The Illusion of Life

27 March 2018

There’s so much to learn from Disney, these 12 basic principles are only the start - but they’re a really good one.

Following these principles helps to make animations feel more energetic or alive. You can use them to different degrees depending upon the style of animation you are using. It’s the sort of thing that is worth brushing up on every now and then.

The 12 basic principles of animation were developed by the ‘old men’ of Walt Disney Studios, amongst them Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, during the 1930s. Of course they weren’t old men at the time, but young men who were at the forefront of exciting discoveries that were contributing to the development of a new art form. These principles came as a result of reflection about their practice and through Disney’s desire to use animation to express character and personality.

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10 Principles of Motion Design

02 March 2018

Brush Ninja is designed to be simple to use so that anyone can animate, but that doesn’t reduce the skill needed to make fantastic animations. This animated gif shows 10 principles of motion design that will help to make your animations engaging to watch. Timing, Spacing and Rhythm Eases Mass...

Custom Animation Backgrounds

28 May 2020

Update: As of January 2021 this feature is now available on Brush Ninja. There’s more help on setting custom backgrounds here. After ‘more colours’, custom background images is the most requested new feature. I’ve been asked for this a lot of times, and it’s finally coming in Brush Ninja version...

Awesome Animations Showcase

19 July 2018

I love seeing people sharing their Brush Ninja animations on Twitter and I wanted a way to record my favorites. So I have made an animation showcase, that highlights the awesome animations being made in Brush Ninja. If you want your animation to be featured then share the animated gif...

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