Animation fundamentals/ Project 1B
26 /05/25 - 09/ 06 /25 ( Week 6- Week 7)
- This week, we learned about the animation principle of staging. Its core purpose is to convey the story idea to the audience in a clear and unmistakable way, ensuring they fully understand the content and emotion of the story.
The most fundamental component of staging is the story elements, which include the characters and the setting or environment.
The third part is stage design, which refers to how we use environment setup, lighting, color, and props to enhance the story’s atmosphere. This includes decisions like whether the scene takes place indoors or outdoors, what kind of lighting and shadow effects are used, and how background and foreground colors are combined — all aimed at supporting character performance and emotional impact more effectively.
- 4. 3-Point Lighting
Key Light: Main source
Fill Light: Softens shadows
Rim Light: Separates subject from background
5. Chiaroscuro
Highlight → Midtone → Shadow
Adds depth and form
6. Tone & Emotion
Low Key: Dark, serious (thriller, noir)
High Key: Bright, light-hearted (comedy, kids)
Light ratio affects mood
7. Color Impact
Affects character, mood, and setting
Local color + environment + cool/warm tones = emotional tone
8. Common Color Contrasts
Red vs Green
Orange vs Blue
Yellow vs Purple
Cyan vs Red
(e.g. X-Men uses red & blue contrast)
Camera & Composition
9. Rule of Thirds
Subject on grid lines = stronger focus
Leave space:
Head Room
Lead Room
10. Camera Angles
High Angle: Weak
Eye Level: Neutral
Low Angle: Powerful
11. Shot Types
ES: Scene overview
LS: Full body
FS: Entire subject
MS: Waist-up
CU: Face/emotion
ECU: Details (e.g. eyes)
12. Staging Composition =
World + Camera + Character/Object
PROJECT 1B
Task Assigned:
. Choose an animation scene
- Draw a rough sketch with perspective
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Show background and character positions
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Add textures, shadows, and details
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Use perspective principles to enhance depth
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Conduct color research
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Choose colors matching the mood and theme of the scene
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Experiment with lighting and color variations
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High resolution image
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Size: 1280 x 720
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Format: PNG
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For import into Adobe Animate
. Refine linework
. Color scheme
. Output files
Submission:
I plan to search for suitable animation scene references on Pinterest because I want to focus on a “room” setting, which will be convenient for using as a main scene in my animation later. The scene is set between 4 to 5 PM, featuring warm sunlight tones to create a cozy and soft atmosphere.
Personally, I prefer Reference 3 because References 1 and 2 feel a bit too challenging for me. So, I chose Reference 3 as my background reference and began analyzing its perspective.
Before I started drawing, I searched on YouTube for tutorials on how to create a perspective grid in Photoshop. It seems that the animated scene uses a one-point perspective.
I checked whether the scene’s depth was accurate, then began drawing the furniture.
Here is the background linework I created. I used one-point perspective to construct a room interior that matches the theme and mood I intended.
Next, I added more details to the scene, such as the bed and other furniture. I also included small elements like a picture frame to enhance the overall atmosphere.
To be honest, drawing these small elements really challenged my digital drawing skills. I often found myself redrawing and erasing multiple times. However, I’m glad that the final result turned out quite well in the end.
At the beginning, I started by coloring the room because I wanted to create a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere. So, I painted the main wall in a soft pink, giving it a gentle and calming feel. For the furniture, I used light brown tones that are natural and warm. Together, these colors create a harmonious and relaxing space.
I use lazzo tool to create the color.
I focused on the time around 4 to 5 PM and roughly adjusted where the sunlight would fall. Then, I painted shadows behind the corresponding furniture to match the light direction.
For the sunlight colors, I chose a soft orange tone typical of around 4 to 5 PM. After selecting the base color, I used the gradient tool and picked a gradient style. Then, in the left panel, I dragged a line outward from the center of the light source. Finally, I applied an overlay blend mode to enhance the lighting and shadow effects, making the sunlight look more natural and gentle.
Compared to Project 1A, this assignment felt much easier for me. During the process, I learned how to draw a perspective grid, which helped me better understand spatial relationships and object proportions, laying a solid foundation for the scene drawing. After that, I worked on the overall composition and details of the scene, and I feel more confident drawing basic scenes now.
However, when it came to lighting and shading, I faced some challenges. Although I knew the lighting effect and mood I wanted, the final result didn’t always match my expectations. To improve, I kept adjusting the highlights, shadows, layer blending modes, and light source positions, trying to make the scene look more natural and layered. Although it was a repetitive and time-consuming process, it helped me better understand how light and color interact, which greatly improved the overall quality of my work.
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