Agent skill · design visual · dylantarre
Animation Principles - Novice
Use when someone has basic awareness of animation principles and wants to start applying them in simple projects
Why this skill is useful
Codifies basic animation principles that the AI could infer but now has a structured approach to apply them.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2025-12-30. 69 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Building Your Animation Foundation You know the basics. Now let's understand how to actually use these 12 principles in your work. 1. Squash and Stretch What it does: Gives weight and flexibility to objects. Try this: Animate a bouncing ball. Squash it 20-30% on impact, stretch it slightly at peak velocity. 2. Anticipation What it does: Prepares the viewer for action. Try this: Before a character jumps, have them bend their knees. The bigger the anticipation, the bigger the expected action. 3. Staging What it does: Directs attention clearly. Try this: Use silhouettes to test your poses. If you can't tell what's happening in shadow, restage it. 4. Straight Ahead vs Pose to Pose What it does: Two animation methods with different results. Try this: Use pose-to-pose for planned actions (walks, dialogue). Use straight ahead for wild, organic motion (fire, water). 5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action What it does: Creates natural, fluid movement. Try this: After your character stops, let hair, clothes, and appendages continue moving for a few frames. 6. Slow In and Slow Out What it does: Adds weight and smoothness. Try this: Add extra frames at the start and end of movements. Fewer frames in the middle means faster motion. 7. Arc What it does: Makes movement feel natural. Try this: Track your character's hand through a wave. It should draw a smooth curve, not zigzag. 8. Secondary Action What it does: Adds richness without distraction. Try this: A sad character might wipe their eye while talking. It supports the emotion without stealing focus. 9. Timing What it does: Controls the mood and physics. Try this: Same action, different frame counts. 4 frames = snappy/light. 12 frames = heavy/deliberate. 10. Exaggeration What it does: Pushes reality for effect. Try this: Find the real movement, then push it 20% further. Scared? Eyes wider. Angry? Lean more forward. 11. Solid Drawing What it does: Creates believable 3D forms. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills dylantarre/novice