The Role of Technology in Modern Two-Dimensional Animation

Below are some useful videos that I have created that illustrate how to integrate technology into the creative process of modern, hand drawn two dimensional animation. In many cases, we are actually using the digital equivalent of film and cell animation techniques developed by Disney animators in the early part of the last century.

How to take video using a digital single lens reflex camera:

How to upload your video to the program Final Cut Pro and then export it as a series of individual picture frames:

How to draw gesture drawings using a Wacom drawing tablet. You can add another layer to each of your frames in Photoshop and draw a gesture drawing of your cartoon character in the layer above, before deleting the original photo. This is a great way to block action sequences or complex movements.

The video below gives you detailed instructions for using the 'image trace' feature in Adobe Illustrator. This is a fast easy way to turn a photograph into a drawing. You can then import your image into Adobe Photoshop, rasterize it and then transform it into a cartoon.

Below is a quick, easy method for professionally coloring line drawings using Photoshop.

Below is a quick easy method for changing an image to create a sequence of movements using the Puppet Warp tool in Adobe Photoshop. It also shows you how to import those images into the library of the Adobe Animate program.

The video below will introduce you to the Adobe Animate program and show you how to create assets in Photoshop, bring them into Adobe Animate and then create an animation using the timeline. It also shows you how to export your animation to create a video.

Click here to read about the 12 basic principles of animation

The 12 basic principles were developed by Disney animators in the early half of the 20th century and are outlined in the book, The Illusion of Life, Disney Animation. You may view excerpts of the book or purchase it from my storefront on Amazon, by clicking here.

Mrs. Wintemberg's 
Essential Library for Aspiring Animators:

The Illusion of Life, Disney Animation

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way By Stan Lee and Steve Buscema Will Eisner, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative Will Eisner, Comics and Sequential Art Will Eisner, Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative Basic Animation by Walter Foster Animation by Preston Blair How to Make Film Cartoons by Preston Blair Dynamic Anatomy by Burne Hogarth