OMG, I Can't Draw

Simple drawing is a useful and effective style in relation to animation. Personally, I think that a simple animation is more appealing because it allows a great amount of focus on the narration itself instead of how aesthetically pleasing the drawings are. However, simple drawings can create beautiful and interesting scenes that are unique and interesting. For example, in "These Are The Boring Bits", the viewer is taken into a world that is the definition of simple. I especially liked how the drawings were incomplete and purposefully sketched out. The viewer is forced to focus on the narrative because of the lack of colorful and detailed backgrounds, while being drawn into the simplicity of the characters. Although there isn’t a lot of zooming in or frame movement, the transitions between scenes was interesting and well done. It also played well with the simple animation that was being presented.

My particular favorite was “Bendito Machine” and I believe that it successfully balanced an interesting story with simplistic drawings. I am a big fan of the use of silhouettes, having all of the character and main scenery in black while having the background appear in a bright orange, and think that it worked well with the story. The use of long shots allowed for a more aseptically pleasing picture to be painted without losing much detail. I think the strength of this particular animation was that a great amount of interesting visual aspects were maintained despite the animation being quite simple. The color choice of the background also inspired me because it becomes a character within itself. It does not distract the viewer however it works well with the style of drawing that is unique to this particular animation.

Simple animations are unique in the sense that they do not go above and beyond to focus on character detail; instead they serve as a way to balance an interesting narrative with a creative style. I find myself watching more simple animations because it creates a style that is not often seen in animation. All of the examples utilized simple styles to make for a great overall piece.