Creating the Illusion of Depth and Volume in Animated Forms Without Contour Lines

Creating the Illusion of Depth and Volume in Animated Forms without Contour Lines A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Animation Department in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts Savannah College of Art and Design By Tyler Johnathan Kupferer Savannah, Georgia August 2011 Table of Contents Thesis Abstract 1 I. Introduction 2 II. Visual Theory 3 III. Why Contour Lines Are the Prevailing Style 5 IV. Prior Examples of Animation without Contour Lines 11 VI. Creating Appealing Lineless Styles with Digital Animation Tools 17 VII. Conclusion 23 Appendix A: List of Figures 25 Appendix B: Filmography 29 Bibliography 30 Thesis Abstract This thesis will explore the application and development of animation styles that do not use contour lines to define the edges of overlapping visual forms. Through examination of historical and contemporary animation, the author will demonstrate how to achieve the illusion of depth and volume without contour lines. Although lineless styles have existed since the beginning of animation, this paper will emphasize the use of modern digital illustration tools. It will also consider how digital production pipelines beget new methods of stylizing animation. 1 I. Introduction Throughout the history of animation, mainstream content has gravitated toward specific styles based on the influence of popular content and emerging technology. The inventions of plasticine, cel animation, rotoscopes and Xerox transfer are all early examples. This evolution of technology has historically benefited traditional 2D cel animation the most, but the introduction of computer graphics has changed that trend. Computers and similar digital tools have brought about a dramatic transformation of the industry, rendering traditional animation methods obsolete. Hardware and software both allow for the creation and manipulation of animated content that was not possible twenty years ago, redefining even the most economic types of animation. For most filmmakers, a goal of central importance is creating a convincing representation of a believable world on the screen.1 In order to create believable characters and worlds, an artist must deliver a clear portrayal of visual forms. This portrayal can be achieved in a variety of ways, including new digital methods that have only recently been developed. Most dominant animation styles of the 20th century used a simple but effective device to define forms: the contour line. Initially a useful tool in a developing industry, the contour line became a beneficiary of its own success. By the mid-20th century, it was almost always present in contemporary animation. However, the development of digital animation hardware and software during the past two decades has made new methods applicable on a larger scale. In the past, contour lines were essential for a division of labor and cost efficiency, but now they are rendered irrelevant by modern digital animation technology. Although this technology can be both two- dimensional and three-dimensional creation tools, the two-dimensional realm has received less consideration until now. Many useful methods exist for creating the illusion of depth and volume 1 With the exception of holography, the physical nature of a screen is always two-dimensional. The challenge of a filmmaker is often to portray a three-dimensional world on the two-dimensional surface of the screen (Block 14). In the medium of animation the need to always portray a three-dimensional world, or even a figurative world for that matter, is less prevalent. For the purposes of this paper, however, a believable three-dimensional illusion is the desired result. 2 in 2D animated art. By better understanding these methods and the older techniques from which they evolved, animated films will have a greater expanse of stylistic options than ever before. II. Visual Theory Within the realm of all artistic expression exists the mark, defined most simply as a trace or blemish left on a surface (Wayne and Peters 22).2 While many types of marks exist, the line serves a valuable purpose as an indicator of forms and boundaries. In relation to drawing, the line is “the essential element in delineation” (Mendelowitz 287). One of the most common uses for a line is the representation of contours. Contour is the concept of using lines to explain a form (Hayes 38).3 As opposed to an outline, a contour line is not restricted to the outer boundaries of an object.4 While an outline appears as a line surrounding a given shape, a contour line gives the impression of being located just inside this border, so it more appropriately belongs to the form of an object. Additionally, a contour line boasts variation of thickness, tone and speed, giving it the capacity to suggest three-dimensional form (Wayne and Peters 128). For example, in Albrecht Dürer’s pen drawing My Dear Agnes (Fig. 1), lines are used not only to describe the surface as it turns away at the edges of the form, but also inside the form. Parallel lines of varying weight across the arms, neck and chest of the figure seem to suggest the direction of the surface as well as the angle of the light striking the figure. A relatively limited use of lines within the drawing is still effective enough to convey shape, texture and lighting. Although the contour line is perhaps the most fundamental way of showing three-dimensional form, it is far from the only way. Defining space overall can be done using a multitude of other 2 The mark has in total three major ramifications. It may also serve as an indication of the presence that made the mark and/or an indicator of spatial quantities like distance, area and volume (Wayne and Peters 21). 3 Form refers to the configuration of an object in space, defining spatial limits, structure and organization (Wayne and Peters 120). 4 The outline is a simpler concept than the contour line. Defined solely as the boundary that separates a form from its surroundings, outline is best reserved for depicting literal flat shapes; it draws the viewer’s attention to the two- dimensional spread of the area it surrounds (Wayne and Peters 128). 3 proven methods. Wayne and Peters list relative position, diagonals, overlapping, atmospheric perspective, relative scale, and foreground, midground and background as fundamental ways of creating three-dimensional space (30). They also discuss how value, lighting and color can represent space and form (147, 223-224). Hayes cites light and shade as instruments of form whenever “realism necessitates the use of devices which to some extent reflect visual appearances” (16). These concepts become essential when considering how to create the illusion of three-dimensional forms without contour lines. A “contourless” piece of work is one that is devoid of any distinct contour lines that differ in color and value from the shapes they touch. In Fig. 2, a digital drawing of an apple conveys the spherical form of the object using a simple contour that wraps the receding edge of the form and shows the overlapping shapes around the stem. In Fig. 3, the same object is rendered without contour lines, and the same forms are now conveyed using shifting values of grey. Both drawings create the same illusion of three-dimensional form, but they do so using different visual devices. The definition of contourless art is massive in scope. Contour lines are an imaginary invention of artistic stylization, and do not exist in natural human vision. Therefore, any art that attempts to emulate the view of a human eye should not feature contour lines. In The Calling of Saint Matthew by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Fig. 4), contour lines are nonexistent. The forms are defined by a strong light source, shadows and folding textures on the figures’ clothing. The visual devices in the piece, when considered collectively, suggest a style that comes as close to true human eyesight as is possible in this medium. When comparing Caravaggio’s grand Baroque painting to the pen sketch by Dürer, it is apparent that contour lines are often a tool of efficiency. The imaginary, simplistic nature of the contour is what removes it from visual cues associated with the real world. The advantage of this simplification allows the contour to convey similar ideas with less information. Because of this, contour lines are often a useful tool for simplification of figurative art but should be abandoned when realism is given priority over efficiency (Hayes 38). 4 III. Why Contour Lines Are the Prevailing Style The mere fact that contour lines are so efficient when rendering three-dimensional forms makes them an appealing candidate for any business-minded artist. It is not surprising, then, that contour lines played a large role in the expansive growth of animation. In the early 20th century, the pioneers of animation were often singular artists, branching out from a similar creative realm and exploring the medium of animation as more of a curiosity than a fully developed art form. Originally, no single style dominated the public’s perception of animation (Furniss 17). Before too long, though, popular media sources quickly began to affect the look of successful mainstream animation. By the time the craft had matured, the contour line quickly became the dominant tool for defining three-dimensional forms. Three major factors played into the preeminence of the contour: artists adapting their own styles from other mediums, the industrialization of animation production and the powerful influence of popular animation studios on the public. Early animated cinema, much like its live action cousin, had a need for narrative, visual iconography and storytelling that could be best satisfied by looking toward other established media for inspiration. Comics, which were already a well-established genre by the end of the 19th century, proved to be a large source of influence for live action cinema in its earliest days.

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