Hello. I'm from the Philippines. I was lucky enough to be accepted as a trainee in one of our animation companies. It's training for flash animation, but we start out in learning traditional first before we use flash. The problem is the traditional aspect of the training will only last a month, and after that 2 months will be given attention in using flash ( 1 of which will focus on my internship). So my training in animation will really be only 1 month! Which is not a lot of time especially for someone who has no background in animation. What I do when I go home is read a lot more about this on the net. But I was wondering if you guys could give suggestions on how to practice animation at home. I downloaded monkeyjam to test some of the animation I did during the training, but what I want to do is make my own animation at home for my own benefit.
So, thanks for the help! It'll mean a lot. Trust me. :)
Get a book on animation and work on it every day. The course you are taking is too short in time so you should try to find one that will give you at least 16 weeks of instruction on animation.
Most likely you are not going to be happy with your skill level at the end of the class you are taking. If you already have a strong art back ground, then you should do ok.
Best of luck
Thanks a lot. Yeah it's cartoon animation that I'm undergoing training in. It's a company that specializes in Flash. They used to do 2d, but I barely see any 2d people around. Some of them begun training in flash while the others are working for other companies. The training is short, but I really need to try my best, and understand what I can about animation in under a short time. It's been really fun though because I love to draw, and drawing in a "toon" style is relatively easy for me since I mostly work in a realistic approach.
We've been doing a bunch of exercises( bouncing ball,head turns,etc) Now we're working on walking and running. Although, for some reason, our instructor just wants us to focus on key poses. Not so much on inbetweens. I'm not sure why. Anyway, based on what I did I think to work on timing and spacing. I want to achieve a more effective motion in the characters.
Thanks again!
Thanks. I've been reading a bunch of pdfs from animationmeat.com, but I will try not to overwhelm myself with loads of information. It's best to take things one at a time.
Although the training is short, it is free. If I had the money then I would definitely look for better training. I will have to try my best and focus for now.
Mabuhay, patdzon!
Yup, that one month training is really short; it's designed to get you up to speed in animation and get you ready for Flash. You'll probably learn more about animation during the course of your training through the other two months that include the Flash training and the internship. I am guessing this will be the case since that was what I experienced when I had my training.
Like what Wontobe said, getting your hands on some good books such as the "Animator's Survival Kit" would be great. You can read through it during your off hours. If you were lucky enough to get accepted, you probably have some strong drawing skills, so working more on that will surely help too.
If you have a copy of Flash at home, then you might try doing some animation of your own too, that is, if you have a story to tell. It would help you a lot if you familiarize yourself with the software early on so you can soak up more of the animation related lessons during training.
Hey, best of luck to you! It will not be an easy road to take, so just hang in there and have fun!
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Hi! It's nice to see a fellow pinoy here! :) The company is Top Draw. Maybe you've heard of it? I just have a couple of problems with our trainer. The guy knows his stuff, but sometimes he doesn't really explain much and I'm left wondering what to do or what some of the nomenclatures mean. It's almost as if he expects us to know everything he's talking about. And the majority of us are new to animation! The best solution is to ask questions. But The fun part is the drawing, of course, and my fellow trainees are really good people.
I do hope that the training you received will be similar to mine. I'm just worried that we won't go back to the animation techniques/principles once we start in flash.
I used to work for Top Draw. I don't want to go out and pimp them, but they do have an excellent training program. If you feel that the instructor is going too fast or if the nomenclatures are too Greek, don't be afraid to ask. It's their job to make you understand. Sometimes the pacing may look fast; that's because there probably are a lot of you in your training class and admittedly, there are a lot of stuff to be taught and squeeze in in such a short time. But during my stay there we usually spend time doing everything on a one on one basis if possible. Don't be afraid to raise your hand and ask questions; you will surely benefit from it.
Believe me, it's very hard to teach people who have no background in animation, and it takes a lot of patience. Make it easy on yourself and your instructor by asking your questions! The more you understand it, the more it will be easier for you and your instructor.
And don't worry that you will not go back to the animation techniques/principles once you are in the Flash part of your training. In fact, you will be encountering more of it as you progress, especially in your intership should you go that far.
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