Animation Pencil page 3

Ruff pencil test animation from ADVENTURES OF A LITTLE BOY - Skateboard sequence
copyright 2006 Rudy Agresta

This is an example of animation in its primal form. It is an example of very ruff animation where the animator is creating a performance without much attention to drawn detail. The main aim is to block out the action in terms of form and timing. After viewing this pencil test, the animator would go back over his action and do another ruff test. There would be more attention paid to drawing detail, but still loose enough to maintain that certain spark of life. Inbetween drawings would be added to smooth out certain parts of the action and perhaps the timing would be adjusted so as to read better on the screen. These are the first attempts at a performance and it is always best not to let detail get in the way at such an early stage. Once satisfied, the drawings will be 'cleaned up' in line form and then inked and painted in color before final photography over a painted background.

This sequence is 586 frames in total, and at 24 frames per second, this comes out to slightly over 24 seconds on screen. See if you can spot the only clean-up drawing in the sequence - it
takes up 2 frames toward the end of the film - a mere 1/12 of a second!