How to Make Your Own Animation
Script your animation., Make some storyboards., Draw some character sheets or make character models., Make your animation sketch., Draw the key frames., Check for flow., Do the in betweens., Check for flow again., Clean up the drawings., Process the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Script your animation.
First, write down everything that you want to happen.
This doesn't just mean dialogue, it means actions and facial expressions too.
You need to have a clear idea of exactly what's going to happen before you start. -
Step 2: Make some storyboards.
Story boards are the next step: these are drawings that show major actions and scenes throughout your animation.
These tell the story overall and look much like a comic book. , You'll want to have a reference to look at as you draw your frames, so that the character looks consistent and real from pose to pose.
Draw your characters from every different angle and with a number of different expressions.
You should also draw out what they'll be wearing, especially if what they're wearing changes between scenes. , This is a single drawing on a single piece of paper that shows all of the major stages of movement in a single frame.
This will often result in a picture that looks like conjoin quintuplets or something like that, but it's designed to make sure that your key frames are correctly aligned and that your motions look natural. , The key frames are the major stations of the movement that the character makes.
For example, if you're animating a character turning from left to right, the key frames would show the character facing left, then the character facing the camera, and then the character facing right. , Flip between the key frames to see how the movement looks. , The in betweens are all of the minute movements between the key animations.
So, start by drawing the image that should go directly between two key frames.
Then do the image that goes between the key frame and the first in-between.
Keep doing this until you have the appropriate number of frames to illustrate the movement (this will differ depending on what your purpose is with your animation). , Yeah, you should pretty much constantly be checking for flow. Â Â , Clean any sketch lines and stray marks that distract from the movement of the character.
You may even choose to ink the frames of animation, depending on what you plan to do with your work. , Stitch the images together in a computer program like Photoshop, in order to create the final video.
You can add  this reel to a portfolio or just show it off to your friends and family! , Flip books are a great place to start when you want to learn how to do animation.
These are so simple, even little kids can make them.
Flip book animation is actually really good because it mimics how real, traditional animation works. , Stop-motion animation is where you take pictures of physical objects and then string the pictures together the same way you'd string together the drawings in a traditional piece of animation.
There are lots of different ways that you can do stop-motion animation.
Common materials include cut out paper (which was famously used in making Monty Python) or clay animation (which has been used in famous films like The Nightmare before Christmas). , Animated gifs are a popular medium, used widely on the internet these days.
Even LifeGuide Hub uses them! You can create your own animated gifs easily, so long as you have a computer and can get a hold of basic software.
Usually gifs are used to take short clips of TV shows, but you can use the same method to string together your own, hand-drawn images. , You can also do standard computer animation, but be aware that this can be very challenging and often takes years to learn how to do it well.
There are a couple of different methods, including: 2d animation.
You can do this at home using programs like Anime Studio, or make Adobe Flash animations. 3d animation.
This is more difficult to do at home, as the computer power necessary to render 3d animation requires a much more powerful machine than most casual users possess.
If your computer can take it, one basic program you can use is Smith Micro's Poser. , Machinima is a type of animation that uses real time capture of existing computer models.
Usually such works are created using video games (the popular web series Red vs Blue is a good example).
Machinima is much easier for new animators to pick up and can give you a great way to learn basic animation skills. , It's always a good idea to do your homework before trying something.
Do some reading on animation techniques and what makes animation good before getting too serious about what you're doing.
A good place to start is by studying the twelve basic principles of animation, as laid out by the Old Men at Disney. , Even poor animation won't matter too much if the story that you're telling is good.
Write an incredible story that blows people away and they'll overlook animation mistakes or lack of Disney-blockbuster graphics. , The story itself isn't the only part of animation storytelling that matters.
You also need to think about HOW you tell then story.
How it's presented, what order the scenes happen in, and other factors like how the characters are used can significantly impact how people see your story and animation. , Animation is at it's best when the viewers are emotionally connecting with the characters.
This is much easier if you get your characters making faces that convey real emotions, instead of largely static faces.
Practice drawing emotions on faces.
You should focus on the motions of changing emotions too, not just the poses of sad-angry-laughing, etc. , Another part of making even the most basic animation more engaging and seem more life-like is getting the motions to seem dynamic and tangible.
This is usually conveyed through a process called squash and stretch.
Squash and stretch is when you exaggerate motions to help the human brain perceive them as real.
A common example would be when you imagine a ball.
It's much more interesting to see a ball squish down to the floor a little when it lands, instead of just seeing a normal sphere.
This helps the viewer feel the motion that the ball is making. , Color theory is the idea of what colors look good with which other colors, and how colors can be used together to convey story and emotion.
Understanding color theory is essential to making your animation look professional and appealing.
If you want to really take animation seriously, it would be a good idea to have at least a basic understanding of color theory. , Composition is the study of how an image should be set up on a canvas or screen in order to look good and draw the viewers attention to the important places.
This is also extremely important, if you want you viewers to get the most from your animations.
Do a little reading on basic compositional theory, such as the rule of thirds or golden proportions. , When you see a ball, you don't see a circle: it's a sphere.
While 2d and 3d animation are technically flat (our eyes don't perceive real depth there unless the animation is in actual 3d and secondary equipment is used), our brains will enjoy the image more if it looks like there is substance to the shapes.
In other words, if you want your animations to look good, you generally want to get good at showing the substance of objects in your images. , Of course, most cartoons show people and objects as looking very different than they do in real life.
Women would be almost crippled if they had Jessica Rabbit's spine in real life! But having an understanding of how bodies work and how they're capable of moving will make your animation more enjoyable and give it a more natural feel.
Studying anatomy also universally makes people better at drawing! , Finally, don't forget: you can take classes for animation! There are often cheap courses offered at local community colleges and you might be able to audit animation classes from local art schools.
You can also easily find classes and tutorials online, for free or much less than you'd pay for real life courses.
If this is something that you enjoy, then take it seriously and devote some resources to it! -
Step 3: Draw some character sheets or make character models.
-
Step 4: Make your animation sketch.
-
Step 5: Draw the key frames.
-
Step 6: Check for flow.
-
Step 7: Do the in betweens.
-
Step 8: Check for flow again.
-
Step 9: Clean up the drawings.
-
Step 10: Process the animation.
-
Step 11: Make a flip book.
-
Step 12: Make a stop-motion animation.
-
Step 13: Make an animated gif.
-
Step 14: Make animation using a computer.
-
Step 15: Try Machinima.
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Step 16: Do some research.
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Step 17: Learn how to create a good story.
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Step 18: Learn how to tell a good story.
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Step 19: Master facial expressions.
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Step 20: Learn squash and stretch.
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Step 21: Study color theory.
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Step 22: Study composition.
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Step 23: Study perspective and 3d shapes.
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Step 24: Study anatomy.
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Step 25: Take classes!
Detailed Guide
First, write down everything that you want to happen.
This doesn't just mean dialogue, it means actions and facial expressions too.
You need to have a clear idea of exactly what's going to happen before you start.
Story boards are the next step: these are drawings that show major actions and scenes throughout your animation.
These tell the story overall and look much like a comic book. , You'll want to have a reference to look at as you draw your frames, so that the character looks consistent and real from pose to pose.
Draw your characters from every different angle and with a number of different expressions.
You should also draw out what they'll be wearing, especially if what they're wearing changes between scenes. , This is a single drawing on a single piece of paper that shows all of the major stages of movement in a single frame.
This will often result in a picture that looks like conjoin quintuplets or something like that, but it's designed to make sure that your key frames are correctly aligned and that your motions look natural. , The key frames are the major stations of the movement that the character makes.
For example, if you're animating a character turning from left to right, the key frames would show the character facing left, then the character facing the camera, and then the character facing right. , Flip between the key frames to see how the movement looks. , The in betweens are all of the minute movements between the key animations.
So, start by drawing the image that should go directly between two key frames.
Then do the image that goes between the key frame and the first in-between.
Keep doing this until you have the appropriate number of frames to illustrate the movement (this will differ depending on what your purpose is with your animation). , Yeah, you should pretty much constantly be checking for flow. Â Â , Clean any sketch lines and stray marks that distract from the movement of the character.
You may even choose to ink the frames of animation, depending on what you plan to do with your work. , Stitch the images together in a computer program like Photoshop, in order to create the final video.
You can add  this reel to a portfolio or just show it off to your friends and family! , Flip books are a great place to start when you want to learn how to do animation.
These are so simple, even little kids can make them.
Flip book animation is actually really good because it mimics how real, traditional animation works. , Stop-motion animation is where you take pictures of physical objects and then string the pictures together the same way you'd string together the drawings in a traditional piece of animation.
There are lots of different ways that you can do stop-motion animation.
Common materials include cut out paper (which was famously used in making Monty Python) or clay animation (which has been used in famous films like The Nightmare before Christmas). , Animated gifs are a popular medium, used widely on the internet these days.
Even LifeGuide Hub uses them! You can create your own animated gifs easily, so long as you have a computer and can get a hold of basic software.
Usually gifs are used to take short clips of TV shows, but you can use the same method to string together your own, hand-drawn images. , You can also do standard computer animation, but be aware that this can be very challenging and often takes years to learn how to do it well.
There are a couple of different methods, including: 2d animation.
You can do this at home using programs like Anime Studio, or make Adobe Flash animations. 3d animation.
This is more difficult to do at home, as the computer power necessary to render 3d animation requires a much more powerful machine than most casual users possess.
If your computer can take it, one basic program you can use is Smith Micro's Poser. , Machinima is a type of animation that uses real time capture of existing computer models.
Usually such works are created using video games (the popular web series Red vs Blue is a good example).
Machinima is much easier for new animators to pick up and can give you a great way to learn basic animation skills. , It's always a good idea to do your homework before trying something.
Do some reading on animation techniques and what makes animation good before getting too serious about what you're doing.
A good place to start is by studying the twelve basic principles of animation, as laid out by the Old Men at Disney. , Even poor animation won't matter too much if the story that you're telling is good.
Write an incredible story that blows people away and they'll overlook animation mistakes or lack of Disney-blockbuster graphics. , The story itself isn't the only part of animation storytelling that matters.
You also need to think about HOW you tell then story.
How it's presented, what order the scenes happen in, and other factors like how the characters are used can significantly impact how people see your story and animation. , Animation is at it's best when the viewers are emotionally connecting with the characters.
This is much easier if you get your characters making faces that convey real emotions, instead of largely static faces.
Practice drawing emotions on faces.
You should focus on the motions of changing emotions too, not just the poses of sad-angry-laughing, etc. , Another part of making even the most basic animation more engaging and seem more life-like is getting the motions to seem dynamic and tangible.
This is usually conveyed through a process called squash and stretch.
Squash and stretch is when you exaggerate motions to help the human brain perceive them as real.
A common example would be when you imagine a ball.
It's much more interesting to see a ball squish down to the floor a little when it lands, instead of just seeing a normal sphere.
This helps the viewer feel the motion that the ball is making. , Color theory is the idea of what colors look good with which other colors, and how colors can be used together to convey story and emotion.
Understanding color theory is essential to making your animation look professional and appealing.
If you want to really take animation seriously, it would be a good idea to have at least a basic understanding of color theory. , Composition is the study of how an image should be set up on a canvas or screen in order to look good and draw the viewers attention to the important places.
This is also extremely important, if you want you viewers to get the most from your animations.
Do a little reading on basic compositional theory, such as the rule of thirds or golden proportions. , When you see a ball, you don't see a circle: it's a sphere.
While 2d and 3d animation are technically flat (our eyes don't perceive real depth there unless the animation is in actual 3d and secondary equipment is used), our brains will enjoy the image more if it looks like there is substance to the shapes.
In other words, if you want your animations to look good, you generally want to get good at showing the substance of objects in your images. , Of course, most cartoons show people and objects as looking very different than they do in real life.
Women would be almost crippled if they had Jessica Rabbit's spine in real life! But having an understanding of how bodies work and how they're capable of moving will make your animation more enjoyable and give it a more natural feel.
Studying anatomy also universally makes people better at drawing! , Finally, don't forget: you can take classes for animation! There are often cheap courses offered at local community colleges and you might be able to audit animation classes from local art schools.
You can also easily find classes and tutorials online, for free or much less than you'd pay for real life courses.
If this is something that you enjoy, then take it seriously and devote some resources to it!
About the Author
Amanda Bishop
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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