HOME | DD

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

due to recent events and also starting up school again i've been wanting to make something for myself to refer to it whenever i need inspiration/advice, but i thought other animators could use it too.. so here it is !! This is mostly for people who are planning on doing animation as a career, but others could possibly use it too !

Be sure to tell me if you want me to add something you found to this!! I'll gladly do it!

HEALTH
I'm putting this first because it's very very very important !! Please don't skip this part!

First off, be sure to take breaks while animating and drawing and walk around for a bit! Sitting in one place for a Long Time can cause blood clots, and that can lead to increased risk of heart failure, or some serious damage !

Also be sure to do some back stretches or yoga often, because sitting can also cause your lower back serious injuries over time! As a person with scoliosis, I do this very often to make sure my back doesn't lock up, so here are some stretches you should try out!

Lower Back Stretching Routine - Stretches for Lower Back Stiffness
6 Stretches to Help Back Pain

Don't forget to exercise and hydrate adequately as well! (I personally need to work on that, pffpf)

Some VERY important stretches artists and animators especially need to know, are hand stretches !!

floobynooby.blogspot.com/2015/…
floobynooby.blogspot.com/2015/…

The floobynooby "Animators Guide to Health and Wellness" describes and shows plenty of examples of stretches that will do wonders for your physical health, and prevent Carpal Tunnel syndrome.
My grandmother, who is a professional painter, didn't know to do hand stretches, and after getting Carpal Tunnel syndrome in her hand, had to get surgery to get it fixed. Carpal Tunnel syndrome is Real and can possibly ruin your career as an artist if you get it. Do Not forget to do these stretches if you plan to do art as a career.

A good way to remember to do these is to set a daily alarm and spend about 3-5 minutes doing these specific stretches !! Get a routine going early on, and you'll have a good habit going for you for the rest of your life !

edit: Crowne Prince made a real neat video about stretches for animators/artists, so you can follow along with it if you like!

HOW TO START!
Many animators have come to me asking for advice on what programs to use, but when I tell them you have to pay for them, they get discouraged. So.. be discouraged no more! Here's plenty of other FREE programs to animate and draw with if you're low on the dough!

aminoapps.com/page/animation-a…

A cracked Sony Vegas Pro 11 given to me by a friend can be found here! - www.dropbox.com/s/karz095ohb95…

(note me for others)

Some products that I know cost something- but work very well- include:

- Adobe products (mainly Flash/Animate, Photoshop, After Effects, & Premiere) - creative.adobe.com/plans?plan=…
- ToonBoom - store.toonboom.com/
- TV Paint - www.tvpaint.com/prices.php

You can always also possibly find a crack version of a specific pricey product, but be sure to check what you're downloading and who you're getting it from! Crack downloads are a shady business and could possibly put a virus in your computer, so be careful!

EDIT: Someone asked me for some tips with using flash/animate and photoshop, so I wrote out this short beginner-friendly thing based on my experiences. I wasn't originally planning on putting this in here (there might be grammar issues) but I thought some people might want to see it. - emmas flash knowledge and a tiny bit of photoshop
If you have trouble figuring out how flash works, feel free to note me, I'm not an expert but I know the bare basics to get one started.

BOOKS

ANIMATION

Animator's Survival Kit

THE most important animation book I've seen multiple people recommend, Must be the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams.

www.amazon.com/Animators-Survi…

Here is its official website - www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.co…

Recommended by many reputable animators, this book has most of what you need to become a master animator! Be sure to watch Crowne Prince's video on it as well, as it provides some much-needed insight to how to read it.

Advanced Animation

Coming in next is Advanced Animation by Preston Blair! This was recommended by a former Disney/Nick animator, and I have a pdf copy of an an HD version of it here, given to me by a friend. It mostly focuses on cartoon characters and posing.

www.dropbox.com/s/gtuioncz89a1…

another version of it can be found here - www.welcometopixelton.com/down…

The Illusion of Life

I haven't gotten around to reading this one myself yet, but I've heard good things about it! The Illusion of life by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas describes the 12 basic principles of animation, which is necessary to know about when starting an animating career.

www.amazon.com/Illusion-Life-D…

A summary of the 12 principles in animated gifs can be found here, to put them all simply. - the12principles.tumblr.com/
A short 2 minute film describes the principles in a little more detail here - The illusion of life
The wiki article on the 12 principles of animation describes them all thoroughly here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_basic…

And here's an animated series compilation that's really specific, yet fun to watch!

ART

Jack Hamm Anatomy

Also recommended by a former Disney/Nick animator, are the Jack Hamm anatomy books!
They focus mainly on human and animal realistic anatomy, so if you're interested in that kinda stuff, check these out!

www.amazon.com/Drawing-Head-Fi…

www.amazon.com/Draw-Animals-Pe…

ADVICE & TIPS!

EXTRA CREDITS
I've been watching Extra Credits' animation series for quite a while now, and I've learned lots from it!! It's very entertaining while also being informative about animation careers at the same time, so do be sure to check it out!

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

SCRIBBLE KIBBLE

@/CrownePrince 's insight on animation is one of the more informative I've heard, and all the while keeping a light sarcastic & humorous tone to her videos. It's an amazing series, and I do also recommend her Tutorials as well!

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

MAPS

For all my MAP participators out there, this may be interesting to you! Rakusaru put together a list of MAP facts, and more importantly, the DO's & DONT'S of being a MAP animator/hoster, and the PROS and CONS of it!

www.evernote.com/shard/s339/sh…

And here is my personal playlist of my all-time favorite MAPs!

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

VARIOUS ART & ANIMATION TUTORIALS

YOUTUBERS

People like Drawing with Jazza and Sycra have many tutorials and tips on art and animation in general, so you should go check them out!!

www.youtube.com/user/DrawWithJ…
www.youtube.com/user/Sycra/pla…

For inspiration to animate, I usually watch student short films on Youtube, Disney/Dreamworks/Ghibli Animated Movies, and Multi Animator Projects (M.A.P.s) !

hm,, for my last words i guess i'll just say, be sure to study real life motions, anatomy, and nature, and always challenge yourself to do something more ambitious and greater than what you've done last! Have fun animating !!!