The 2020 "Junior Golden Pencil Awards"
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT:
For those participants who do not have the equipment for creating traditional hand-drawn animation, here is a list of minimal drawing equipment required...
For those participants who do not have the equipment for creating traditional hand-drawn animation, here is a list of minimal drawing equipment required...
JUNIORS:
Flipbooks are essentially small, bound pads of blank paper. ("Post-it" notepads are good too!) These need to be drawn in sequentially, page after page. Each page drawing will need to be slightly different from the previous one, meaning that when the pages are rapidly flipped the drawings will give the appearance of moment. For competition entry purposes, the flipping pages need to be captured on video and submitted via VoTech.
Flipbooks are essentially small, bound pads of blank paper. ("Post-it" notepads are good too!) These need to be drawn in sequentially, page after page. Each page drawing will need to be slightly different from the previous one, meaning that when the pages are rapidly flipped the drawings will give the appearance of moment. For competition entry purposes, the flipping pages need to be captured on video and submitted via VoTech.
SENIORS:
Lightbox: As several layers of drawings are often used during the animation inbetweening process, it is good to have a backlit device that will allow you to see through all the layers at the same time. Any lightbox will do but an A4 size LED Adjustable Illuminated Tracing Lightbox (via Amazon) is fine...
Lightbox: As several layers of drawings are often used during the animation inbetweening process, it is good to have a backlit device that will allow you to see through all the layers at the same time. Any lightbox will do but an A4 size LED Adjustable Illuminated Tracing Lightbox (via Amazon) is fine...
Animation pegbar: In order that animation drawings be consistently registered with one another it is necessary to have an animation pegbar taped to you lightbox. A recommended pegbar that can be obtained via Lightfoot is the "three round hole" one, seen below. This peg arrangement is compatible with most inexpensive paper punches that can be found any any office supply store.
Animation paper: To match the registration pegbar of choice it is important that all animation is done on punched paper. The most economic letter size paper for the three round hole system can also be found via the Lightfoot website. (Note: Paper for the three round hole office punch system can also be bought at any local office supply store too. (Make sure to buy plain punched paper however, not lined!
Pencils, erasers and pencil sharpeners: Standard pencils, erasers and manual pencil sharpeners will do. However, an electric pencil sharpener which will save a lot of time when you do the large amount of pencil drawings needed to make your animation work.
Video capture equipment: When finished, animation drawings need to be captured frame-by-frame and rendered to video tape. The following are suggestions for doing this...
JUNIOR CATEGORY:
As indicated, flipbooks can be filmed by a standard phone video camera. Have one person flip the drawings while another captures it on video. Film the action as closely as possible.
SENIOR CATEGORY:
For the "Senior" level of animation, more specialized equipment will be necessary to capture the drawings one-by-one and then render the drawings into a final video. The simplest and least expensive way to do this is to use a document capture camera that is hooked up to a computer with single-frame capture software loaded onto it. Your LED lightbox with attached pegbar makes a perfect base for the drawings to be filmed individually.
As indicated, flipbooks can be filmed by a standard phone video camera. Have one person flip the drawings while another captures it on video. Film the action as closely as possible.
SENIOR CATEGORY:
For the "Senior" level of animation, more specialized equipment will be necessary to capture the drawings one-by-one and then render the drawings into a final video. The simplest and least expensive way to do this is to use a document capture camera that is hooked up to a computer with single-frame capture software loaded onto it. Your LED lightbox with attached pegbar makes a perfect base for the drawings to be filmed individually.
Single frame capture apps often have a video rendering option included too - meaning that when the drawings are shot one by one they can be then converted into a regular video that may be submitted to the competition.
The video below will show this process, using a document capture camera and DigiCel Flipbook software ~ although there are other software apps that can combine single frames into a video of course!
The video below will show this process, using a document capture camera and DigiCel Flipbook software ~ although there are other software apps that can combine single frames into a video of course!
