As I continued learning animation principles, I came across follow through and overlapping action, and this completely changed how I approached movement in my animations.

Before learning this, I used to animate everything stopping at the same time. For example, if a character stopped running, their whole body would freeze instantly. It looked very stiff and unrealistic. That’s when I realized that in real life, nothing actually stops all at once.

Via Google

Follow through means that different parts of a character continue moving even after the main action has stopped. Overlapping action means that different parts of the body move at slightly different times instead of all together.

I started noticing this a lot in animated movies. For example, in Frozen, Elsa’s dress and cape continue to move even after she stops walking. The fabric drags behind slightly and then settles. This is a perfect example of follow through, and it makes the movement feel soft and realistic.

Another great example is in Tangled. Rapunzel’s long hair shows both follow through and overlapping action beautifully. When she turns her head or spins, her hair doesn’t move at the same time as her body. It lags behind, overlaps the motion, and then catches up. This adds a sense of weight and flow, making the animation feel alive.

I also noticed this in The Incredibles. When characters run or suddenly stop, parts like their arms, clothes, and even body mass continue moving slightly before settling. This gives a strong sense of momentum and makes the action feel powerful.

Through this, I realized that without follow through and overlapping action, animation feels stiff and unnatural. But when these principles are applied, even simple movements become more fluid and believable.

Learning Outcomes

By studying and applying follow through and overlapping action, I developed several important skills:

I learned how to make animations feel less stiff by allowing different parts to move independently.

I understood how to create a sense of weight and momentum in movement.

I improved my observation skills by analyzing how motion works in real life and in animated films.

I gained the ability to add secondary actions, like hair or clothing movement, to enhance realism.

I became more confident in refining my animations by adding small details that make a big impact.

Overall, this principle helped me move from basic animation to more advanced, realistic motion. It showed me that small delays and overlapping movements are what truly bring characters to life.

How this will help my final project

Instead of my characters moving stiffly, I can add small delays in parts like hair, clothing, and body movement, which makes everything look more fluid and believable. This is especially important in my romantic fantasy project, where soft and emotional movements play a big role. It will also help me show weight and momentum more clearly, making scenes feel more dynamic and visually appealing. Overall, these techniques will improve the quality of my animation and make my characters feel more alive.

After practicing basic movement, I wanted to make my animations feel more emotional. That’s when I started experimenting with character expressions.

At first, I thought expressions were complicated, but I realized even small changes can make a big difference. Something as simple as moving the eyebrows or changing the eye shape can completely change how a character feels.

I started with basic emotions like happy, sad, and angry. For a happy expression, I raised the eyebrows slightly and curved the mouth upward. For a sad expression, I lowered the eyebrows and added a slight frown.

One exercise I did was creating a short animation where a character reacts to something surprising. I animated the eyes widening first, then the eyebrows raising, and finally the mouth opening. This sequence made the reaction feel more natural.

Another example was creating a shy expression. I slightly tilted the head, lowered the eyes, and added a small smile. Even though the movement was minimal, it communicated emotion clearly.

What I have learned

I learned that expressions are not just about the face—they involve timing and movement as well. The way an expression appears and disappears also affects how the audience feels.

This helped me understand that animation is not just technical—it’s also about storytelling and connecting with the audience.

How this will connect my final project

This will strongly connect to my final project, as my romantic fantasy story relies heavily on emotions and relationships between characters. By understanding how expressions work through both facial features and timing, I can create more believable and engaging interactions. It will help me show feelings like love, shyness, and tension without relying too much on dialogue. This makes the storytelling more visual and impactful. 

 When I first started learning animation, I honestly thought it was just about drawing multiple frames and playing them quickly. But as I practiced more, I realized that what really makes animation feel real is timing and spacing.

Timing is about how long an action takes. Spacing is about how far an object moves between each frame. These two work together to control the speed and realism of motion.

To understand this better, I went back to my bouncing ball exercise. At first, I placed all the frames evenly, thinking it would look smooth. But the result felt very robotic and unrealistic. Then I started adjusting the spacing. I placed the frames closer together at the top of the bounce and further apart as the ball fell down. This made the ball look like it was actually affected by gravity.

By BMCC Openlab

I also noticed this concept when watching animated movies like Toy Story. When the characters move quickly, like when Woody runs, the spacing between frames is wider, making the movement feel fast and energetic. But during emotional scenes, the movements are slower, with tighter spacing, which helps the audience focus on the character’s feelings.

Animations like The Lion King, timing and spacing play a huge role. For example, when Simba runs or jumps, the spacing changes depending on speed and weight, making the animation feel powerful.

Through these examples, I started to understand that timing and spacing are not just technical concepts—they are storytelling tools. They can show speed, weight, emotion, and even personality.

Learning Outcomes

By exploring timing and spacing in animation, I was able to develop several important skills:

• I learned how to control the speed of movement using timing, making animations feel more natural instead of robotic.
• I understood how spacing affects acceleration and deceleration, especially in movements like bouncing, jumping, or falling.
• I improved my ability to observe real-life motion and apply it to animation.
• I gained awareness of how professional animated films use timing and spacing to enhance storytelling and character performance.
• I developed more confidence in adjusting my animations instead of accepting the first result.

Overall, this exercise helped me realize that animation is not just about drawing—it’s about understanding motion. 

How this will help my final project

All of these skills will play a key role in improving my final animation project. By understanding timing and spacing, I can create smoother and more realistic character movements, which is especially important in a romantic fantasy genre where emotions need to feel natural and believable. It will help me control the pace of scenes, making emotional moments bit slow slow, while faster actions feel energetic and dynamic. Timing and spacing are fundamental principles that I will continue to use in all my future animation work.

 As part of my project, I started learning the basics of Adobe Premiere Pro so I can handle the final editing of my animation. Since I’m new to the software, I decided to begin with a simple exercise to understand how everything works.

I downloaded three movie clips from Pixabay and imported them into Premiere Pro. Then I experimented with arranging them on the timeline and managed to join all three clips together to create one continuous video. This helped me understand how cutting, trimming, and sequencing works in the software.

After that, I added some sound and text to the video. This gave me a better idea of how audio syncing works and how important sound is in making a video feel complete. I also created a simple opening scene, which helped me learn how to introduce a video properly.

What I have learned

Through this small exercise, I was able to understand the basic workflow of Premiere Pro, like importing files, editing clips, and adding audio. It might seem simple, but it gave me the confidence to move forward.

How this will help my final project

Overall, this practice will really help me when I work on my final animation. I now have a basic understanding of how to edit my project, especially when it comes to adding an intro and credits screen at the end.

For my next animation, I attempted a walk cycle. This exercise is famous in animation because it teaches rhythm, balance, and consistency. Even though it’s usually done in just 8 frames, it’s surprisingly difficult!

I started with the four main poses: contact, recoil, passing, and high point. I drew stick figures first to plan the movement, then refined them into a simple character. Using onion skin helped me keep the spacing and proportions consistent.

 

As part of my project, I decided to experiment with Blender to see if I could use it for my animation. Since Blender is a powerful 3D software, I wanted to explore its capabilities and understand how it works before making any final decisions.

I followed some beginner tutorials and managed to create a simple 3D donut model. It was actually a really fun experience, and I learned a lot about basic tools like modeling, lighting, and rendering. Even though it was a small task, it gave me a good introduction to how 3D animation works compared to 2D.

However, while working with Blender, I realized that mastering it would take a lot of time and practice. There are many complex features, and getting comfortable with the workflow isn’t something that happens quickly. Since my current project has a deadline, I started to think realistically about whether I could fully use Blender for my animation.

At this point, I feel that choosing Blender might slow down my progress. If I spend too much time learning the software, I might not be able to complete my animation on time. Because of this, I’m leaning more towards using tools I’m already familiar with, like Clip Studio Paint, where I can work faster and more efficiently.

What I have learned