References
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I first gather a folder of video and picture references. Using these references allows me to have a better understanding of key poses and timing in my animation. I may also use a mirror at my desk or film myself or a friend if there is a reference needed that I cannot find online.
Thumbnails
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I start off by drawing very rough thumbnails. This is done to flesh out the key poses that I’ve pulled from my references. I make sure to include arrows showing body motion, and make mention of important notes, such as characters exiting, holds, which beats to emphasize poses on, etc.
Storyboards
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I redraw my thumbnails and polish them into storyboards. This helps me to visualize the animation better, allowing me to insert or remove key poses. Most importantly, the storyboards help me plan my camera movements and angles.
Animatic
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Using Storyboard Pro, I turn my storyboard drawings into an animatic. This allows me to perfect the timing of the animation. I will also insert audio and sound effects to help tighten up the timing even more.
Blocking
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I then take the finished animatic and upload it into my Toon Boom file. Using the animatic as my main reference, I try to match every pose with my rigged character. This step focuses more on the body mechanics of the scene, but I will start to rough in some facial expressions as well. In this step, I am working solely with stop-motion keys to have a better understanding of the timing and of the animation as a whole.
Polish
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During the polish stage, I am transitioning from stop-motion animation to a mixture of stop-motion and motion keys. I am creating in-between poses, adding arcs, holds, ease ins and ease outs. The body animation at this stage will be almost completely done, and I will start to work on facial and secondary animation.
Final
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In my last stage, I am focusing solely on cleaning up my animation and making it as smooth as possible. I am making sure my arcs are well done, the lipsync and facial animations are finished, and that all secondary animation looks natural.