Art College Crash Course, Lesson 29: How to Animate Faster Without Losing Quality

Or: why you might be drawing frames nobody needs.

Slow animation leads to unfinished projects and burnout. Good animators aren't just talented. They're efficient. Speed doesn't mean sloppy. It means smart.

Five reasons you're animating slowly

1. Too many drawings

More drawings don't automatically mean smoother motion. - Animate "on twos" (each drawing held for two frames) or "on threes" for many actions. - Save "on ones" for fast motion. Example: a character standing and breathing on threes, then a fast spin on ones.

2. Weak key poses

If the key poses don't work, nothing else will. - Nail your keys before you draw a single in-between.

3. Polishing too early

Detail belongs at the end. - Rough first. Check the motion. Then clean up. - Use simple shapes as stand-ins for complicated parts. Example: don't spend an hour shading one frame before you know the scene works.

4. Redrawing instead of reusing

Pros reuse. - Copy and adjust motions instead of redrawing from scratch. - Use smears, motion blur and holds (Lessons 19 and 20). - Build reusable loops for blinks, breathing and other small motions.

5. Skipping the three passes

Work in stages: 1. Key poses: the story of the motion. 2. Breakdowns: the in-between pose that shows how you get from one key to the next. 3. In-betweens: smoothness, only where you need it.

Quick fixes

• Takes forever: use twos and threes more.

• Always redoing frames: lock your key poses first.

• Stuck on details: go rough first.

• Feels slow and boring: snappier timing, fewer frames, bigger poses.

• Can I skip some in-betweens? Yes, when the viewer's brain fills in the gap.

Try this

Time yourself animating a wave hello, the slow way: every frame on ones. Then do it again: three key poses, one breakdown, in-betweens on twos. Compare the time, and which one looks better.

Up next

Lesson 30: How to Survive as a Solo Animator. The final lesson.

What's your favorite animation shortcut? Tell us in the comments.

The revolution will not be graded.

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