Building Your Animation Foundation

You know the basics. Now let's understand how to actually use these 12 principles in your work.

1. Squash and Stretch

What it does: Gives weight and flexibility to objects. Try this: Animate a bouncing ball. Squash it 20-30% on impact, stretch it slightly at peak velocity.

2. Anticipation

What it does: Prepares the viewer for action. Try this: Before a character jumps, have them bend their knees. The bigger the anticipation, the bigger the expected action.

3. Staging

What it does: Directs attention clearly. Try this: Use silhouettes to test your poses. If you can't tell what's happening in shadow, restage it.

4. Straight Ahead vs Pose to Pose

What it does: Two animation methods with different results. Try this: Use pose-to-pose for planned actions (walks, dialogue). Use straight ahead for wild, organic motion (fire, water).