Please can someone help me decide whether or not to buy some books by Don Bluth. I'm on a tight budget, so I only want to buy what is needed, not what is only nice to have.
On the first day of June 2005 Don Bluth's Art of Animation Drawing is released and already released is Don Bluth's Art of Storyboard.
Are these books any good for someone who already has:
* The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
* Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series) (well, a translated Dutch version)
and soon will have:
* The Animator's Survival Kit
I found a local online bookstore who offers both books by Don Bluth for only 26.50 euros (no shipping or credit card costs), so I need to know if these books are invaluable as additions to what I already have, or just interesting to have, because the other books I have/soon will have already cover (most of) the subjects in enough detail.
Books by Don Bluth essential or only nice to have?
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Both "The Illusion of Life" and "The Animator's Survival Kit" are essential kit.
Disney Studio's Nine Old Men and their 12 principles of animation are your foundation. Nay, your bedrock. The more you fuse and incorporate what they were talking about, the more you will unlock your potential. This is not really a step by step book per se, but it distills the whole process and you will understand how to approach animation.
Richard Williams produced, among other things, Roger Rabbit. He was and probably still is a relentless animation student and found himself among the Disney masters, spending MUCH quality time under them. His book has loads and loads of history, anecdotes, and, most of all, [i]practical ABCs[/i] of all the core skills and concepts. It's a beast!
I'm an animation student and a lot of us have gotten very proficient in using Adobe and Alias and Discreet and Z Brush and blah blah blah. It would all be for naught if they hadn't started us out with traditional pencil animation and given us these classics.
Disney Studio's Nine Old Men and their 12 principles of animation are your foundation. Nay, your bedrock. The more you fuse and incorporate what they were talking about, the more you will unlock your potential. This is not really a step by step book per se, but it distills the whole process and you will understand how to approach animation.
Richard Williams produced, among other things, Roger Rabbit. He was and probably still is a relentless animation student and found himself among the Disney masters, spending MUCH quality time under them. His book has loads and loads of history, anecdotes, and, most of all, [i]practical ABCs[/i] of all the core skills and concepts. It's a beast!
I'm an animation student and a lot of us have gotten very proficient in using Adobe and Alias and Discreet and Z Brush and blah blah blah. It would all be for naught if they hadn't started us out with traditional pencil animation and given us these classics.
You know, I just thought about it again. While you must own the titles I just described, the Don Bluth book and also Preston Blair's "Cartoon Animation" have loads of drawing.
If you are really tight on $, and a big expensive book is a big deal at the moment, these are a little less expensive and you will get down to business straight away.
Have fun whichever you choose!
If you are really tight on $, and a big expensive book is a big deal at the moment, these are a little less expensive and you will get down to business straight away.
Have fun whichever you choose!
Really I don't think (as you yourself have said) that any of the books are required. But I'd think both the Don Bluth books would be worth it for the price, if nothing else. The storyboarding one might be useful for you.
They all are good reads. I have all but the Bluth books. If you get them let me know what you think.
Brian
They all are good reads. I have all but the Bluth books. If you get them let me know what you think.
Brian
Sometimes in order to accomplish something you need to not sleep.
My 2 cents:
The Illusion of Life is great if you learn by reading.
The Animator's Survival Kit is great if you learn by seeing (visual diagrams that is).
If you can handle both that's even better. The Animator's Survival Kit is my personal fav.
I haven't seen the Don Bluth books.
I'm sure you've heard me recommend this before, but "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is fantastic for it's theories on visual storytelling. Not specifically for animation but it's theories are easily applied to it. It's discussion on icons and visual representation of the world is great when designing the look of your animation.
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The Illusion of Life is great if you learn by reading.
The Animator's Survival Kit is great if you learn by seeing (visual diagrams that is).
If you can handle both that's even better. The Animator's Survival Kit is my personal fav.
I haven't seen the Don Bluth books.
I'm sure you've heard me recommend this before, but "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is fantastic for it's theories on visual storytelling. Not specifically for animation but it's theories are easily applied to it. It's discussion on icons and visual representation of the world is great when designing the look of your animation.
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Last edited by kdiddy13 on Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Based on your recommendation, I got this book. For me, it really opened my eyes about all the different ways that information is communicated through pictures. It talks about all those things I thought were "indescribable" in clear language, with tons of pictures and examples. The one diagram that goes from high-detail picture describing one person, and all the steps down to a stick figure, describing all people, stands out in my mind.kdiddy13 wrote:I'm sure you've heard me recommend this before, but "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud is fantastic for it's theories on visual storytelling. Not specifically for animation but it's theories are easily applied to it. It's discussion on icons and visual representation of the world is great when designing the look of your animation.
I've made it a point to skim through it before doing any storyboarding, and I find that I always come up with interesting angles, etc.
I think I'll buy Bluth's "Art of Storyboard" and Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics", because I'm both new to storyboarding and visual communication. Both are reasonably priced.
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BTW I personally think that the "Illusion of Life" is the best book to combine (self)practice with (book)theory, while Preston Blair offers a lot of visual examples, in logical order. I can see myself progressing day-by-day and that motivates me to go on. Nevertheless, I have a long way to go.
I'm curious if the storyboarding and visual communication books are just as useful to me. I've read somewhere the best way to learn how to animate is to create your first animated short.
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BTW I personally think that the "Illusion of Life" is the best book to combine (self)practice with (book)theory, while Preston Blair offers a lot of visual examples, in logical order. I can see myself progressing day-by-day and that motivates me to go on. Nevertheless, I have a long way to go.
I'm curious if the storyboarding and visual communication books are just as useful to me. I've read somewhere the best way to learn how to animate is to create your first animated short.
"the best way to learn how to animate is to create your first animated short"
And the second, and third, and fourth...etc...
Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com
And the second, and third, and fourth...etc...
Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com