Animation Advice?

[BabySteps]

Hi there,
i'm a bit new to 'full body/cartoon traditional animation', but i'm not new to animation in general, i understand all of the rules like, easing, physics, flow, smoothness, following through, and etc. so I've got some potential

i used to animate stick figures :/ in flash 8, but I've wanted to move on for quite some time, but i'm not exactly sure where to start.
I've come here looking for some of the basic knowledge that some decent animators can give me, like for example: what are your techniques in traditional cartoon animation? are there some excersizes that i can get started with? how big is your penis?, where are some tutorials i can use for making those schnazzy POV backgrounds?, and etc.

i just want to know where i should start.

if you guys could help me out, that'd be awesome!

thanks.

[Otone]

I started off with walking cycles and moved on from there. It helps set an understanding of body motion and teaches you to draw basic in-betweens.

An old animators technique is to draw a bean-bag, give it features, and animate it as if it could walk.

[Tanadrine-Studios]

Less talking, more drawing :)

Seriously though, find something that is highly motivating to you and make something. Always remember to start simple... if you jump too far in detail you may find yourself getting frustrated from incomplete (and sloppy) projects.

[Max-Vador]

At 11/13/12 07:48 AM, Tanadrine-Studios wrote: Less talking, more drawing :)

Seriously though, find something that is highly motivating to you and make something. Always remember to start simple... if you jump too far in detail you may find yourself getting frustrated from incomplete (and sloppy) projects.

i'm mostly an effects artist, fire, water, smoke, etc. but walk cycles and body rotations are a great way to start your understanding of animation such as timing and the bounce and spring elements.

try and do things you're familiar with since you'll have better reference for them.

[BabySteps]

http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/d05cf6cdd3cdb32e79ef7302 42080b75

ALRIGHTY, what's next?

[Max-Vador]

At 11/15/12 12:16 PM, BabySteps wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/d05cf6cdd3cdb32e79ef7302 42080b75

ALRIGHTY, what's next?

looks good, pretty chopped up though. you might want to go back and do some inbetween frames.

a good exercise is full body rotation, and faces going from happy to sad to surprised and so on

[elementalbadger]

Here are just a few tips I've learned throghout the years:

1. Use Reference
-Don't rotoscope. It's good to look at a piece of footage of people and try to animate it. You can either use the same style of characters or change it and simply reference the movement. In animating with reference you'll build a broad animation vocabulary that will allow you to progress and make better animations.

2. Enjoy the Z axis
-Try not to limit yourself to motion that is simply left to right. Remember the Z axis. Even if you're not good with perspective just make things turn in space and move forward and backward. Don't simply scale it. Scaling looks like scaling and anybody can spot it.

3. Ones and Twos: 1 Frame can make all the difference
- Be wise with your timing. I know you said you are familiar with the principles of timing but be very aware of it. Know when a 1 is appropriate or when a 2 is appropriate. It will make the impact of your animation that much better.

4. When you're doing dialogue:
-Use the x sheet. It's a pain but it's a pain that's worth it. It helps you visualize what you're doing before you do it. Also, jot down the gestures on the x-sheet as well. It will save you a lot of time in the end. (if you hate x-sheets, I understand. I used to refuse to use them as well and sometimes still do. If you aren't working with that much dialogue don't worry about it. But if you're working with an excessive amount, I highly recommend it).

5. A Personal trick
-I like to basically do all my keyframes on a single sheet of paper as though it were a storyboard. I like to see all the arcs of an animated sequence on one sheet to see whether it flows or not. Whenever I do this my motion looks incredibly smooth. I only draw the slug/seal/stick figure this way so I don't waste too much time focusing on that but it certainly makes the final product that much better.

That's it for now. I know there are tons more but unfortunately/fortunately I must get back to work.

Hope that helps!

[BabySteps]

At 11/17/12 04:29 AM, elementalbadger wrote: Here are just a few tips I've learned throghout the years:
1. Use Reference
2. Enjoy the Z axis
3. Ones and Twos: 1 Frame can make all the difference
4. When you're doing dialogue:
5. A Personal trick

Hope that helps!

yes absolutely!, thanks man!

[BabySteps]

http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/0e3ce3348e3ad9d7083756b9 28433a80
MIGHT WANT TO RIGHTCLICK > ZOOM IN

any criticism or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks :)

[Jomillex]

At 11/26/12 07:54 PM, BabySteps wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/0e3ce3348e3ad9d7083756b9 28433a80
MIGHT WANT TO RIGHTCLICK > ZOOM IN

any criticism or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks :)

Looks nice! :)

[BabySteps]

anyone know of any other community animation websites that offer joints/collaborations? i'm looking for something to get me started and want to join a collaboration, but NG lacks in good collaborations.

[Jomillex]

At 11/27/12 01:11 PM, BabySteps wrote: anyone know of any other community animation websites that offer joints/collaborations? i'm looking for something to get me started and want to join a collaboration, but NG lacks in good collaborations.

I thought there was a good collaboration running at the moment..
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1323271
The creator is really cute..

[Deadly-Shadow]

If you're serious about being an animator then the best advice I can give you is to take life drawing courses. Your drawing skills will massively improve and you'll have a better understanding of anatomy, posing and structure.

Also, always use the principals of animation, like timing, squash and stretch, overshoot and antic, etc.

[BabySteps]

At 11/28/12 06:17 PM, Deadly-Shadow wrote: If you're serious about being an animator then the best advice I can give you is to take life drawing courses. Your drawing skills will massively improve and you'll have a better understanding of anatomy, posing and structure.

that's a good idea, thanks :)

[Tanadrine-Studios]

Watching some sports programs is good for the artist's eye concerning motion aspects of animation. Try watching a tennis match one time and, instead of watching the game, just watch how the players move. You can exaggerate motions in animation for a stylized effect (IE: Arching a character... say a boxer's back/shoulders further than it normally would in real-life to emphasize the power of the following punch).