Study of Image Design in Animation

Liu Minghua, ML. 2010 'Study of Image Design in Animation'. Asian Social Science, 6(4), pp. 39-43, [Online]. Available at: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?sid=6a7e57b5-e255-4203-9422-5100c3d315f7%40sessionmgr115&vid=7&hid=115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=a9h&AN=49175188 (Accessed: 4 April 2011)

This extract is about different cultures aspects of their own animation style. The style for each culture can be traced to the cultures traditional art scene, so using culturally traditional styles of art to create an art work that uses modern technology.

"4. Local characteristics of the image design in animation

Considering the art design styles in numerous Chinese and western animation films, animation artists of all

nations put their hands to local traditional artistic forms and absorb quintessence of indigenous culture and

particular artistic manifestation means to create animation artistic styles of their own and to continuously enrich

their animation artistic styles and forms.

4.1 Local characteristics of Chinese animation

After undergoing cultural accumulation and inheritance for thousands of years, the traditional Chinese fine arts

have formed rich and unique expressive system with local characteristics, which deserves further research and

discussion by current animation creators. Expressive forms of the traditional Chinese fine arts include all sorts of

traditional Chinese operas, relevant masks and costumes, all sorts of consummate and excellent technology, such

as ceramic craft, knitting, knitting and dyeing, embroider, puppet, types of facial makeup, sculpture, bamboo &

rattan knitting, dough figurine fabrication, lacquer painting, toy fabrication and scissor-cut, etc. Scissor-cut,

shadow puppet and new year picture are plane expressive art forms of two dimensions, which have concise but

not stiff modeling, exaggerated but not monstrous, full of changes in unification, bold and exaggerated in image,

and humorous but not constrained to realistic situation. The audience may experience the feeling and thinking of

creators in clear and explicit composition and modeling. For example, the film "Avanti's Story" borrowed the

traditional Chinese design element --- puppet--- for expression. In this film, the creator employed wire-pull or

straining beam as a pull, with various lifelike forms, vivid and interesting patterns, extremely exquisite

conception, including integration of several modeling arts, such as scissor-cut, industrial arts and painting, etc.

All these traditional artistic forms can be rationally applied into image design of animation.

Individualized expressive language and expressive painting form in Chinese animation art design are quite rich,

such as painting with exact delineation and enriched colours in single-Ping Tu, Chinese ink animation in lacquer

painting, children's drawing, doodle, caricature, petrogram and wall painting all have a style of their own. Local

culture establishes a kind of harmonious cultural ecological relationship, which is exactly the resource to be

borrowed by modern animation artistic language and the soil it is going to reply on. For instance, the films

"Golden Conch" and "Mr. Pig eats watermelon" adopt the expressive forms of Chinese shadow puppet and

scissor-cut. These animation films express traditional Chinese folk arts as being bright and colorful, with strong

nationalistic style. The works "Pride General" expresses the national feature and finds a path to bring into full

play its peculiar national style in terms of characteristics of the characters and expression of motion and language,

etc, which does not only correspond with the appreciation habits and aesthetic requirements of the public, but

also enriches the treasure house of the world culture, widely welcomed and favorably received by the public. In

terms of the forms of painting, in addition to traditional forms of oil painting, sketch, watercolour and crayon,

such materials as metal, paper, mud, stem leaves of plants, plastics, rubber, glass and skin and hair of animals are

all used for animation. The diversification of the design style of fine arts contains excellent elements of

traditional Chinese culture.

4.2 Local characteristics of American animation

In the current world, American animation films also account for a large portion of the global animation market.

The characteristics of American animation image are as follows: careful painting of the scene, which is enough

for requirement of the plot. Usually, the image design of characters is excellent in modeling, distinct in

personification, whereas under the new technology, roles of animation are more life-like, which attain perfect

visual effect. "Ice Age" is reproduction of an already perfect works. Local design style of animation in America

has an effect on creation thought and modeling style of animation design in quite a lot of nations in the world.

4.3 Local characteristics of Japanese animation

Compared with heroism in American animation works, Japanese animation works focus more on the small and

exquisite characteristics of the works, and furthermore, the meticulous Japanese culture is also the peculiarity of

Japanese animation. Generally speaking, the characteristics of Japanese animation can be generalized as follows:

exquisite painting, meticulous role, modeling and scene design, resorting to hyper-reality imagination space to

satisfy illusion of the audience to realize what is impossible, and impaling the imaginary nerve of the audience.

In the aspect of character roles, most heroes have a fine figure of a man, handsome, and most heroines are with

long hair, oval face, exaggerated big eyes and a similarly exaggerated small nose, as well as a beautiful build.

For example, considering all aspects of life, such as Japanese costume, food and drink, tea-making, product

design and performance art, the film "Doraemon" can reflect the fact that Japanese people concentrate on

exquisite and meticulous culture, which, in turn, is reflected in creation of its animation. Having been popular for

several decades, this film can well reflect such an issue that is still widely and well received. This works mainly

narrates a machinery cat called Doraemon who comes from the 22nd Century and, entrusted by its master,

employs a lot of mysterious props in the future to help its master Mahavira back in the 20thCentury."