lack of mentoring in the animation industry. He really wanted this book to accompany a newbee animator and be a printed mentor.

 

If I have a critique about this book, though, it is that it is heavy with text for an "animation" book. Yes, everything is covered in its tiny details. Even the most obvious. It is everything you always wanted to know about doing animation. But I wonder how many people will actually read it. Fortunately, there are anough illustrations and photos to be informative even without reading it from cover to cover.

[Rodney]

If I have a critique about this book, though, it is that it is heavy with text for an "animation" book. Yes, everything is covered in its tiny details. Even the most obvious. It is everything you always wanted to know about doing animation. But I wonder how many people will actually read it. Fortunately, there are anough illustrations and photos to be informative even without reading it from cover to cover.

 

A very astute observation Yves.

 

Mr. White is obviously is one of those 'thinking animators'.

His 'Animators Workbook' falls into this category as well with lots of text explaining things far beyond the pictures. Great information but for those of us that are use to just looking at the pictures... a tough read.

If we take the time to actually read it there's some very useful information there in just the text alone.

 

Richard Williams's 'Animator's Survival Kit' is similar in that capactiy. You really have to read it to get to the good stuff. As Tony White once worked as a personal assistant to Mr. Williams that may be where he picked up his 'thinking animator' style.

 

I've spent the evening reading (and watching) the PDF file on the CDRom.

The content consists of a PDF file interlaced with extracts from the 'Endangered Species' short with commentary on why particular story elements were focused and the specific techinques used to complete the sequence. Great stuff.

 

You'll find a lot here you won't find in other books on animation.

Interestingly, there is an extended section (in several parts) on physical and mental health and exercising for the animator. This is a subject I've thought might be covered in more depth here in the A:M Forum as we have had several fitness trainers frequent. At any rate, its an interesting addition and animators shouldn't easily disregard.

 

I've barely scratched the surface in this book.

Quite enjoyable!