1st Edition

The Animation Smears Book Uncovering Film's Most Elusive Technique

By Christian Avender Copyright 2025
250 Pages 296 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

250 Pages 296 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

250 Pages 296 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

Throughout cinema, there have been various techniques to depict motion, and one style in particular is the fascinating use of smears in animation. Incredibly popular and captivating to artists, these animation smears are frames that creatively replicate motion blur captured on film, which is the phenomena that we commonly observe in our everyday life. The vast world of different techniques for... Read more

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction
2. What Is an Animation Smear?
3. Prelude: Portraying Motion in Art before Film
4. Part One: The Introduction of Film
5. Part Two: The Study of Movement
6. Part Three: Influence and Application from Modern Art
7. Part Four: The Digital Age
8. Part Four Extended: 3D Animation Smears
9. Certain Action Examples
10. Master Animator Methods
11. What Are NOT Smears
12. Smears Outside of Animation
13. Conclusion

Terminology
Credits, References, and Thanks
Index

Biography

Christian Avender is a Canadian industry animator with experience on shows from Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros., and more. Based on independent research since 2011, the author provides a better understanding of a commonly overlooked art technique that is still being used in animation today. With years of animation history experience, university education, and citing from actual different examples of smears, the author provides a more comprehensive understanding of this art technique than ever detailed before in a publication. Drawing from active membership in the animation industry and productions, the book features collaborations with other artists and workers to help with the design and to showcase the versatility of animation smears in different settings. With over a dozen animation techniques, this book provides a valuable resource for art institutions while providing a bigger picture alongside other instructional books in animation. The author shows how a larger understanding of action and motion blur in art has been sitting dormant for years – as is revealed in this book, which is the first of its kind dedicated exclusively to the underappreciated art of animation smears.