Stick Figure Stuff

[morcov]

http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/6005 725922ccac758c94dcfc2f4a6a30

A test, I know it's noobish but I just want some critisism on it.
I need to smoothen it abit.......

[Left4DeathInFire]

I think it was pretty good. But, what do I know?

[CloudEater]

It's bad, reasons = it's a stick guy, he has no face/emotion/character or anything. You should start by learning to draw characters properly. There are thousands of ways you can draw a character that is simple yet is so much better than a stick guy.

[narf]

At 10/13/10 10:44 AM, CloudEater wrote: It's bad, reasons = it's a stick guy, he has no face/emotion/character or anything. You should start by learning to draw characters properly. There are thousands of ways you can draw a character that is simple yet is so much better than a stick guy.

you can be an awesome artist and a terrible animator

[CloudEater]

At 10/13/10 09:29 PM, narf109 wrote: you can be an awesome artist and a terrible animator

Most awesome artists would be able to make a decent/good animation, only on the rare occasion would an awesome artist be a terrible animator. And it's even rarer that there is a really crappy artist who can animate well.

[morcov]

I'm no artist, and sticks with proper construction and movement are fine.

I JUST WANT HELPFUL CRITISISM!
:like that will happen...

[Mexifry]

At 10/14/10 05:35 PM, tehtimmy4080 wrote: I'm no artist, and sticks with proper construction and movement are fine.

I JUST WANT HELPFUL CRITISISM!

People telling you to not use stick figures as a final product IS helpful information.
Stick figures should only be used in rough sketches.

You're limiting yourself creatively using sticks. Think of any character you've thought of in your life, doodle, etc. and you CAN animate it. People would rather see a shitty character as a step in the right direction than see someone keep on limiting themselves to sticks.

You'll prolly even have more fun animating with your own creations anyways. ;)

[morcov]

http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/6057 ac7c8e39ca2b1d9dc760745e9cfc

This wasn't anymore fun.

[morcov]

http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/1370 f1afdd0680cc9c2378037b72c919

This was fun. I like lip sync too. Just not full bodies.....

[hankV2]

im not an artist either and i think that sticks are just as great as any flash character. I myself am a stick animator and i belive that sticks have the potential to be as good as, if not better than a flash thing

[InsertFunnyUserName]

At 10/12/10 09:01 PM, tehtimmy4080 wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/6005 725922ccac758c94dcfc2f4a6a30

A test, I know it's noobish but I just want some critisism on it.
I need to smoothen it abit.......

The movement looks fluid to me. But, when he's walking backwards, his form is sliding when it shouldn't be. When a character is walking, the only time his body should move is when his legs are pushing him to do so. Also, add anticipation to punches to make them look like they carry weight, especially with sticks where you can't see a fist. Otherwise, it'll just look like the character is throwing his arm forward.

At 10/16/10 09:18 PM, hankV2 wrote: im not an artist either and i think that sticks are just as great as any flash character. I myself am a stick animator and i belive that sticks have the potential to be as good as, if not better than a flash thing

Sticks don't allow for characterization, complex body language or uniqueness. Even in good stick animations, ones with brilliant art and good stories, there's still always something missing and that something is personality in the character design. They're also not appropriate for genres that require realism in order to be taken seriously.

And although it is technically okay to practice movement with them, you're only going to improve when you push yourself.

[Randomguy78]

stop HATING BECAUSE THERE STICK PEOPLE...

watch this entire animation and you'll SEE... that there IS NOTHING WRONG WITH STICK PEOPLE
shock2

for those of you who actually criticized and didn't mention that they were stickmen.. i'm sorry you had to read this...

your animation was fine.. i liked it...

[InsertFunnyUserName]

At 10/17/10 04:30 PM, Randomguy78 wrote: stop HATING BECAUSE THERE STICK PEOPLE...

watch this entire animation and you'll SEE... that there IS NOTHING WRONG WITH STICK PEOPLE
shock2

I nostalgia'd hard as I remembered watching that when it came out. But, nevertheless, it only serves to reinforce my point. There are so many important aspects of character animation that sticks lack. I can think of several just in a basic walk cycle alone.

[Randomguy78]

I nostalgia'd hard as I remembered watching that when it came out.

so your admitting at one point you DID like it?

[InsertFunnyUserName]

At 10/17/10 07:53 PM, Randomguy78 wrote:

I nostalgia'd hard as I remembered watching that when it came out.

so your admitting at one point you DID like it?

The nostalgia is more about the era, but yes, I did like it, albeit when I was 13. I was impressed by the fluidity of the motion and probably liked the humor as well. But that's beside the point. I'm not saying that a stick flash can't be decent or even good. It's just that its potential is stunted severely if the author falls back on a stick style because of how many aspects of animation are extremely difficult or impossible to put into sticks.

I mentioned a walk cycle in my last post. The overlapping motion of the hands and the bending of the feet are impossible; the rotation of the hips and shoulders and the subtle shifting of weight from side to side are substantially more difficult and when they are possible, it's almost never prominent enough. Although you can technically have a walk cycle without these things, these are what give it personality and they are what make it convincing. And that's just one example.

[morcov]

It was just a moonwalk cycle I added for fun.

PENIS!

[InsertFunnyUserName]

At 10/17/10 08:30 PM, tehtimmy4080 wrote: It was just a moonwalk cycle I added for fun.

PENIS!

I know, but still, his body is moving independent of the movements of his legs. Even in a moonwalk cycle, he still needs to push himself with his legs in order to move and the animation needs to reflect exactly that. Otherwise, it just looks like he's going through the motions of a moonwalk in the air as he floats to the right.

[Randomguy78]

At 10/17/10 08:30 PM, tehtimmy4080 wrote: It was just a moonwalk cycle I added for fun.

PENIS!

i KNEW you meant to do that

[MickHarrison]

I have noticed since joining newgrounds that these stick men animations are hugely
popular both with creators and viewers. I think they are great fun to watch and reflect
the process a great many animator/ cartoonists (myself included) have gone through
in the early stages of understanding movement etc.... i wouldn't like to think the people
behind them would seek to remain at this rudimentary level... surely progress is
inevitable when you consider that some of the movies have camera moves and slow mo and
some spot on effects and some are stick men walking badly.

[TheLunarWhisper]

At 10/12/10 09:01 PM, tehtimmy4080 wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/6005 725922ccac758c94dcfc2f4a6a30

A test, I know it's noobish but I just want some critisism on it.
I need to smoothen it abit.......

Not really paying all that much attention to previous posts, since it seems to be about "Stick Characters VS. <Other>".

I think the movement is quite fluid which I like, although I think the spine shouldn't be so straight as the stick figure seems incredibly rigid. I still believe you can make some pretty spectacular animations with stick figures - Good luck! Practice, Practice, Practice!

-Lil' Moon

[MichaelJ]

At 10/14/10 01:24 AM, CloudEater wrote:

At 10/13/10 09:29 PM, narf109 wrote: you can be an awesome artist and a terrible animator

Most awesome artists would be able to make a decent/good animation, only on the rare occasion would an awesome artist be a terrible animator. And it's even rarer that there is a really crappy artist who can animate well.

You are totally wrong.
You can be the greatest artist in the world, but you will probably still have to start out where everyone else does when it comes to animating.
Being able to draw well doesn't mean you can animate well.

[MickHarrison]

Being able to draw well doesn't mean you can animate well.

It helps