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Description
#1: Ball Bouncing in place, looped. The most basic of the basic.

Next Animation ->

After realizing just how inept I am at animating anything other than an ambiguous, amorphous blobs, I decided to go on a bit of an animation pilgrimage. I'm going to be plowing through a list of 51 animation exercises (found at the very excellent animatorisland.com) to try and get myself going. I've found it's easier to just follow a list than it is to try and think up little tasks for myself. I'll also be timing how long it takes for me to complete the exercise. I theorize that this will encourage me to stop being a lazy twit and letting myself get distracted by stuff. The list is as follows...
Level 1 Exercises
Ball Bouncing in place, no decay (loop)
Ball Bouncing across the screen
Brick falling from a shelf onto the ground
Simple character head turn
Character head turn with anticipation
Character blinking
Character thinking [tougher than it sounds!]
Flour Sack waving (loop)
Flour Sack jumping
Flour Sack falling (loop or hitting the ground)
Flour Sack kicking a ball
Level 2 Exercises
Change in Character emotion (happy to sad, sad to angry, etc.)
Character jumping over a gap
Standing up (from a chair)
Walk cycle [oldie but goodie!]
Character on a pogo stick (loop)
Laughing
Sneezing
Reaching for an object on a shelf overhead
Quick motion smear/blur
Taking a deep breath [also tougher than it sounds!]
A tree falling
Character being hit by something simple (ball, brick, book)
Run Cycle

Level 3 Exercises
Close up of open hand closing into fist
Close up of hand picking up a small object
Character lifting a heavy object (with purpose!)
Overlapping action (puffy hair, floppy ears, tail)
Character painting
Hammering a nail
Stirring a soup pot and tasting from a spoon
Character blowing up a balloon
Character juggling (loop)
Scared character peering around a corner
Starting to say something but unsure of how
Zipping up a jacket
Licking and sealing an envelope
Standing up (from the ground)
Pressing an elevator button and waiting for it
Level 4 Exercises
Character eating a cupcake
Object falling into a body of water
Two characters playing tug-of-war
Character dealing a deck of cards out
The full process of brushing one’s teeth
A single piece of paper dropping through the air
Run across screen with change in direction
Sleeping character startled by alarm then returning to sleepy state
Opening a cupboard and removing something inside
Putting on a pair of pants
Opening the “world’s best gift” and reacting
Any of the above exercises using a very heavy character/object next to a very light character/object. Enhance the differences the weight change makes

Made in Blender using the grease pencil tool.

Description
#1: Ball Bouncing in place, looped. The most basic of the basic.

Next Animation ->

After realizing just how inept I am at animating anything other than an ambiguous, amorphous blobs, I decided to go on a bit of an animation pilgrimage. I'm going to be plowing through a list of 51 animation exercises (found at the very excellent animatorisland.com) to try and get myself going. I've found it's easier to just follow a list than it is to try and think up little tasks for myself. I'll also be timing how long it takes for me to complete the exercise. I theorize that this will encourage me to stop being a lazy twit and letting myself get distracted by stuff. The list is as follows...
Level 1 Exercises
Ball Bouncing in place, no decay (loop)
Ball Bouncing across the screen
Brick falling from a shelf onto the ground
Simple character head turn
Character head turn with anticipation
Character blinking
Character thinking [tougher than it sounds!]
Flour Sack waving (loop)
Flour Sack jumping
Flour Sack falling (loop or hitting the ground)
Flour Sack kicking a ball
Level 2 Exercises
Change in Character emotion (happy to sad, sad to angry, etc.)
Character jumping over a gap
Standing up (from a chair)
Walk cycle [oldie but goodie!]
Character on a pogo stick (loop)
Laughing
Sneezing
Reaching for an object on a shelf overhead
Quick motion smear/blur
Taking a deep breath [also tougher than it sounds!]
A tree falling
Character being hit by something simple (ball, brick, book)
Run Cycle

Level 3 Exercises
Close up of open hand closing into fist
Close up of hand picking up a small object
Character lifting a heavy object (with purpose!)
Overlapping action (puffy hair, floppy ears, tail)
Character painting
Hammering a nail
Stirring a soup pot and tasting from a spoon
Character blowing up a balloon
Character juggling (loop)
Scared character peering around a corner
Starting to say something but unsure of how
Zipping up a jacket
Licking and sealing an envelope
Standing up (from the ground)
Pressing an elevator button and waiting for it
Level 4 Exercises
Character eating a cupcake
Object falling into a body of water
Two characters playing tug-of-war
Character dealing a deck of cards out
The full process of brushing one’s teeth
A single piece of paper dropping through the air
Run across screen with change in direction
Sleeping character startled by alarm then returning to sleepy state
Opening a cupboard and removing something inside
Putting on a pair of pants
Opening the “world’s best gift” and reacting
Any of the above exercises using a very heavy character/object next to a very light character/object. Enhance the differences the weight change makes

Made in Blender using the grease pencil tool.