Animation Tip: Joints

Character for animation consists of a number of segments. Joints are the most tricky part, that must overlap correctly, in order animation didn't look bad. And that’s something that every newbie will face in animation.

So what should we do to make character look good in any pose?

  1. Mark the center of the joint with a horizontal line
  2. Draw a circle or elipse shape to fit the edges
  3. Divide arm into several parts with rounded, semi-circle edges
  4. If character has any feature (like shadow or an outline), it should be taken into account, before splitting up the character

Note: we can also hide bad joints overlapping with different character’s accessories, like collar or gloves.

That’s all for now! Please, post your results in the comments. And if you like the tutorial, please, share it :)

* Download this tutorial in PDF

Author

Olga Bikmullina

Author

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