Search form

Animation Paper

6 posts / 0 new
Last post
Animation Paper

Hey everyone,
I am now planning my first animation, like I have said in past threads, I am really into the 2D hand drawn hand painted look. So I am going to execute my story in this format.

So here is the big question is animation paper absolutly necessary?

I am also getting a wacom tablet, how would I get the hand labor into the computer using the tablet?

Thanks,
gavvalion. :cool:

Hi gavvalion,

No, animation paper is not absolutely necessary. I know people who animate using ordinary printing paper to cut down on costs. They just use a regular 3-ring hole puncher to keep the paper properly aligned. I don't think there's any limit on the type of paper or material you use to draw on, but it is very important to keep your registration marks properly aligned. Otherwise, your drawings will jump. I also know of artists who animate on those plastic projector sheets to imitate cels and draw directly on glass.

As far as the tablet is concerned, just draw on it as you would paper. There may be an adjustment period where you have to get used to watching the screen as your hand draws on the tablet, but it's essentially the same concept as using a mouse. Start out by drawing your image on the 1st frame or layer of whatever program you're using, then you can either turn on the tracing option of the program or lower the opacity of the layer to draw the next frame. But even when working on a computer, it's important to make sure that your digital drawings are still properly registered.

Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com

Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com

AWN Showcase Gallery

Depending on the drawing surface you use, you may want to adjust the position of your tablet. I've had my Wacom for something like 3 years and wasn't able to get full benefit out of it until I adapted something for my desk that gave me the best drawing position possible.

(I've already posted this, but here it is again) I made this prototype from foam board I got at Staples. I'll make a wood one when I improve the design. The foam one took 20 minutes, a sheet of foam board, a glue gun, and an exacto knife.

Cartoon Thunder
There's a little biker in all of us...

cool idea

Hey rupertpiston,
Do you draw your characters directly on your tablet and how do you create your backgrounds?

Also thanks sharvonique for your advice

gavvalion :cool:

I use a combinatio of techniques. I do a lot of character roughs on paper using col-erase pencils, red for the rough and blue for the committed lines. Then I scan those and trace them in Toon Boom since the line quality comes out better than I do with a regular pencil.

Lately I've been doing quick drawings of motorcycles with good detail to them, which I finish entirely on paper and then scan and vectorize.

When I do a move with a lot of animation in it I might use the first method mentioned or I might to everything from rough animation to finished pencil work on my disk/light table and then scan it in.

Honestly, until I got the darn tablet in the position it's in now, I didn't use it for much outside of digital coloring of my images.

As for backgrounds, I've done a few with watercolor, then take a digital picture and import it into the project. I've also done some as roughs, even in my sketch book at times (often during a faculty or department meeting), then scan them either as a rough or a finished pencil drawing, then trace it with the stylus and color it. A number of times I've also used Flash to draw a layered image that allows me to work on different parts of the graphic separately, then combine or flatten them. You can also draw cool stuff in Flash, then export a .jpg and edit it further in Photoshop to fine tune lighting effects.

In the end, I'm not so far ahead of you. I've taken a few classes in Flash, photoshop, and Illustrator, but I'm an English teacher by trade and largely self taught, which means that some of my book learned or self taught methods work and some of them could use help. Like you, I'm in it for kicks at this point.

Cartoon Thunder
There's a little biker in all of us...

great advice

Thanks again rupertpiston,
The things you said in your response is similar to how I am planning to do my cartoon. It will be my first one I want it to have an advanced feel to it so I am going to spend a great deal of time working on it. I want the quality of a Disney classic, hand painted and all. It won't be full length though just a short.lol.

gavvalion. ;)