This book helped me out greatly while creating the effects for the music video In the Middle of the Nite.
It breaks apart the fundamentals of how and why particles move in a certain way in fire, water or explosions. This gives you a very well reasoned approach to creating effects for animation.
2D effects animation is an artform that seems to be rediscovered through the influences of manga and flat animation. Often these effects are drawn almost out of intuition, but it is nice that you can approach this in a more theoretical way.
Joseph Gilland was an effects animator at Disney for many years, and you can feel that experience on every page. He splits effects into a few big groups: water and liquids, fire and smoke, props and solid objects, and magic. For each one he explains the forces behind the movement before he shows you how to draw it.
The key idea of the book is that effects animation is really about energy. A splash, a flame or an explosion all start with a burst of energy that slowly runs out. Once you see it that way, it becomes much easier to time your effects and keep them readable.
The book is almost entirely hand-drawn. The pages look like Gilland’s own sketchbook, with notes next to the drawings. That makes it a joy to flip through, but it’s also a book you study rather than read.
I used this book when I was drawing the explosions for the music video In the Middle of the Nite. It has great tips on fire, flames and explosions, and that was exactly what I needed. You can watch the video on Vimeo, see more images on our studio website, or watch a compilation of just the effects.
Related: for the scenes your effects play out in, 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School is a small book of lessons on space, framing and drawing that works well for background and layout artists.
Get the book
Elemental Magic, Volume I
Joseph Gilland · Focal Press
A hand-drawn guide to effects animation: water, fire, smoke, explosions and magic.
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