Hand-drawn Animation Test: Pose-to pose Pendulum

As a part of our studio practice I was tasked with producing a pendulum animation that would complete  it's arc in exactly a second when played back at 12 frames per second. For this task I used the technique of pose-to-pose animation, where I plan out the key frames ahead of time and carefully calculate how many in-betweens are needed for the motion to be fluid and synchronised.

Before drawing a single frame of animation I planned out how I was going to animate my arc by sketching out the points in which I would draw each frame. This was done to ensure even spacing, which is vital in simulating a fluid motion in which an object speeds up and slows down in velocity. I took into account the ease-in ease-out principle and drew more frames closer together at the beginning of the motion. This gives the pendulum weight and volume, adding to the realism of the motion.

The main keyframes I used were when the pendulum began it's arc, when it was mid-swing and when it had completed it's arc, which were marked A, B and C respectively. For the motion to take exactly a second it had to take place over 12 frames, meaning the motion must end on Keyframe C which is the 12th frame. Keyframe B therefore must be on frame 6, meaning I must draw 4 in-betweens before and after Keyframe C.

Overall I am mostly satisfied with the final product, though I do feel I could have maintained the volume of the pendulum a little better. I am happy with how the animation implies a certain weight to the ball, so overall I would deem the exercise successful. In future will try remain on-model throughout and maintain a consistent volume, though I may also experiment with squash and stretch techniques and try and incorporate more of the principles of animation.