I have a friend whose daughter is interested in animation. She is 12. I have several books that are some my favorites but are geared to an older audience. I would like to suggest a couple of books to them. I searched the forum and found a topic about 6 months ago but most of the books were to old for her. Any thoughts?

Steve

How to Draw Animation: Learn the Art of Animation from Character Design to Storyboards and Layouts
Christopher hart
I borrowed this from the library. I think it's great for beginner, it's 2D though
You can look inside at amazon
http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Animation-S...TF8&s=books

Animation Magic by Don Hahn
It's a general look on how Disney animation is made. It covers bits of everything, storyboard, rough, compositing, etc.
Look inside book:
http://www.amazon.com/Animation-Magic-2001...TF8&s=books

I'd think 12 is just about the threshold age where interest could sustain some of the more advanced animation books but its always good to start with the basics. Books like Richard William's "Animators Survival Kit" would be a bit much I think.

The absolute best books you can pass on have still got to be Preston Blair's books on Cartooning and Animation.
I saw some in the local Hobby Lobby just today.

One reason to start with these is that the lessons are really simple yet solidly cover the basics.
No one will feel overwhelmed reading through them as they are just pure FUNdamentals.

Any of the books by Christopher Hart, especially those geared toward animation, would be good.
More than anything these nurture a love for cartooning and animation not easily gained from the more technical books out there. For those you've got to already have the love.

Andy said:


This is a great book. I have it on my shelf. (Gah! I did... its now missing**)
The cover is the worst part of the book. lol

Kids with an interest will appreciate ANY book you give them on the subject so I wouldn't worry too much.
As a kid I was given some books on drawing horses and such that I recall reading over and over again.
I'm not a great horse fan but my family must have known of my interest in drawing because I really loved those books!

Rest at ease when it comes to deciding.

Consider adding a pad of Tracing Paper and a pencil to any book you give.
That'll really make it fun!

**Recovered under the couch.

I like my various animation books, but my feeling is that the element of "time" that is so essential to animation is so poorly explained in books (even the best of them) that a book may not be effective for a 12 year old. I'm not sure they are effective even for most adults.

I wonder if there are any videos for that level? Unfortunately most animation tutorial videos tend to be technical oriented.

Is she interested in hand drawn or CG?

She is interested in both cg and hand drawn. Thanks for the list. I will pass them along

Steve