Anyone who can draw in the slightest degree is quite capable of making a cartoon on their own. True, this is not a quick matter. Therefore, in order to draw even a short cartoon, you need to be patient and have a fairly clear idea of what you want to get in the end. Preparing for the production of a cartoon sometimes takes as much time as the direct creation of it.
It is necessary
- - a computer program for creating animation;
- - Graphics tablet;
- - stopwatch.
Instructions
Step 1
Come up with a detailed scenario for the future cartoon. The plot can be anything: a flying autumn leaf, a dialogue between two characters, or a captivating story with many scenes. Of course, one should start with the simplest scenario, in which, for example, one simple action takes place with the main character (which may be an inanimate object).
Step 2
Storyboard your cartoon. If there are several scenes or shots in it (when the action takes place in the frame at the same time in several places), then make a storyboard for each scene and shot. To do this, determine how long this or that action takes place in the frame: speak the characters' lines or play each action yourself, timing with a stopwatch how long it actually lasts.
Step 3
Describe in detail these data on paper in approximately the following form: a yellow leaf sways on a branch (close-up) - 7 seconds; the leaf breaks off and makes the first turn, falling down (general plan with a tree view) - 4 seconds; the second turn - 3 seconds; falls to the ground and lies (close-up) - 3 seconds.
Step 4
From the classic calculation - 12 frames per second - determine the number of frames for each scene by multiplying the scene time in seconds by 12. Now divide each action (movement) into phases according to the number of frames. You must have a good idea of how this or that movement takes place and put its execution in a certain number of frames. The repetition of the same position, the phases of movement in a row for several frames, slows down the action of characters and objects.
Step 5
Open a special editor on your computer that allows you to create frame-by-frame animation (such as Macromedia Flash, Anime Studio, Toon Boom Studio, etc.). Using a graphic tablet, for each frame, draw the corresponding position of the character and its moving parts in each phase of the movement. Check the correctness of the actions performed by the characters by "playing" the already rendered material in the program. If necessary, correct, slow down or speed up some phases by adding or subtracting the number of frames.
