The Animation Smears Book: Uncovering Film’s Most Elusive Technique

This book is a comprehensive guide that provides extensive information on the stylistic and creative aspects of smears and their impact on how they make use of the way we perceive motion. Additionally, it also reveals the names of artists who helped develop them and the original techniques that they used.

Christian Avender is a Canadian industry animator with experience on shows from Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros. and more. Independently researched 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 comprehensive understanding of this art technique than ever detailed before in a publication. As an active member of 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, it provides as a valuable resource for art institutions as well as serve as 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 it is revealed in this book which is the first of its kind dedicated exclusively to the underappreciated art of animation smears.