Reference material - list your favorites

[lindaloo]

I had a great time at tonight's socializer!  Met many local animators - made great contacts - saw some fantastic work.  Those of you who couldn't make it - come to the next one (will be in September)!

In discussing reference material, several people had some great tips.  A forum topic on this would be a great place to share as well.

A couple of my favorites: 

"Timing for Animation" - by Harold Whitaker and John Halas
(Great chapter on effects such as wind, fire, smoke, etc.) 

"Stop Motion - Craft Skills for Model Animation" - by Susannah Shaw
(For those of you who like to play in claymation - this is the one-stop how to guide.  I LOVE this book!)

What are your favorites?

[mish]

I suggest Kit Laybourne's book:  "The Animation Book".  It's a great resource of animation methods and even has exercises for teaching yourself basic animation principles.  The latest edition includes information about 3-D computer graphics, but covers traditional methods and has a bit of history, too.

I found Chuck Jones' book "Chuck Amuck:  The Life and Times of and Animated Cartoonist" really inspirational.  It's mostly a memoir, but it's packed with drawings from his days in the studios.  His best advice:  draw lots.

"The Illusion of Life" -- it goes without saying.  Just sayin'.

I also find just hanging out with people and talking about animation is really valuable.  Opinions may conflict, but when the passion is shared, it's really energizing.

Mish

[leobro]

I've read a lot of good animation books. But the most helpful, in terms of actual self-improvement, was from reading and DOING the (free) "$100,000 Animation Drawing Course" on the ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archive site: http://animationarchive.org/ (scroll down - it's on the right column). It's a series of practices from John K's blog, based on Preston Blair's classic book. I had the book as a kid, but I didn't know how to use it until I read this. It takes a lot of time but I did get a lot out of it.