Animation Book Library

I been asked a lot recently about which books should an animator get for their personal library. So I decided to list them here to help you guys on creating your awesome animation reference library. One thing I want to mention before I create my list... get REAL books. It might be the traditionalist in me, but I feel that there is something about reading from a real book rather than an ebook or pdf. I'm not against ebook, ereaders, and other portable reading devices. I actually like them a lot. But when it comes to reading something that is more important, like reading about your art or a classic book...etc. A real, paper printed book, helps to understand and retain everything you've read. Maybe it's just me, I probably get distracted when I'm trying to read an ebook on my computer but then somehow I end up on Youtube instead. Anyway, here's my list....

To begin, I'll list the top 3 books you should get. And if you don't get any books after these three, then you'll be just fine. That's how powerful these books are!

First and foremost, no Animation Book Library should be without this book. This is THE animation bible...

The Illusion of Life.

This is the book that teaches you how animation works from start to finish. Written by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of the Nine Old Men at Disney and two of the greatest animators EVER! This book is like reading the soul of animation. Next is...

The Animator's Survival Kit

This book was written by Richard Williams, a great animator and animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Williams knowledge of animation is amazing! His book is like the instruction manual of animation works. His examples as drawing are perfect for both 2D and 3D animation. And the third top book is....

Cartoon Animation

Written by the classic and incredible animator Preston Blair, who worked on Fantasia and Tom and Jerry cartoons. This book shows how fun animation can be. Blair uses wonderfully classic designed cartoon characters to illustrate how animation works. This book has helped me a lot. It's an extremely easy read and uses the drawings more to teach rather text that tend to over explain.

Character Animation Crash Course!

This book is by the fantastic animator Eric Goldberg. He animated classic characters like the Genie from Aladdin, Phil from Hercules, and Louis the alligator from The Princess and the Frog. I like this book a lot because it's kind of like a blend of The Animator's Survival Kit and Cartoon Animation. It's a short read but with a lot of great information. 

Timing for Animation

This is book, as the title says, only deals with the timing in animation. Another very easy read, straight forward and to the point. Like Cartoon Animation it uses the images more than text.

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1 and 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures

This book is a 2 volume book of the lecture series given to the new wave of animators at the Disney studio after the Nine Ole Men retired. Walt Stanchfield, known as the "Other Walt", goes over the principles of animation with gesture drawings and older Disney films. Get both volumes!!!

Animation from Pencils to Pixels: Classical Techniques for the Digital Animator

Written by Tony White, this book is awesome. He talks about how to use principles of 2D animation into 3D.  This is the best book for that type of integration. And this book talks about the video I posted previously.

How to Make Animated Films: Tony White's Complete Masterclass on the Traditional Principals of Animation

Another book from Tony White, this book details how to make your own animated films. It shows schedules, budget, and pipeline examples. A great book to have if you plan to create your own short films or feature films.

The Art of Maya: An Introduction to 3D Computer Graphics

The first all computer animation book on my list. This book is strictly for Maya users. It acts like a quick reference book, dictionary, or a printed help menu. It doesn't have tutorials like most Maya or computer animation book. Rather, it explains what all the tools and menu option do in Maya. It's not to think so it's easy to carry around. 

How to Cheat in Maya 2010: Tools and Techniques for the Maya Animator

This is a great animation book for Maya. It is one the only books out there that the subject is about animation in computer animation. Most books would have a chapter or two on animation and then move on to another aspect of Maya like modeling or texturing. This is only about animation. Eric Luhta has some great tutorials in here!

Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation

And lastly, Dream Worlds by Hans Bacher. Bacher was the production designer and layout artist for films such as Mulan, Lion King, Hercules and Aladdin. This book teaches about how to create the feel of the film through composition and camera angles, color and light, and story telling. It's one my favorites. 

There are plenty of other books out there, that will be great additions to your personal library. But I feel that these are the ones you can live without. Especially if you focus mainly on animation both in 2D and 3D. I hope this helps and if any you have questions, please leave a comment or email me! 

Later animators!