#animation research

[franbarracartoons]

RECYCLED DAN HASKETT ANIMATION?!

Screenshot from "The Swan Princess" (1994)...

... compared to this one from "The Swan Princess II: Escape From Castle Mountain" (1997)

But seriously, the sequel and the three-quel could've been better as the first one was, in terms of energy.

[camilieroart]

I have been working on something for a few days now, here are some of the research I made for it :)

Flowy hair moment

[edgybutnotveryedgy]

Oh wow! This might kill me.

I just started watching Ashita no Nadja, and the animation and characters art feel very similar to the animation and character art for Princess Tutu. Looking it up though, im not finding any cross between who worked on the shows. I would say it might be in part due to them being made around the same time, as well as the director of Ashita no Nadja (Igarashi Takuya) worked on Sailor Moon: Sailor stars, and the director for Princess Tutu (Sato Junichi) worked on the first two seasons on Sailor moon as well as the show creator (Ito Ikukoh) worked on much of the Sailor Moon Franchise but not the Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars.

It may be due more in part to Toei Animation? Like a lot of the people behind Princess Tutu worked at Toei at one point or another, and Ashita no Nadja was produced by Toei so...

[hanbee-art]

Animation task 1

Blended 2D / 3D animation

I love that this style of animation is becoming more mainstream because of how stunning it is. The fact that each frame looks hand painted is both incredibly impressive and gorgeous and an absolute pleasure to watch.

Arcane (Netflix original series) - https://youtu.be/4Ps6nV4wiCE

Into The Spider-Verse - https://youtu.be/tg52up16eq0

2D Animation

I find it difficult to think of animation without mentioning 2D animation, which can be really nostalgic for me when I think back to my favourite shows when I was growing up. I learned different drawing techniques that influenced my style of drawing from 2D shows and learned how to do things such as storyboarding from them. I also just love how its all hand drawn originally.

Steven Universe - https://youtu.be/VT07nQzr5mg

She-Ra (Netflix original) - https://youtu.be/ACsi-7bndYU 

Bee and Puppycat - https://youtu.be/dop4MTlf_zc

CGI animation

I love CGI animation because of how broad it is and how it covers so many different styles of animation, from simply adding in little effects to film or creating an entire film out of it as beautiful 3D animation. 

Encanto - https://youtu.be/Yp5nPGWWMh4 (I especially love the animation of the hair and the clothing because of how beautifully they all flow)

Coco - https://youtu.be/cgmgZmTMxms

Avatar (2009) - https://youtu.be/5PSNL1qE6VY

[ashendagger]

Enlighten yourselves

With this great documentary series done by Hypeathon aka team_SKGA on Reddit.  That’s how you do research, my guys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5JKAQ_2TUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9XYzqrYbcY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slKaemvHUKo

[k00335424]

We went to People's Park to start researching and sketching our backgrounds, I struggled a bit in the beginning but I got the hang of it as time went on.

After in college Paul said to get some more references and a bit more sketches and ideas from around the college, but I still ended up liking the one at People's Park more than these ones, but they were very good for practicing quick background sketches and being fluid, I even ended up doing a a technique where I don't look at the page at all and only at the subject I was drawing to get a much more fluid and free drawing and to practice drawing from a live subject.

We then went to Limerick City Library to get our cards and then we got books to base our background and Mini-Me art style based off, I picked these books because I quite enjoyed the Line art in the "Bear Island" one and I quite like the sketching look to the "Honey For You Honey For Me" and I really like the shape language in "There's a Tiger in the Garden"

[k00335424]

Artist Research: Akira (Anime)

Akira is a highly influential animated film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, known for its detailed animation, dynamic motion, and iconic depictions of vehicles, especially Kaneda’s red bike. The animation style in Akira focuses heavily on movement, speed, and cinematic framing, using smooth transitions, strong perspective, and dramatic lighting to make every scene feel intense and energetic. The vehicles in the film are not just background objects, but central to the storytelling, often shown in motion with exaggerated angles, motion blur, and bold line work to emphasise speed and direction.

This links strongly to my project because my theme is movement and I am focusing on cars, animation, and poster design. In Akira, movement is shown through camera angles, key frames, and simplified but expressive motion, which is similar to how I am creating my animation using key frames of my car and interior shots. My storyboard and animation of the MK7 Golf, especially the POV driving scenes and dashboard frames, relate to how Akira uses perspective from inside vehicles to create immersion and a sense of motion. Even though my animation is simple and line-based, the idea of showing movement through angles, speed, and framing is directly inspired by that cinematic style.

Another way Akira connects to my work is through its graphic composition and bold visual style. The clean outlines, strong contrasts, and stylised visuals are similar to my digital poster and animation frames, where I simplify details but keep the key shapes of the car clear and recognisable. The use of dramatic lighting and colour in Akira also inspires how I think about presenting cars visually, not just as realistic drawings but as dynamic subjects that express energy and motion.

Overall, Akira has influenced my project by encouraging me to focus on movement through perspective, key framing, and strong visual composition. It shows that even simple shapes and stylised animation can effectively communicate speed, emotion, and motion, which fits perfectly with my animation course work and my overall theme of movement.

[k00321695]

Animation Research: Ghost in a Shell

Ghost in the shell was an anime that was released in 1995 based on the manga ghost in the shell by Masamune Shirow. Paul had the Ghost in the shell archives which shows all the storyboards for movie.

I really liked the idea of someone uploading or having the consciousness be in the body of a robot and thought its be a really cool idea to bring into my animation. I really enjoy how detailed the actual panels are and it actually really insightful to have a look into how actual storyboards look.