Eyes Animation
This week’s lecture was about Eyes Animation and how small eye-related actions can make a face feel natural and “alive”: blinks, eye darts, and eyebrow movement.
A key takeaway was that blinks should have motivation (attitude/thought changes, changes in eye direction, head movement, or staring), rather than being added randomly. We also covered a simple “vanilla blink” timing idea (quick close, brief hold, slower open) and how lids should show subtle shape change during the motion.
For eye darts, the lecture explained that they communicate thinking and gathering information. The eyes should lock onto targets in steps, travel in a clean path (often reading as straight/triangular patterns), and the eyelids should follow the eyeball movement to maintain consistent energy.
Finally, we discussed eyebrows: intentional blinks can include brow movement, but natural/unplanned blinks often should not (to avoid distraction). Brow motion also affects the upper lid shape and tends to travel diagonally with the inner brow leading.
Heavy Object & Change of Mind Feedback
1. Swing rhythm must follow “Slow → Fast → Slow”
Ting highlighted that every heavy weapon swing should follow a consistent timing pattern: slow into the wind-up, accelerate through the strike, then slow again into the settle. In my current blocking, some swings feel evenly paced or rushed, which makes the weapon look light and removes the sense of mass.
- Slow (anticipation): the character prepares and loads weight gradually, building tension.
- Fast (release): the main arc snaps through quickly, showing power and momentum.
- Slow (follow-through / settle): after the hit, the body and weapon decelerate and recover, showing weight and inertia.
The red arc lines drawn in class also reminded me to keep the swing path clean and readable, so the audience can clearly track the weapon’s direction and speed changes.
2.Airborne key poses should read as clean C or S shapes
Another major note was about my poses in the air (or moments of lifted weight). The tutor asked for more aesthetic and flowing silhouettes, aiming for C-shapes or S-shapes rather than stiff or broken lines.
- A good airborne pose should have a clear line of action through the spine and torso.
- Limbs should support that flow, not fight it—avoid awkward angles that interrupt the curve.
- These clean C/S shapes will make the motion feel more intentional and help the shot read better, especially during fast sections.
Spline+Polish
Witness Camera
Render Camera
Facial Pose 2 Feedback
Lower eyelids: My lower lids were not contributing enough to the expression. The tutor suggested pushing the lower lid shape more (raise/tense it when needed) so the eyes feel supported rather than “floating” inside the socket.
Eyebrows: The brow shapes needed clearer intention and cleaner angles. I was advised to avoid random asymmetry and instead design the brows with a strong, readable direction that supports the emotion.
Shape relationships (brows–eyes–mouth): The expression needed a more unified design. The tutor pointed out that the mouth shape, brow tilt, and eye shape should work together as one clear “trend,” instead of each area showing a different idea.
Facial Pose (Connecting Poses)