If you want to turn off the subtitles, click [setting]-[tooltips]-['on' for PC, 'close' for mobile].
Hello, let's start the 12th chapter
of 2D FX animation.
I notified that we will
cover the other category of animation,
which is not an element animation.
When I covered the various definitions of FX,
I mentioned that FX can exist by itself and
as a CFX, which interacts with
or overlays characters and
is directly connected to them.
Today, we will focus on that CFX, character FX.
First of all, setting aside way too special cases,
the most representative
and commonly used CFX is
a character with a human form.
In this case, there are two cases of FX
that occur when hair and clothing
have a certain width.
I would like to explain those two aspects
first through various patterns,
so I have created an exercise like this.
This example is for an easy take-off.
The character is in a static situation
wherein a single pose and does not move.
When we add FX to it, we can illustrate
aspects like hair and clothing fluttering
in the wind, and specifically,
I used the cloak to be influenced by the wind,
Since the character is not moving, and
the parts connected to the character
or the attached parts remain
in the same place, it is the easiest exercise.
We will briefly look at this next,
but once the character starts to move,
the CFX must also move accordingly,
which increases the difficulty significantly.
First, let me explain the basic principles.
In fact, we are continuing to utilize almost
the same principles as what I explained so far.
When it comes to drawing hair or clothes,
there are a few beneficial tips or considerations,
so let's go through them one by one.
Now, let's start with hair. When we
think about hair… Hair
consists of very thin strands
that gather to form a large mass,
completing the design we envision.
When you think about drawing a single strand of hair,
it is essential to first understand this first single strand.
Regarding this single strand…,
by applying the principles of overlap,
we should not change the adhesive surface.
As long as the hair is not pulled out, there is no reason
for the adhesive point on the head to move either.
By utilizing overlap,
we express the changes in wind strength,
illustrating the movement of wavelength,
not the wavelength, movement of wave.
However, if we continue to use the same cycle,
it becomes boring and results
in mechanical movements.
Let’s change the patterns slightly and
adjust the spacing as well.
At times, the cycle can widen,
and at other times, it can narrow.
When you think of drawing sine and cosine
with slight variations in the cycle,
you can practice drawing in a much more lively
manner compared
Even with just a single strand,
you can still convey that it flutters.
Understanding this single strand is important
because when multiple strands gather and
form a single bundle,
it will create a thicker strand like this.
Then, you can apply the same movement here,
which is essentially unchanged except
that the previous single strand
has become slightly thicker.
Let’s give it a try.
I will simply follow
the drawing below exactly.
By giving slight variations in thickness,
do not draw with
the same width always, but apply
a design style that gives variations
with these thin and thick parts to ensure
the dynamic in the movement.
If you make it a habit to incorporate
such elements when drawing,
you can create more stylish poses.
Especially in parts that move dynamically,
like hair, you don't need
to maintain the same volume.
If you happen to notice this while I am drawing,
it would be great to apply it during your practice.
Extending the expression position with the same movement
as the single strand of hair below and
simply copying the same movement
created the same
depiction with the motion of one strand.
Now, when we apply the movement of the entire head here,
can we really replicate
the expression of
this single strand in the same way?
Yes, in terms of the principle.
Applying the movement of a single strand
with a slight time delay and
the same principle to multiple strands
is not a bad approach.
However, applying the movement of one strand
to all the hair growing from the scalp could
lead to some issues.
Unless you use intentionally
simplified styling or the method
for very cartoony or experimental animation,
let me explain it by drawing a few frames.
Illustrating the hair
all clumped together like this
is too simplistic and
looks like hair being stuck together with a hair gel.
You can enhance the movement quite simply.
Since I mentioned that we can express
the movement of a single strand,
this time, I will add one more strand here.
I will simply add one more strand,
but be careful
to ensure that the movements
of this and this strand can flow
in similar directions
under probability, while not replicating
them exactly.
For example, you can depict much better with
a time delay or some degree of angular variation.
For example, if you simply draw another curve next to
this curve with the same timing and movement,
it will not be helpful,
resulting in mechanical movement,
as I mentioned earlier.
The strand of hair number 1 is
coming down before strand number 2.
As you can see, since the upper part of
this hair is still rising,
you can overlap them
like this in the following frame.
Having moments where they overlap
rather than always avoiding each other
will emphasize the sense
of space or dimensionality.
Now, I will represent both
the first and second strands as a single bundle,
making it slightly thicker.
I will keep the first one as it is
and make the second one much thicker.
Like this.
It's following this movement now.
As I want to show you how they blend later,
I am paying attention to this connection line.
Following the movement of
the strand below is the important
In a way, at first, I provided that example
to explain how to create the animation
of a single strand of hair. However,
right now, I am not thinking of
it as just one strand but
rather as a guideline to grasp
the movement of a bigger strand.
Don't be afraid of the overlapping areas.
Leave them as they are and allow
I have drawn based on the movement of a much thicker,
bigger strand than the first one.
Wasn't it following the movement of the scalp well?
It's a bit distracting.
In situations like this,
it's better to follow the hair attached
to the scalp with a certain degree of coherence,
like this.
Right now, the connection
of these two strands...
Since the goal is to show the relationship between the two,
I'll just leave it at this point.
Now, I create the animation first as
if I drew these two strands of hair.
We can form two large bundles
with just those two strands.
Since I did not create
this animation to loop,
it will not return to the initial frame smoothly.
That's because I didn't design it with looping in mind.
Here, you only need to observe a few movements.
By doing this,
you can add many more strands of hair here.
Let’s say it has a fringe.
Similarly, when there is a fringe, as it is short,
it shouldn't move too flamboyantly or excessively.
Instead of that, by adding slight
count curves and utilizing overlap
with the same principle,
you can have the fringe move a little bit like this.
First, establish the design of the fringe
in this way, and then simply
draw the fringe along this line.
If you feel confused
when trying to grasp the movement
with a voluminous shape from
the very beginning,
create the animation with just this single line,
which will lessen the burden.
It will ease your understanding of the method
and practice to proceed step by step.
The fringe is moving, and the back hair is fluttering
in the strong wind, creating that kind of movement.
In such cases,
the overlapping areas should not be seen,
as hair is not transparent glass.
Then, I will merge the overlapping areas
like this and erase them.
I will erase it like this
from the very beginning.
All the overlapping areas.
It might be a somewhat Japanese expression technique,
leaving a slight trace of
the overlapping line based on which strand of hair
is on top among the overlapping areas.
By doing this to express dimensionality while
having a sense of Z-space and distance,
the strands of hair may clump together
as if they were transparent.
Due to the nature of hair, it's hard to tell
which strand is which when they are gathered.
Hair is hard to tell which strand
is which when they are gathered.
To create a movement that comes together
and disperses more naturally
without being separated
as this strand and that strand,
erasing the lines in between
is also very stylish and a good idea.
Let’s talk about the movement of the cloak.
Oh, one more thing about the hair.
If you want to add more details to the hair,
you can simply add one strand at a time like this.
Do you need to draw the strand in the middle
first and use it as a guideline?
No, you don’t since I did that
to explain the principle.
When it feels natural
at some point in your practice,
it is good to come up with
the details on the spot by giving
some time delay to Desynchronize and
add that as calculating in your head.
It should be that way someday.
Let's move on to this cloak.
I chose to discuss the cloak material
first instead of other sleeves
or dresses because it is simpler.
Think about the tailoring.
Others are much more complex as
they have volume and many more curves,
and they follow the human body.
The basic form of a cloak
is simply a flat rectangle.
When you imagine a rectangular 3D model,
it becomes simpler with
the premise of it being divided into polygons.
This shape will move like a flag.
I gave a quick explanation about
how to practice moving a flag,
in a previous chapter.
If you apply that here in the same way,
there are two ways to utilize it.
You should then combine the two after practicing both.
The first is to imagine the cloak spreading like this
and think of the wind blowing in this direction.
You will use this form of wave movement
to create the animation.
What I mean is, like this.
In this part, since it's practice,
it doesn't matter if it's mechanical and unnatural.
Like this.
I will establish this movement
from the beginning as one that can loop.
I will loop it here, like this.
Let's play. In this direction,
if you look closely,
this part doesn't move at all,
remaining completely straight.
When thinking of it as a 3D model,
these parts are all in a straight form without
Let's call this part 1
and the pink part as part 2.
In only part 2,
the wave movement exist. By doing that,
we achieve this movement.
Let's try the vice-versa case.
In the opposite case,
when the wind only affects
this direction, it may not be realistic,
but imagine that the wind influences this completely
stretched-out cloak only in this direction.
This time, you should also have the sense to draw the inner lining.
You need to think carefully about what kind of
volume it will have when it's rolled up.
I didn't draw it here...
Please wait a moment.
It's done.
Although the wind moves in this direction,
it will not be a natural movement.
This is an exercise to develop the
skill to apply this on both sides.
It may not be natural, but understand
the volume well and
practice this way, like this.
The wind Just by looking at this,
you might acknowledge
the flutter of the cloak, even though it’s minimal.
You probably felt a bit of
that when you first saw it, as well.
Then, we need to combine the two here.
Let’s make it natural.
When there is a shape like a carpet,
it wouldn't only ripple
this part or that part.
These two will occur manifoldly.
Therefore, let's start with the first exercise,
moving in one direction.
And I will explain the easiest method.
Do not draw the bottom part in a straight line,
but add some curvature to the line, like this.
Add that curvature,
and then twist here slightly.
This tailored fabric does
not only move in one direction,
and when the wind influences
both directions, it will cause twisting,
creating creases.
Then, just like we did earlier.
If this part goes its own way
and this part goes its own
way, it will naturally...
It might seem a bit complicated to think about.
It's complicated, but now that the principle is clear...
It will go like this.
This movement is the priority.
Think of the long-moving wave
as the main movement
while considering this shorter movement
as the sub-movement,
combining the two.
While the wave moves in one direction,
if you create by combining the two and allowing
the wave underneath, in the opposite direction,
to move fluidly, like this…
Excluding the hair...
You can create the movement of
a cloak that complexly moves.
Providing some information about
the parts where the twists
occur and that placed forward
than which part is very beneficial.
If you don't do this,
you'll have to think about each one
in the shading step,
I'll make this a bit brighter since
the line underneath isn't visible.
However, since I have included all
the information here
when you finish up the shading
with one color by making
the lining darker and adding shadows
regarding the parts where the folding
lines are visible or have the folded
So, I am expressing those informative lines and
the areas where shading can be added.
It will be more convenient later on.
Right now, I have depicted only the movement of
the wind on a static character, like a statue.
But, let's forget about the wind for a moment.
Let me quickly explain the case where
the character’s moving causes the FX movement.
Since this is not a chapter about character animation,
I have pre-produced the character,
which you can use for practice.
You don't need to create this character entirely.
If you can, it is better to practice
the movement on your own
produced characters. But if you can't,
you can still practice here.
One thing about the character movement.
It's the same as the bouncing ball exercise
I mentioned several times.
If you look at the movement of
the pelvis separately, it is no different
from the movement of a bouncing ball.
When a person runs...
If we were to film a person while following them,
the fundamental principle of the running movement is
based on the bouncing ball principle.
By focusing solely on this movement, you will see
that it is much simpler than the movement of running.
Now, it might seem complicated,
but let’s try drawing a skirt here.
The skirt would look something like in 3D.
I need to draw the animation for this.
First, when you establish the first pose,
you shouldn't estimate the skirt shape.
This is because the drawing doesn't start
from a static position.
It will be looped while running.
As the character goes up, the skirt will go down,
and when it comes down from above, the skirt will rise.
Since this is a very simple principle of overlap,
if you draw the outline like this,
just as I explained using
a single strand of hair earlier,
let’s use one line to demonstrate
And when I go back to the very first frame,
it doesn't match up.
Then, I make some adjustments here.
If I do it like this...
Keep adjusting with just one line,
similar to the hair exercise,
until you reach a movement that
resembles a natural skirt movement.
I think this level of adjustment will be sufficient.
I like it a bit more than the first version.
It needs to be a bit more inflated here.
Like this, using this movement manner,
do the same to the opposite side.
Now, we can draw the movement of the skirt.
Can you feel it?
If you can think of
a more complex left-right movement
for the skirt’s motion at this point,
that would allow you to create
a more advanced and higher-quality animation.
However, with just the completely symmetrical movement,
you can express the additional movements of the skirt,
like a bouncing ball,
generated by the body's motion,
which is not a bad way to represent CFX.
So practice this first.
Once you have practiced this to a certain extent,
you can see these lines, right?
You may have noticed that
these lower lines have a wavy form.
If you add some scattering movement to them,
to the right and left,
it will create a much more lively motion.
To illustrate this briefly,
I will assume and draw that this
character's hair is not just long
or a symmetrical bob cut
but rather a ponytail.
In the case of a ponytail,
the tied part will generally follow the head,
but there are almost no instances
where the tied hair only moves up and down.
Because the connected part here does not move,
the pendulum-like movement must be replicated.
If it maintains a perfect 90-degree angle to the ground,
there will be no pendulum movement. However,
if there is even a 1 or 2-degree angle at the start,
the side-to-side movement of the pendulum
will be added and inevitably become stronger over time.
In that regard, if you draw tied hair,
there must be movement to the right and left.
In the case of the skirt,
since it has such complex movements,
it could be somewhat ignored as a cheat.
When drawing the movement of a ponytail,
there must almost always be
this side-to-side movement.
While drawing the overlap,
ensure to sway side-to-side.
We can depict it as such.
On top of a running character,
is the hair tied up,
or is it a bob cut, or long hair?
A crew cut wouldn't move at all,
which wouldn't even be considered FX.
On the other hand, if it's very long hair like Rapunzel's,
the movement can vary greatly
depending on different cases.
If you reach the stage where you can apply
the tied hair side-to-side movement
to the movement of the skirt,
now you can depict the fluttering of
the hemline more beautifully.
As I provide the TVPaint file with the base
and character movements established,
I encourage you to continue practicing on this.
Because there are countless types of character FX,
it would be great to cover more of them.
However, because many of the others
become more advanced or use the same principles,
I will mention when I cover
more sophisticated FX animation later,
which will be in a different category.
For now, we have covered a sufficient amount of basic CFX.
Now that we have explored the character,
in the next chapter, we will look into BGFX,
the effects that influence the background
or interact with it.
I will see you in the next chapter. Thank you.