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Week 1- Learning the Basics

This week was devoted to learning my program, AnimeStudio Debut 10 (Sorry, I put the wrong information on the last post, haha). I spent most of the week reading articles and watching YouTube videos. I found that the YouTube videos were easier to learn from, as I could watch the person introduce the program and follow along with the tutorial while my own program was open.

After doodling for a while with a program and figuring out what features it had to offer, I found that it actually was not too artist friendly, unfortunately. When I say artist friendly, I mean that there are very little tools for drawing. The key items that I’m looking for typically when it comes to certain programs is a pen tool, which it has. However, the line weight is very uneven and inconsistent, making it difficult to make fluid lines. I also look for other tools that I can use in order to color in my work. However, I found that it was incredibly complicated to get to the color section of the work, and it was difficult to make the size bigger at times. I often found that it didn’t save. As an artist, I typically look for easy access to my tools. This is something that AnimeStudio Debut 10 does not provide.

However, it does offer some options that are helpful to me as an artist. One of those things is something that is used in most programs, which is layers. There are several different layer types that you can use. Those layers can be vector layers, bone layers, and switch layers. In particular, these will probably be the most helpful when it comes to my animation.

Vector Layers- Simple layers with nothing special to them. They do not possess any special effects and work as layers would in any other art program.

Bone Layer- Bone layers serve as… well, bones. If you were to draw on top of that bone layer, and then turn the bone layer, the drawing that you put on top of it would move along with it. So if I were to draw an arm and then add a bone layer, I could move just the bone and the arm would move along with it as if it was a limb. However, considering the way I’ve decided to do my animation, I most likely will not be using the Bone Layer.

Switch Layer- The switch layer is exactly what it seems, and will be the main layer that I will be using throughout my animation. It simply makes it so that you can upload most of your key elements into that layer, and then switch which one is showing at a given point.

A lot of these are complicated to explain, so I’ll provide you with a basic tutorial that I watched.

Another key tool that I will be using is the timeline and the transform layer tool. The timeline is, well, the timeline. It represents the points that the images change over time, and shows exactly which frame it switches during the animation. (Notice: I’ve been saying frames a lot and not realizing that I haven’t defined it too well. If you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard FPS, or Frames Per Second. However, look at it like a movie. If you’ve seen movie film, it’s like a bunch of pictures that are filtered through a feed. Basically, a frame is a picture. The more FPS that you have, the more fluid your animation can be)

The transform layer tool is simply the tool you use when you want to move the image in your animation entirely, or when you want to mark a key frame. The key frame is simply a marking that shows when something in particular will happen on the timeline. Consider it like a queue for the picture to move.

After getting used to the program, I find it incredibly helpful and I definitely will be using it. However, as my goal is for a fluid and visually appealing animation, I don’t think this program would be good for the drawing portion. However, I decided that I’ll use another program that I have and that I’m more familiar with to adjust frame-by-frame drawings. That way, I’ll have fluid line art and easier access to painting and more familiar layers.

Manga Studio 6.0 is a rather helpful when it comes to my animations. It will allow me to adjust my canvas size, switch tools quickly and easily, and gives me just more freedom with my work. Also, the familiarity will help me a lot. One of the key features that I recognized that made me decide to use Manga Studio 6.0 was that the pen pressure was very controlled, as the program itself was made for artists.

Throughout the following week, I will be testing my hand at a few animations. I will post links to my YouTube channel with these animations and time lapses so that you can observe my work as it goes along.

Introduction to the Genius Project

Revised February 20th, 2015

Animation has always been something that I've been interested in, ever since I was a little girl. I would tell myself that I would grow up, become a professional animator, and leave my mark on the world with my creations. Though that dream is long gone, the interest in animation has not left me yet. I hope to bring my drawings to life through my animations. I will spend the first week learning to use the program. The following week I will test my hand at some simple, test animations. The third week I will begin to develop a story I want to portray in my animation. The fourth week I will begin to make the storyboard for the animation, soon blending into the fifth week where I touch up the animation and consistently test the fluidity of the animation.Hopefully, I will be able to make a very fluid and visually appealing animation to show others and bring life to my drawings.

I will be taking inspiration from several of these childhood movies, particularly Spirited Away and Ponyo, both movies made by Studio Ghibli. Some of the key features that I admire in their animations are its fluidity, its creativity, and its expressions. It's really beautiful artwork and brings a new type of magic to the world. Not only do I want to make my art as expressive, but I hope to obtain this amount of fluidity. Though there are different types of animation as well, such as stop motion and 3D animation, my favorite has to be the 2D animation. When you do it well, you can really tell because the art really does pop out of the screen. The simplicity of the animation does not undermine the true passion shown in the work. It's a truly beautiful form of art that I hope to achieve.

Wish me luck!