In this pilot episode, we will learn how to animate Spike the Bee from the old school Disney cartoons. For this first class, we will nail down his design, followed by drawing out thumbnails of the character in action. This is a class aimed at students who are either just starting off in the medium or for students who already have some prior knowledge of the art form. This class is great for beginners, hobbyists, and professionals in the field because you can use these skills and your understanding of the character to create your subjects on model in various expressions or poses.
Your class project will come in two parts. The first part will focus on two assignments: deconstructing and then constructing Spike the Bee. The second part will focus on one assignment: creating thumbnails for your animation of Spike the Bee. All in all, these are simple assignments just to get your feet wet in the water before we really dive deep into our animation.
For Assignment A of Part 1: Deconstruct Spike the Bee using the construction tips we learned from the class. To aid you, find four poses of the character online so you will be able to draw over them. Try to find a Front, Back, Left, and Right perspective of the character. When you are finished with those four drawings, screencap them and show that the sketches are drawn over the reference image. Post and share your work here in the class project gallery.
For Assignment B of Part 1: Construct Spike the Bee using the construction tips we learned from the class. This time, we are not going to trace over the reference images. The four drawings we make must come from our imagination. They can be from any kind of perspective you can think of. When you are finished with those four drawings, screencap them as they are since there are no reference images. Post and share your work here in the class project gallery.
For Assignment A of Part 2: Thumbnail Spike the Bee as we plan out our animation of him flying around. You can do as many thumbnails as you wish. All that matters is that you get the feel for the character and think up as many poses of him flying as you can. When you are finished, screencap all of the thumbnails together so they will all appear in one frame. Post and share your work here in the class project gallery.
Share your work and have fun!
