Need Help/ Mentor

[StickTech]

Hey, I'm a pretty new animator on the scene and I've been through most of the tutorials and such. However, I still need some help and am looking for like a mentor to help answer any questions if I have them. I mean, I can make some decent animations (like, they wouldn't be blammed and such) but I want to make great animations you know?

So if anyone could mentor me (at least for a while) it would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and I mostly want to do stick figure animations by the way.

[Nicholas-Deary]

At 2/16/08 08:17 PM, StickTech wrote: So if anyone could mentor me (at least for a while) it would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and I mostly want to do stick figure animations by the way.

ok, ask away. Let the Flash Forum regulars be your mentors.

[StickTech]

Not what I was thinking but a good idea anyways! Differing perspectives, eh?

Ok, so I can draw stickmen in flash decently but it's mainly the actual animation itself I'm having the most trouble with. I know to use the line tool to draw people, make into symbol, reshape and resize and stuff I make the frame, yada, yada, yada.

But then what? First of, what are layers even good for? I don't see the point (since I'm fbfing).
Secondly, how can I just simply get more fluid animation (other than adding more frames).

I just need overall advice to take my animations from average to expert.

[jimgray]

: But then what? First of, what are layers even good for?

Different motion tweens, and just plain organizing your stuff

: Secondly, how can I just simply get more fluid animation (other than adding more frames).

Umm, add more frames? Seriously, that's how you get stuff more fluid.

: I just need overall advice to take my animations from average to expert.

Okay, you want to become an expert on stick figure animation. Here's what you do. Find the best stick figure animation you can. Imagine something even better. Make it. Come up with stuff that's never been done before. Work as long as it takes to make this animation. If it takes 6 months, then work on it for 6 months. The people who make amazing flash animations spend absurd amounts of time doing them. Stick figure animations don't really take much artistic talent, so that's even better for you. You can stick to simple frame by frame animation. All you need to do is just put massive amounts of hours into it. That, and your initial idea needs to be good. Creativity. Time. That's all it takes.

[stinkychops]

some really short animations have been some of my favourites, but even these take forever. Once u make a couple of flashes, u realize how much effort goes into the decent stuff. Layers are extremely useful, say u want a background, u can draw it in one layer, lock the layer and then you'll never accidentilly ruin it. Although u could just group the picture, layers are for organization. For fluidity just crank fps up to at leats 25, and animate every movement moveing an arm up can easily be 10-20 frames.