104221 - 2D DRAWING AND ANIMATION

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Jorge Oter Gonzalez

Trimester: Second term

Credits: 6

Academic year: 2025

Teaching course: 2

• Spanish

The subject will be taught in Spanish. Some content and resources may be presented in English or Catalan.

2D animation currently has multiple applications in diverse fields such as cinema, television, Internet, video games, advertising, education... Knowing and putting into practice the basic principles of animation will bring more quality, spontaneity and expressiveness to the work we do, whether this is a final product of 2D animation or a preparatory phase of other digital techniques, such as 3D animation, motion graphics or video games.

The 2D Drawing and Animation subject aims for the student to acquire the necessary skills to conceptualize, design and develop 2D animation pieces for audiovisual media. Throughout the course, artistic drawing concepts will also be studied and applied, allowing the student to use freehand drawing as a premise for the development of 2D animation pieces. Key works and authors will be analyzed to understand the evolution of 2D animation techniques and styles. The basic processes and procedures required by the production of 2D animation will also be studied and applied, applying the fundamentals and strategies specific to audiovisual media.

The 2D Drawing and Animation subject belongs to the area of ​​Animation and Multimedia and is a related subject to degree subjects such as Graphic Design, 3D Animation and 3D Design.

Considerations:

For the correct functioning of the subject as well as its correct continuous assessment, certain material is needed for the class:

• sketch pad Brand proposal: Guarro. Size A4.
• Drawing materials: eraser, pencil, several pens of different colors, pencils of different hardnesses (from H2 to B9). If you do not need all the degrees of hardness, at least the following will be required: H2, HB, B2 and B8 and blue and yellow drawing pencils.

The classroom (physical or virtual) is a safe space, free of sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and discriminatory attitudes, either towards students or towards teachers. We trust that together we can create a safe space where we can make mistakes and learn without having to suffer prejudice from others

Block 1. 2D animation: definition, principles and state of the art

1.1. History of animation.

1.2. Animation techniques, production phases and tools.

1.3. Laws of motion and the 12 principles of animation.

1.4. Fundamentals of animation.

Activities linked to theoretical explanation classes with practical examples to analyse.

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Block 2. Analyzing animation

2.1. Motion Analysis: Compelling animation.

2.2. Types: realistic animation vs. cartoon.

2.3. Animation in the different areas.

2.4. Bipedal characters.

2.5. Creative animation.

Activities linked to theoretical explanation classes with practical examples to analyse.

__________________________________________________________________________

Block 3. Creativity, drawing and design

3.1. Sources of inspiration and other creative techniques.

3.2. Design and construction of characters and environments.

3.3. Work methodology: characters and environments.

Activities linked to theoretical explanation classes with practical examples to analyse.

The subject will be assessed through a continuous assessment system that will take into account the different learning practices and a mandatory test of theoretical content.

Assessment

The grade of each student will be calculated following the following percentages:

• Activity 1. Visualizing the movement (20% of the final grade).
• Activity 2. Analysis of animation (15% of the final mark).
• Activity 3. Creation of a convincing animation (35% of the final mark). This activity will be divided into two parts:
  • Pre-production with the creation of the modelsheets (15% of the total mark).
  • Production with the creation of the animations (20% of the total mark).
• Activity 4. Final exam (30% of the final grade).

When presenting each activity, the delivery requirements, the assessment and whether they are individual or group exercises will be specified.

General description of the exam

The content examination consists of carrying out a knowledge assessment test related to the three blocks taught.

Considerations to take into account:

Activities:

• For each activity, you will be informed of the regulations to be followed and the particular conditions that govern them.
• An activity not delivered or delivered late and without justification (court summons or medical matter) counts as a 0 in this activity.
• Punctuality in the delivery of the different activities will be assessed as follows:
  • Formats other than those required will not be accepted.
  • Late work will not be accepted.
• Deliveries will be made through the virtual campus, except in those cases where the weight of the files is greater than allowed by the server. In such a case, the practices will be delivered via a Google Drive link within the virtual campus. If this is not possible, it will have to be delivered using another means previously agreed with the teacher.
• Given the content of the subject, creativity will be assessed based on an understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects specified in the work methodology, the correct organization of information, preparatory sketches, the search for innovative solutions, graphic clarity in the result of the activities and the various follow-up works.

Exam:

• To access the exam it is mandatory to have passed the overall calculation of the activities.

• It is mandatory to pass the content exam with a minimum of 5 to calculate the overall average with the rest of the subject's activities.

Recovery:

• The make-up exam grade will be applied solely to the Activity 4 grade, i.e. on the exam count (30%).
• It is mandatory to pass the recovery exam with a minimum of 5 to calculate the overall average with the rest of the subject's activities.

• Regardless of the grade obtained in the retake exam, the final grade for the subject may not exceed 5.

Plagiarism:

• It is the student's responsibility to avoid plagiarism in all its forms. Identification of plagiarism is considered a serious circumstance that may lead to a failing grade in an activity. In case of detection of plagiarism, the coordination of the degree will be informed so that the corresponding disciplinary measures can be taken.

• Any form of academic fraud will be sanctioned in accordance with the center's assessment regulations. If signs of fraud are detected, including the improper use of generative artificial intelligence tools, the subject's teaching staff may call the student for an individual interview with the aim of verifying their authorship.

Cavalier, Stephen (2011). The World History of Animation. University of California Press

Johnston, Ollie.; Thomas, Frank. (1984). Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. Abbeville Press.

Williams, Richard (2012). The Animator's Survival Kit: a manual of methods, principles and formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and internet animators. 2nd ed. Faber and Faber.

Halas, John; Whitaker, Harold; Sito, Tom (2009). Timing for animation. Focal Press

Mattesi, Mike (2006). Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators (Force Drawing Series). 2ª Editing. Focal Press.

Muybridge, Eadweard (2000). Animals in motion. Dover Publications.

Muybridge, Eadweard (2000). Human figure in motion. Dover Publications.

White, Tony (1988). The Animator's Workbook. Watson-Guptill Publications.