Posts

Understanding Walk Cycles

Understanding Walk Cycles in Animation Animating a walk cycle is one of the most important skills for an animator to master. A well-animated walk cycle makes a character feel alive, natural, and believable. Whether for cartoons, video games, or movies, animators use walk cycles to show movement without having to redraw every step. One of the best resources for learning walk cycles is The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams. He breaks down how animators can create smooth and appealing movement. The key to a good walk cycle is understanding key poses—specific points in the movement that define how a character walks. Two of the most important key poses are the contact position and the passing position. The Contact Position The contact position happens when both feet are making contact with the ground. In this pose, one foot is in front, touching the ground, while the other foot is behind, about to lift off. This position gives the walk cycle its structure, showing the full step be...
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Building Characters with Shapes: Achieving Consistency in Your Designs

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SOURCE:  https://characterdesignreferences.com/winners4/winners-of-the-dino-olympics-challenge  When creating characters for comics, games, or animation, it is important to maintain a consistent look every time you draw them. Consistency allows viewers to recognize a character instantly, whether they are standing still, walking, or showing an emotion. One of the best ways to achieve this consistency is by starting with basic geometric shapes—like circles, ovals, rectangles, and triangles—to build a character’s form. This approach is often called “form construction.” Form construction starts with a simple foundation. If you are drawing a person, you might begin with a circle for the head and rectangles for the torso and limbs. By breaking the figure into shapes, you can more easily plan the character’s proportions—the size relationship of different body parts. For instance, if you decide the character’s torso is two times as long as the head, you can repeat this measurement ea...
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Article - Depicting Conflict in Storytelling Through Key Art and Storyboarding

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SOURCE: Pascal Campion artwork -  https://www.theyellowsparrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/1012924_721511104543832_899687552_n.jpg  Conflict is the heart of every compelling story—it drives character motivation, heightens tension, and propels the narrative forward. When it comes to visual storytelling, how do you make that conflict leap off the page or screen? By focusing on the emotional core of your scene and using key elements—facial expressions, body language, lighting, and composition—you can capture the essence of struggle or tension in a single image or storyboard panel. This post will explore effective ways to depict conflict visually and provide a short creative activity you can try with Moho to bring your story ideas to life. 1. Identifying the Source of Conflict Internal vs. External Conflict Stories generally showcase either internal conflict (a character battling self-doubt, moral dilemmas, or fears) or external conflict (a character at odds with another charac...
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Conceptual Design in Extreme Wide and Wide Shots: Defining Environments with Depth of Field

 In the realm of film, animation, and video game development, conceptual design often begins by focusing on the broader view of a setting or environment. Two crucial camera setups that help define these grand vistas—and thus the mood and context of the narrative—are the extreme wide shot (EWS) and the wide shot (WS). In addition, considerations around depth of field , whether deep or shallow , heavily influence how much visual information is conveyed to the audience. These early framing choices are essential to establishing where a story takes place and setting the tone for all that follows. Defining Key Terms Conceptual Design : This refers to the process of crafting the overall vision or concept for a film, animation, or interactive project. It involves creating art pieces—often called concept art—that encapsulate the atmosphere, visual style, and core ideas of the story or world. Extreme Wide Shot (EWS) : Also known as an “establishing shot,” the extreme wide shot frames the...
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Article - The Art of Digital Painting: Mastering Layers for Efficiency and Creativity

 Digital painting offers a unique set of tools and techniques that allow artists to create stunning works of art with precision and flexibility. Among these techniques, the use of layers stands out as one of the most important practices in creating digital artwork efficiently and effectively. By separating line art, flat colors, shading, and special effects onto individual layers, artists can streamline their workflow, experiment freely, and achieve professional results. Here’s a guide to understanding this process and why maintaining separate layers is beneficial in the long run. Step 1: Creating Line Art on Its Own Layer The foundation of many digital paintings begins with clean and deliberate line art. This layer serves as the blueprint for the artwork, defining the shapes, forms, and contours of the composition. By keeping the line art on its own layer, artists can: Easily make adjustments: Mistakes or changes to the design can be made without disrupting other elements of the ...
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The Art of Silhouettes: Designing Characters That Stand Out

When designing characters for animation, games, or storytelling, one of the most important principles to master is the power of silhouettes. A well-designed silhouette ensures that a character is instantly recognizable, even at a glance, and communicates key details about their personality, role, and story. Here’s why silhouettes matter and how you can use them to create memorable characters. --- What Makes a Strong Silhouette? A strong silhouette is clear, distinctive, and easy to read. It outlines the overall shape of a character, highlighting unique features without relying on internal details like facial expressions or clothing textures. If a character’s silhouette is instantly recognizable, it ensures they stand out in a crowd, regardless of the medium. Consider iconic characters like Mickey Mouse, Batman, or Mario. Even without their internal details, their shapes are unforgettable. Mickey’s round ears, Batman’s cape and cowl, and Mario’s hat and mustache create instantly identif...
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Welcome to Spring 2025: Conceptual Design B

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Dear Students, Welcome to an exciting Spring 2025 semester in Conceptual Design B! This semester, we’ll be diving into the fascinating world of 3D computer-generated applications. You will: Explore E-on Software’s Vue and Epic TwinMotion for environment modeling and design. Translate 2D concept art into 3D diorama models using Blender . Learn techniques such as material shading, UV texture mapping, lighting, and both deferred and real-time rendering. In addition to our technical work, each week you’ll complete: Weekly Reading Assignments that explore industry practices and cutting-edge technologies. C-E-R Typed Responses , where you’ll develop analytical skills by making claims, supporting them with evidence, and explaining your reasoning. Visualization Assignments to help you build skills in conceptualizing and planning designs. Collaborative projects will challenge you to work with peers to design and create compelling environments, while Skills Performance Exams will assess you...
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