Traditional animation (also known as classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is a technique where every frame is created by hand. This form of animation, often referred to as drawn animation, exemplifies the meticulous artistry of animators.
The method was the leading type of animation during the 20th century until a transition to computer animation occurred in the industry, including digital ink and paint along with 3D computer animation. Today, animation with drawings continues to hold a significant place in the world of visual storytelling, preserving the charm and authenticity of traditional animation techniques.
The Process of Traditional Animation Explained
Writing and Storyboarding
The production of animation typically starts once a story has been transformed into a script for an animated film, leading to the creation of a storyboard. A storyboard, often used by a paper animator, resembles comic book panels and provides a detailed shot-by-shot breakdown of the staging, acting, and camera movements that will be included in the film.
This method harks back to the early days of cartoon animation drawings, reminiscent of cartoon movies from the 1920s drawing styles, which laid the foundation for modern animation. The visuals enable the animation team to organize the storyline and the arrangement of the visuals. Storyboard artists will hold consistent meetings with the director and might redraw or “re-board” a sequence multiple times before it receives final approval, ensuring precision in every detail of animation with drawings.
Voice Recording
Prior to the start of animation with drawings, an initial soundtrack or scratch track is captured to allow for better synchronization of the animation with the audio. Due to the sluggish pace at which traditionally animated content is created, it is generally simpler to align animation with an existing soundtrack than to match a soundtrack to already made animation.
A finished classic animation soundtrack will include music, sound effects, and dialogue voiced by actors. The scratch track utilized in animation usually features just the voices, any songs for characters to sing along to, and provisional musical score tracks; the final score and sound effects are incorporated during post-production.
For Japanese animation and many American traditional cartoon productions made before 1930, the sound was recorded after the film elements were completed. How were classic cartoon shows animated? The soundtrack was created by watching the completed film and then performing the necessary dialogue, music, and sound effects.
Several studios, particularly Fleischer Studios, persisted in post-synching their cartoons throughout much of the 1930s, enabling the inclusion of the “muttered ad-libs” found in numerous Popeye the Sailor and Betty Boop cartoons.
Design, Timing, and Layout
When storyboards are provided to the design teams, character designers create model sheets for all characters and props that feature in the film; these are utilized to ensure consistency in appearance, poses, and gestures. The model sheets are essential in classical animation and typically feature “turnarounds” that depict a character or object in three dimensions alongside standardized special poses and expressions, providing artists with a reference guide.
Miniature figures called maquettes can be created to allow an animator to visualize a character in three-dimensional form. This process, integral to animation by hand, reflects techniques used in the old cartoon style. Background stylists will perform comparable tasks for any environments and locales depicted in the storyboard, while the art directors and color stylists will establish the artistic style and color palettes to be utilized.
During the animation process, the background artists will create the sets where the action of each animated scene will occur. These backgrounds, central to 2D animation applications, are typically created using gouache or acrylic paint, although certain animated works have employed backgrounds made with watercolor or oil paint.
Background artists closely monitor the work of background layout artists and color stylists (typically gathered into a workbook for their reference) to ensure the resulting backgrounds are tonally harmonious with the character designs. How did they do animation before computers? By relying on techniques like full animation, artists meticulously crafted every detail by hand, delivering the timeless magic seen in animated films and cartoons.
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Animatic
Typically, an animatic or story reel is produced after the soundtrack has been recorded and prior to the start of full animation. The phrase “animatic” was first created by Walt Disney Animation Studios. An animatic usually comprises storyboard images edited and synchronized with the audio track. This enables the animators and directors to resolve any script and timing problems that might be present in the existing storyboard.
The storyboard and soundtrack are revised as needed, and a new animatic might be produced and assessed with the director until the storyboard fulfills the users’ needs. Editing the film during the animatic phase stops the animation of scenes that will be cut from the final film. Avoid creating scenes that will ultimately be removed from the finished cartoon.
Animation
In the classic animation method, animators start by sketching animation sequences on sheets of clear paper designed to fit the peg bars on their desks, typically utilizing colored pencils, creating one image or “frame” at a time. A peg bar is an essential tool in traditional animation to secure the drawings in position. A principal animator or head animator will create the keyframes or main drawings for a scene, utilizing the character layouts for reference. The lead animator creates sufficient frames to convey the main poses in a character’s performance.
When creating a scene, a primary animator typically creates a pencil test for that scene. A pencil test is a more basic version of the completed animated scene (usually lacking numerous character details and colors); the pencil sketches are swiftly photographed or scanned and paired with the appropriate soundtracks. This enables the animation to be evaluated and refined prior to handing the project over to their assistant animators, who will include details and fill in some of the absent frames in the scene.
The tasks performed by assistant animators are evaluated, pencil-tested, and adjusted until the lead animator is prepared to consult with the director and have their scene sweatboxed.
Ink and Paint
After the clean-ups and intermediate drawings for a sequence are finished, they are set for a process called ink and paint. This process is integral to classical animation techniques. Every illustration is moved from paper to a transparent, slim sheet of plastic known as a cel, which is short for celluloid animation. (The initial combustible cellulose nitrate was subsequently substituted with the more stable cellulose acetate.)
The drawing’s outline is either inked or photocopied onto the animation cel, and on the reverse sides of the cels, gouache, acrylic, or a comparable paint type is applied to add colors in the right shades. The clear nature of the cel permits the animation of every character or object in a frame on separate cels, enabling the cel of one character to be visible below the cel of another, while the solid background will be visible beneath all of the cels. This layering technique is a hallmark of cel animation and revolutionized how animated scenes were brought to life.
Disney faced a setback in its ink-and-paint department because of World War II. When peace returned, a lot of the original equipment became obsolete as cheaper alternatives were pursued, resulting in the xerography technique developed by Ub Iwerks.
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Camera
Once the complete sequence has been moved to cels, the photography stage starts. This process is central to cel animation, a hallmark of classical animation techniques. Every animation cel present in a frame of a sequence is stacked on top of one another, placing the background at the base of the pile. A sheet of glass is placed over the artwork to smooth out any inconsistencies, and the combined image is subsequently captured in stop motion using a specialized animation camera known as a rostrum camera.
The process, integral to celluloid animation and traditional 2D animation, repeats as the cels are taken away, and the cycle continues for the subsequent frame until every frame in the series has been photographed. Each cel features registration holes, tiny openings along the top or bottom edge of the cel, permitting the cel to fit onto matching peg bars prior to the camera to guarantee that each cel aligns with the preceding one. If the cels are misaligned in this way, the drawn animation will look “jittery” when played at full speed.
At times, frames might need to be captured multiple times to apply superimpositions and various camera effects. Pans are achieved by shifting the cels or backgrounds one step at a time across a series of frames (the camera itself does not pan; it only zooms in and out). This meticulous process exemplifies the enduring artistry of animation with drawings.
Animation dope sheets are produced by animators and utilized by the camera operator to convert each animation drawing into the designated number of film frames determined by the animators, usually 1 (1s) or 2 (2s), and occasionally 3 (3s).
Once the scenes are completed with final photography, they are inserted into the animatic or leica reel, replacing the pencil animation. After every scene in the production has been filmed, the completed movie is sent for processing and development, and the final music and sound effects are incorporated into the soundtrack.
Final Words
And there you have it. Here’s how it was done and revolutionized to the point we are at. The purists still do it, and there will always be people who would appreciate it. Prolific Studio, one of the best animation studios in Los Angeles, is one of those studios that understand this art form and give compelling services to their customers.
So, if you want our flawless animation services, then get in touch with us today!
