Book Resources

Books I've Read and Suggest



  • For the first one, I'm here to declare that it's true! This is an AMAZING animation book! It's certainly worth what they tell you about it! Totally worth it having it close to you! And of course, it tells you the behind the scenes story of many of the most beautiful animated movies ever made, the Walt Disney Studios' animations.
    The book, of course, is The Illusion of Life by F. Thomas and O. Johnston. Give it a bow.

    Here is the LINK for the book in amazon.



  • This one is definitely another great amazing amazing amazing book! I can tell I really felt I was improving my animation skills in each new tip the grand master animator Richard Williams gives away like candies! This is certainly another must have in the animation learning! How I loved this book! Thanks dad! Wonderful gift!
    The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams.

    Here is the LINK for the book in amazon



  • This one I must give credit to Shawn Kelly, one of the three musketeers (ups..), one of the three wise men (UPS!!), one of the three incredible creators of the awesome school Animationmentor.com (ok now!) that talked about it!
    So this book was written by his wise mentor, Wayne Gilbert, another animation master! It is totally worth to look at for character animation, it teaches you to get really focused on the things you need to before you start animating anything, which saves you a lot of time!
    Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation by Wayne Gilbert.

    Here's the LINK to amazon and the LINK for the book's website.



  • Now for the resource stuff this book is very cool! Basically it goes through a lot of animators and their works really giving you some nice animations to watch. I used it a lot when I was researching animations to be inspired and to add to this blog!
    Animation Now! by Julius Wiedemann.

    Here is the amazon LINK.





  • I really shouldn't miss to refer this ones! These two books have all that is good in a learning book. Written in a way you can understand easily; have some laughs while learning (Shawn Kelly is some piece of fun!); a lot of great easy-to-use tips; the full understanding of the industrial machine (so you're really understanding the world you want to belong); and the biggest advantage of them all: it's totally FREE. We should all bend the knee for this guys for they do a really good job spoiling us.
    Animation Tips and Tricks by Shawn Kelly (and too many other awesome people to refer here).

    The awesome LINK where you can download it for free! (Pay attention because there's two! Download them both!)



  • A book from a Spanish author Sergi Cámara. My edition is translated to portuguese. To learn the animation principles is not the best (comparing it to Illusion of Life and Animator's Survival Kit is a joke) but still it comes to us with some things that other books I had didn't seem to care about. For example it has a list of the material animators use with a satisfatory description for why it is used, descriptions of the types of framings a shot can have, a chapter about creating characters that are easily animated, a light view of the whole animated film production and some other stuff. In any matter the book is for the basic animation learning, it doesn't touch any of the aspects of creating a film very deeply.
    El Dibujo Animado (original title) by Sergi Càmara.

    Here is the LINK in amazon for the original language.



  • This one is another incredible book. Not only it gives you hints about animation itself (again, for this purpose is not the perfect one to learn about animation principles, at least not by itself) but also makes animating in Maya amazingly easier! When I was reading it, at every chapter I found myself thinking "Woah! My problems have solutions!", and I don't know if you agree, but that feeling is amazing. With hot tips in every page of the book, it teaches animation, good workflow, solving problems you probably have when you're a begginer, great tools in Maya, etc. In sum, all you need to make Maya really a toy in your hand while you concentrate in your hard craft: Animation!
    How to Cheat In Maya 2012 - Tools and Techniques for Character Animation by E. Luhta and K. Roy. (You can find more updated editions, like 2013 or

    The amazon LINK.




  • There are some books that are such references to so many people that when you start reading them you almost feel like you're one of those masters, when they also were young and still learning. Timing for Animation is one of those books. So many people have learned from it since it was first released in 1981, that it's really a must buy book for every animator. It's a great and fast reading. Actually that's the only "bad" thing about it, it's such a fast reading that I read almost half of the book in one morning. It has great information, but I couldn't stop feeling that I hope there was more!
    Timing for Animation by Tom Sito.

    The amazon LINK


  • Just like Animation Now! that I talked before, this book is an awesome book for referrals. The 100 Animated Features has great stuff from the most mainstream Disney movies to some very unknown and hard to find feature animated filmes. I'm certainly using this list to improve my knowledge of animations and watch them all (pokem... sorry) if I can!
    100 Animated Feature Films by Andrew Osmond.

    The amazon LINK





  • I wanted this book for so long! And the reading is totally worth it! Have great information and some very very important insights for acting and how to create a convincing action with character. BUT one thing is true, I wouldn't recommend this book for someone who hasn't read a book about animation before, since he can get REALLY technical and if you're not very familiar with what he's talking about it's easy to get lost. But again, GREAT book.
    Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg.

    The amazon LINK




  • I know it's not exactly a book, but it certainly has a book in it, and in a awesome interactive way! Disney Animated was certainly the best thing I could have bought for my iPad (only runs in iPad). It has a whole look in a making of an animated film with some cool and rare examples and samples of Disney works, like animation tests, Layouts drawings, background paitings, storyboards, and so much more. That makes one absolute must have for any animation and/ or Disney lover! Couldn't unglue my eyes off of it.

    The itunes LINK


  • The Pixar's 22 rules of storytelling sentences might be very well known throughout the internet, but maybe not everyone knows about the little book that Pixar writer Stephan Vladimir Bugaj created to make them clearer. It's absolutely amazing how he explains it all and he does it in a way that makes you really think of a possible story that you have to tell. It was my first book about storytelling and writing and I can't imagine how I could have started better. Quick and easy read. And it's totally free!!!
    Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling by Stephan Bugaj.

    Free E-book LINK



  • Now this book is a must have for anyone thinking about developing characters and stories! Even for animators it helps to think about story and mostly the characters in which animators have to add life to. This book makes you think about all the process of character and story development so it's clear and makes sense! With tons of tips and check lists, I think the best way to learn from this book is to write a little short story and while reading try to incorporate all the special details that are suggested, to make it truly great! It's a very hard craft, I discovered!
    Animation Writing and Development: From Script Development to Pitch by Jean Ann Wright.

    The amazon LINK




  • Ed Hooks Acting for Animators is a quick and very good reading. Ed Hooks surely makes you feel confortable with him! When you start out animating, you spend your time trying to have the character movements to look real or believable, but real acting has purpose, characters have thoughts, feelings and back stories. This book is an initiation to really take your craft to the next level in the acting. Plus the film analysis is a delight! Watching classic animated movies and analysing them with a pro is just great!
    Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks.

    The amazon LINK





  • It's much harder to write a script than to read a book about how to do it, but nevertheless helps at least to start playing in your head with the notions of script writing.
    A very important read to anyone interested in the craft, but as most writers would tell you, as they told me, just sit down and write something, that's the best way to learn!
    Screenplay by Syd Field.

    The amazon LINK





  • Although not directly about animation or even filmmaking for that matter, this book is brilliant for other reasons. It's about creativity and ways we could try to develop it and maintain it.
    It's bittersweet to read, at points, when he talks about how the studio is managed in a way so the artists want to stay there and be happy. As I believe what he says it's true, I couldn't stop thinking about the Wage-Fixing Scandal that was 'recently' discovered and how he was one of the centre figures in it.
    That apart, it's no less relevant what it's said in this book and it amazed me the complexity of thoughts and processes that is presented in it. Creating a creative company, maintaining it's originality, nurturing a secure environment for ideas to float around and grow stronger, have hundred of artists happy and proud and feeling like the project is their baby too - is an immensely difficult task, even more so than this book tries to portrait, I'm sure.
    One thing no one can deny, Pixar (and now the reborn Disney, under their same guidance) has been making incredible work ever since they started, ones better than others, but still incredible. Certainly they're doing something right.
    A lot would be gained if many other big studios would think like this.
    A book to read, and then read again.
    Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull.

    The amazon LINK



  • I got this book after watching Kubo and the Two Strings and getting even more obsessed with stop motion. The book is really good about the general knowledge that surrounds Stop Motion, but regarding animation specifically, although it was slightly directed towards stop motion, I felt that the information was mostly general animation skills. I was hoping to get information to the more specific process of animating in stop motion and instead there was mostly (highly important) about the Principles of Animation and a little about lip sync in stop motion. It's a must to read for stop motion beginners, but for animation specifically, I would say that books like some of the above (Animator's Survivor Kit for example) are more appropriate.
    Although the book feels a tiny bit out-dated, the interviews, history of stop motion, building puppets, digital cinematography and visual effects chapters are great for those who don't know much about the craft.
    The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation by Ken A. Priebe.

    Amazon LINK




Books I Want To Own (any other suggestion?)


2 comments:

  1. Acting for Animators - should be your next book! Easy read and ton of info. "Lightbulb"

    ReplyDelete