BeamShank 2010-11-18 18:34:11

As far as deciding which of many projects to do, think about this. Don't just think about what you want to make most, but consider doing a less favorite idea first, and the end result of the animation you didn't pick first will be better due to practice. I've been sitting on something I wanna make for 2 YEARS. and I'm juuuust nearly ready... but not before I knock away some more projects.

FightingSeraph 2010-11-18 20:25:39

1. That depends on the situation: I've seen flash that had nice drawings, but hardly had any animation at all. (Arrogancy and those Motion Comic flashes come to mind.) On the other hand, I've seen flash cartoons that were poorly-drawn, but were well animated. (Roger Van Der Weide and Doug Sauncy come to mind.) This very question is one of the reasons why I haven't made a complete flash yet, just test animations.

2. Look up McFretN, Krinkels, and Razzo.

3. For my test animations, 21 to 24 frames per second.

4. I usually think it up in my head, because I tend to get writer's block.

5. I storyboard my stuff on paper or in flash itself.

6. A bit of both.

7. Depends on the situation. On one hand, I import as much of the sound that I can before I get to animating. On the other, If it's just a test sound goes in later. There are times when you need the parts before you get to work.

8. Enough to make some simple space shooter and platforming mechanics.

9. Already been answered.

10. Too many to mention. For Big names: Ralph Bakshi (I have to agree with what Lenkobiscuit has said), Tex Avery, John Sparey, The Fleischer Brothers, Fist of the North Star (best anime ever), Todd McFarlane, Mike Judge, Riki-Oh, Satoshi Urushihara, Renaissance (2007 rotoscope film), and Ark (best animated film that you missed out on).
For NG users: Evil Dave, Mindchamber, McFretN, Helbereth, Kong, Krinkels, Sto0g3, Dean Packis, Doug Sauncy, Ben Spurgin, the Bunnykill guys, Dave Lovelace, Fat Dime Studios, Piconjo: Besitzen Sie, Retro Mike, Alvin Earthworm (even though his jokes are terrible), Blordow (I think he should stop getting his thoughts spoonfed to him by the likes of Rtil), Daniel Sun, Clark Lybeck, Randy Solem, Rick Marin, and All Fads Die.

11. Yes, it looks nice.

12. I Dream in Retro, The Undead, Serpent's Grave, and Banned Slim Jim Ad.

13. See Number ten for details.

14. Look up "The Fox and the Mirror" on here.

15. I discovered ConceptArt.org from Zanroth and when I started posting, I got helpful advice and started to working on what needed to be worked upon. Now, I've seen a bit of improvement in my work. I recommend that you check that site out because the forums are great and you'll find Rick Marin, Zwickel, and Egoraptor there as well.
No ammount of style/animation/length/originality can compensate for bad content. (Throwback the Duck, Tarboy, both of the Nin10Doh! collabs, and Cupid VS Hate Demons spring to mind.) To quote Gamerman 555 from GameFAQs: "Being Original is good, but only if the idea works."
It isn't the medium used (Example: Imported video), but the quality of the final product (Most of the claymation/stop-motion stuff comes to mind).

Zullzee 2010-11-18 22:16:18

Just wanted to pop in and let you know that anybody who says you don't need to draw well to be a good animator is a fool. It's like saying "you don't need to be athletic to be a basketball player" or "you don't need to be flexable to be a gymnast". This isn't just my opinion, read any animation book from any creditable animator and the first thing they tell you is if you don't know how to draw then put the book down and go take some art and life drawing classes first.

jaxxy 2010-11-18 22:32:30

Wow, what nice characters! :D I love the exaggerated limbs! The best kind of animating is to marry tweening with FBF...and it certainly helps to have some knowledge in anatomy. Don't spend too much time on planning...a lot of the time if you think about it too much, chances are it'll never get done. :/ The idea will just grow and grow and eventually get too big for a single person to complete. Just do it if you want to! And the important thing is finishing what you start.
And if this is your first time animating, practice, practice, practice. Make something short before you tackle something big. Get a copy of the Animator's Survival Guide and check out how animation is put together.

MentosClock 2010-11-19 01:27:20

Wow there are so many comments here I am not going to read them to see if what I am about to say has already been said or anything. But anyway, here's a secret about animation: a lot of 'professional' animators, people who actually make stuff that gets on TV, cannot actually draw at all! It is true! I have watched a lot of animation, and I have seen a lot of deficiency in drawing talent. If pros can get away with it, us amateurs definitely can! Now, obviously, people with drawing skills can create better animations than people without, but that doesn't mean that you need those skills. I have been working on some FBF, and I cannot draw at all, but I have been happy with my results so far. That's not to say that I haven't been trying to improve, but hey, it's just a hobby, so there's no need to feel any pressure.

inf52391 2010-11-21 20:23:21

i got a question about your animation. is this true that you made all these drawings?