In a previous animation tutorial we discussed the steps necessary to create your own cartoon. I’ve since come to the conclusion that the article, while complete, was a bit too complex for a beginner and contained too many steps. The animation tutorial has been condensed into a more succinct five steps that will be used in the future. All Calico Monkey animation projects will follow this five step plan from now on, so expect to be referred to this page in the future.

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This development entry will show the process of creating a scene, and its evolution from sketch into full blown animation. The scene I’m detailing is when Sparky turns quickly to face Meat, and then rushes towards him.

The first step has been shown before, creating the storyboard:

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Recently I’ve been approached from a couple of different directions about the difficulty of staying motivated. Peter asked a question about this in the comments for Make Your Own Cartoon.

Creating an animation is not a minor task, as I’m sure you’re aware. There are many steps involved, and finishing any of them is an accomplishment in its own right. The problem is the lack of public acknowledgment. That may be the coolest storyboard ever but in the end, even after the animation is completed, who will see it? Unless you’re a part of a team it’s just you and your great storyboards.

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Toon Boom’s peg system is a vital part of the animation process, and is one of the main reasons animating with Toon Boom is easier than animating in Flash.

The concept of pegs is not new. Traditional animation studios have always used pegs as a registration system to properly line up the many drawings that must be created. This is especially useful when a series of drawings such as a walk cycle must be moved across the screen. Toon Boom builds on the peg system in a digital fashion, offering the animator helpful tools to move characters.

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Voice recording is an area where many Toon Boom and Flash animators fall short. You know that long thin microphone that came with your computer? It is a horrible instrument for recording for your animations. It does not have the power to capture the necessary highs and lows of normal speaking patterns.

A much better alternative is to use a preamp to power a good condenser microphone. This hardware can be a bit pricey, but the quality is certainly worth it. Homestar Runner uses a similar setup and their success can not be denied.

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Kroaky, a new Toon Boom user on the well-maintained forums expressed some frustration while trying to animate glass breaking. This tutorial is in response to his post, and hopefully can help him with his questions. Credit goes Ugo, the omnipresent helpful administrator of the Toon Boom forums for answering his question initially.

You can download the complete Toon Boom file used in this tutorial here (Mac formatted).

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Creating Flash animation for the internet involves a diverse set of skills, each one seemingly more important than the last. Not all of these steps are required and the order listed is only a general order, but following this outline will help you create your own cartoon.

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