What are the most important animation elements for beginners to focus on?

I would say first, posing your character and camera staging. Try to build a clear narrative . Next, timing and spacing and refining posing and the line of action.

Not all animation principles are created equal, and Timing and Spacing is definitely one of the main one if not at the top with Staging. However all of those are just there to support the one thing that is the most essential : what is the idea behind your shot. We are storyteller and visual communicator. First you need to know what is it your trying to communicate at the end. I always push the juniors I work with to focus on prep first and foremost. This is the backbone, the cement block to build your house on. Without it you'll just end up with a wobbly house...

When starting out in Animation timing and spacing are the main elements to see your work come alive. The understanding of how something moves influenced by force, weight and gravity is crucial.

As my opinion Timing is all about how you pace your animation, making sure the movements flow smoothly and have the right rhythm.

Repensar el tiempo y el espacio en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de las ciencias sociales: Este artículo discute la importancia de comprender adecuadamente las relaciones espacio-temporales en las asignaturas de ciencias sociales. Señala que existen dificultades en el trabajo con estas categorías, lo que afecta la comprensión de la dinámica de los procesos histórico-sociales y la formación del pensamiento histórico-social. De la especiación del tiempo a la temporalización del espacio: Este artículo analiza la relación recíproca que mantienen en la obra literaria el espacio y el tiempo. Se refiere a esta relación como la “especiación del tiempo” y la “temporalización del espacio”.

When an animator understands basic movements, it's time for force. Squash and Stretch is a great way to show the audience 1. Force 2. The Material and flexibility of the object So the audience can have a greater understanding from movements.

Animation Soul Illusion: Aplastar y Estirar - (Squash and Stretch): Este artículo discute el primer principio de animación, aplastar y estirar, que da a personajes y objetos una sensación de flexibilidad y vida. Este principio también dicta que tanto los personajes y objetos se mueven y deforman, su volumen generalmente permanece igual. Estirar y aplastar - Genially: Este artículo habla sobre cómo en la acción hay un momento: NORMAL o NEUTRO, APLASTADO Y ESTIRADO. Genera una sensación de movimiento orgánico a la animación. Permite mostrar el PESO, MOMENTUM, VELOCIDAD y ELASTICIDAD de los materiales. Aplastar y estirar - Principios de animación - UNITEC

Squash and stretch bring life and flexibility to characters and objects. This principle adds a dynamic quality to animation, emphasizing the impact of forces and giving weight to movements. Mastering squash and stretch contributes to more expressive and engaging animations

Squash and stretch adds a sense of weight and flexibility to your characters or objects, making them feel more dynamic. And anticipation is all about building up to a movement, creating anticipation before the action happens. These elements combined can really elevate your animations and make them more engaging.

There's a high chance a person might over stretch and squash, one might automatically get rid of this problem by having enough experience, but in one's learning days, they should study intensively about materials and their deformation in relation to speed and stops, so that they can apply this knowledge when they work.

Anticipation and follow through are one of the hardest animation principals to get correctly. And by correctly i mean looking good to the viewer. Mainly because the principal of anticipation and follow through is tightly linked with the principle of slow in and out, arcs, timing and spacing. If all of these don't work in tandem, an appealing visual may not be achieved. So, to get better at this you must keep observing in real life how people move, how fast and slow their extremities move, at what place do they bend their torso, what do they do before a weight shift. I have this one conclusion that might or might not be useful to you - if there's no anticipation the action desired will take way more energy for the human performing the action

Anticipation involves preparing the audience for an upcoming action, enhancing the realism and impact of movements. Follow-through ensures that actions have a natural continuation, avoiding abrupt stops. Both principles contribute to fluid and believable animations by mimicking real-world physics and human motion.

We typically think about anticipation and follow-through when working with character animation, but we can also apply this concept when planning transitions as well. I feel this gives motion graphics projects more dynamism, as it helps build a connection between scenes while also creating a narrative between elements. Think about a particular shape, element, or icon that connects everything and perhaps transforms as the story evolves and play around with it along the concept.

Anticipation and follow through is also a great way to understand the force and mass of the object so we see maybe 2D shapes more interactive and interesting. Thanks to Disney

Essential in stylized in animation, this one can kill your motion capture animation in an eyeblink. Realistic animation does not use that much anticipation as you might think. Just the right amount unless you want to end up with overacting.

Spend time to understand Pose and Gesture. When you are able to see and feel how the body flows you can create animation that feels dynamic and full of appeal.

To study pose and gesture, it is important to focus on these: -Life drawing: It is good to understand structure and movement of the human body. -Simple x complex: reinforces the feeling of stability or dynamism -Negative and positive space: is the space around the object, to create the sensation of depth -Line of action: is the direction of movement and is essential to create the sensation of energy -Exaggeration: exaggeration is used to create contrasts -Straight x curves: Creates a feeling of stability or dynamism -Weight: important to give realism and gravity -Volume: Creates the sensation of depth and three-dimensionality. -Asymmetry: Helps with visual balance The best book on the subject is Drawn to Life, by Walt Stanchfield

Effective posing and gesturing are fundamental for conveying character emotions and storytelling in animation. A well-crafted pose communicates the character's mood and intention, while gestures enhance the expressiveness of movements. Beginners should focus on mastering the art of creating compelling and meaningful poses.

For the beginning artist, i can't stress this point enough - immerse yourself in gesture drawing to the point where it becomes your second nature. It translates to every other part of visual art, be it sculpting, animation, character design, you name it. It would greatly help in making your drawings feel lively and fluid. To summarise, Gesture Drawing is the mother of all Art disciplines ( at least in my honest opinion).

Careful with this one in motion capture. Since your animation was recorded with timing, weight etc. already encoded into it. You are limited to make it work within the cadences of the acting. So pick and choose wisely and don't take on huge changes, you can lose the realism and weight very easily.

Curves are created when more complex equations are solved in time and space physics. So as our world is very complex, we see lots of curved movements around us. When we add this to a human made animation we make it more believable and real, even when it's not real. So the audience is kinda getting a better smooth feeling out of it. Very useful.

Creating smooth and natural movements involves understanding the concept of arcs and curves. Most natural movements follow curved paths rather than straight lines. Animators need to pay attention to the trajectories of objects or characters, ensuring that their motions are visually appealing and believable through the careful use of arcs and curves.

Essential in making an animation flow and be less rigid. Choosing the correct circular or and 8 figure motion is key here for getting organic movement. Use straight motion for mechanical motions.

Here are some of the main rules for a good layout: -Lines of force are imaginary lines that guide the viewer's gaze through the scene, being created by elements such as objects, shapes and architectural lines. -The rule of thirds is a composition technique that divides the scene into three horizontal lines and three vertical lines, creating nine equal sections. The most important elements of the scene must be positioned at the intersection points of these lines. -Framing is the way you frame the scene on the screen. You can use framing to emphasize certain elements of the scene or create a sense of suspense or anticipation. -Negative space is the empty space around objects in the scene, used to create depth, balance, and visual interest.

Staging and composition involve presenting the animation in a visually clear and compelling manner. Proper staging directs the audience's attention to the most critical elements of a scene, while composition ensures a balanced and aesthetically pleasing presentation. These principles contribute to effective storytelling and engaging visual communication in animation

For a beginner, if you want to become a Great Animator you must thoroughly understand the "12 principles" of Animation. But for me personally, your Animation needs to have "Weight", "Timing", and a "Believable Performance" within the Animation itself.

A lot of animators these days are what I call "rig yankers". Those who've learned software but never took the time to practise the fundamentals. Do you think you're immune from doing the bouncing ball or wavy line exercise? You're not.

I agree with Antione Cunningham and would add what Alex Kuperschmidt told me once - "It shouldn't be moving unless it has a reason or purpose to move." (Reason being physics let's say and purpose being a character's motivation). Many new animators want to show that they can animate well, so they tend to add excessive movement at times.

Acting. In many ways, as animators we are actors ourselves, and having the ability to put yourself in the mind of your characters allows us to understand and deliver a genuine performance. So, look at yourself in the mirror, record yourself, act it out at your desk. You don't even need to be a good actor! Just doing it will give you a nuanced understanding of the character, their movements, their motivations and their emotions.

Our job is to not just create drawings that move, but drawings that move the audience. Draw, draw, draw, study performance, take acting lessons and work harder than anyone.