Our first session outlined and explained the 12 principles of animation, as defined in the Illusion of Life. Again, I had discovered this information many years back, but it would have been golden to start my career with this knowledge.
In no particular order
1. Squash and Stretch
4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
5. Follow through and Overlapping Action
6. Slow In and Slow Out
8. Secondary Action
11. Solid Drawing
I've also found books that expand on these with lists of greater information, however this is the list we'll focus on for our first term at Animation Mentor. The Principles of Animation. Each of the following assignments are specifically designed to explore one or more of these principles.