Aim
Inspired by William Kentridge's method of Charcoal Animation, the frame-by-frame process of animating gives a unique feel to the animation. I wanted to try his method to animate and come up with a very short looping animation.
Method
With Toon Boom Harmony, I started with a simple shape like ellipse (hand-drawn) because the simplicity and mutability of the shape provides an accessible platform to play with frame-by-frame animation.
Result
I did not think deliberately about my next frame, instead, took the idea of 'blob' and tried to animate the ellipse frame-by-frame. As I progressed, I tried to experiment with Squash and Stretch, played with its form, visualised how it would transform into a different form, like a square. I aimed to maintain the personalities of the shapes. As you can see, the ellipse is very flexible and the box (or square) is of rigid characteristics, hence it is quite heavier in weight.
I used less number of frames to mimic speed with the ellipse when it clings in the corner and more frames with the box when it rolls over to give it more weight.
Discussion
I wonder, what if the ellipse/box was of different material, or what if ellipse/box has liquid inside. Timing and Pacing in animation can add characteristics to, even a simple shape. Playing around with these ideas in Animation can make any movement interesting, giving more personality to the objects.
