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Hey there, happy you're looking to explore animation; it's an intensely difficult trade that's super rewarding if you truly enjoy the time you'll spend on it.

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I'm currently studying animation at university now, and can offer a few programs & advice. I just started animating in the Fall of 2018 and am focusing on a track of hand-drawn 2-D animation (digital, but i still enjoy working on paper every so often!). I've decided to pursue character animation, but I have an interest in storyboarding, layouts, and fx animation:

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• Animation is a type of Filmmaking and as a result, it is not a cheap hobby/profession*. I had to work lots of hours to save for the equipment I needed, and while I can justify it because I'm privileged to have a great job, never expect to find animation tools for cheap. At the beginning, I wish someone would have told me to plan out better so I could actually use the tools I was buying, and buy them in a smart way.
  
  *Always look for student discounts! You don't have to study animation to access the student discounts for an
  animation program. Take advantage of these if you've got access, because they really knock down the price to a
  manageable level.
  
  
• Start with programs like Adobe Animate, or ToonBoom Harmony; through programs like these, you'll find the interface to actually get drawing on digital frames. I can personally recommend ToonBoom Harmony as it's been great for me, but I always say try everything first to determine which features you require for a good experience.
  
• Programs such as Adobe AfterEffects and Dragon Frame allow you to experiment with scanning real media (drawings, paintings, etc.) into digital files to use and edit on a computer. You'll need a scanner like this, or a copy stand shoot your drawings as actual photos. Where Dragon Frame allows you to put the photos/frames in sequence (i.e. see an animated segment/full animated sequence), AfterEffects will allow you to composite and play with the layering of your frames. Ever see those videos with dancers ornamented by animations? AfterEffects will allow you to do that kind of work.
  
  • If you're really set on using real media to animate, you'll need a peg bar, a light table, and a field guide. Proper registration is paramount if you want your work to look presentable, unless improper registration becomes a technical choice for you some point down the line.
    
• Understand that this stuff takes time! It's really easy to get discouraged in the beginning because animation is the type of work where hours upon hours of grinding result in only a few seconds worth of product, most of which you'll have to rework anyways. This is the nature of the beast! I know you said you were interested in making short, looping pieces, but nonetheless, I think it's a good thing to keep in mind.
  
• Draw as much as possible because being a good draftsman is key to being a good animator. I can't personally afford life drawing classes, so I use this site to practice my life drawing skills. I'm not sure what your level of skill is, but life drawing is my weakest point, so I always try to advise new animators to strengthen that skill early. I'm just doing so now, and it makes the process much more arduous.
  
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  Best of luck on your future projects, I can't wait to see what you're able to make. :\^)

For you first attempt at animation, I thing you did a great job! Definitely a good start.

The storytelling is a bit unclear, it took me a few views to understand exactly what was going on. The main reason it was unclear to me is because up until the end, I didn't really know where the characters were in relationship to one another. A couple ways you could fix this is to have a background in each shot to show where they are in the environment and have a few shot where you see both characters in frame at the same time to show how close/far they are from each other. I would also have an establishing shot at the beginning to show where the story is taking place. I think you are also missing a few key storytelling shots at the beginning that would help clarify that the characters are playing hide and seek. I think you need to show the beginning of the game, where the boy character would be counting and the girl character is starting to hide.

In terms of the animation, I think the constantly changing line color is distracting. I would try to keep it to one color throughout. You could have the boy and girl have different colors, but I wouldn't keep those colors consistent in each shot. I like the loose/rough quality of your drawings, but I think you need to pay more attention to the volume and form of your characters. Your timing and spacing in the animation is quite even as well. Meaning, it looks like everything is moving at the same speed and it is hard to distinguish between fast and slow movements. Timing and spacing are hard to get right, even for people who have been animating for a long time. The only way to improve these skills are to keep animating!

For your first animation, I think you did really well, the more you animate the more you will improve. I think you chose a really complex subject for this animation and suggest you start with some easier animation tests moving forward. I would start off with learning the 12 animation principles and animating some basic stuff like bouncing balls, pendulums, falling leaves, etc. I would recommend buying these books: Animator's Survival Kit and Eric Goldburg's Character Animation Crash Course. You also might want to look in to using software that is designed for animation. It will probably make it easier to see the animation as your working on it instead of exporting out images and putting them together in movie maker. You should check out PAP4, its a simple animation program that is free to download/use.

As far as applying to CalArts, I would really focus on creating a great portfolio with solid life drawing. CalArts wants to see that their prospective students already have solid drawing skills so that you can hit the ground running when you start classes. I would see about taking some local life drawing classes/workshops where you live so you can build up a solid portfolio. While they like to see students with previous experience animating, the portfolio is much more important to getting accepted there. You should check out AnimatedBuzz, its a social community for animators. There are a lot of prospective CalArts students on there who post their work on the forums to get feedback.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you and keep animating :)

Friends of mine have used animation mentor.
Whatever path you take, bring this roadmap: https://www.amazon.com/Animators-Survival-Kit-Richard-Williams/dp/0571202284


You may not understand it all now but it will get you started, and even years later I sometimes look to it for reference on certain things.


You'll need to choose what software to work in. You can animate in Photoshop. You can animate 2D in Blender 3D using the greasepencil. I personally use Adobe Animate/Flash but also know Toonboom and After Effects. There are a lot of other programs like flip note- but I've NEVER seen flipnote used in the industry (not counting artists like Kiki who is given a project and uses it because that's what he knows best and he can make the call on any.)


Most jobs in the field use Toonboom or Animate/Flash that I see. There's other software but once you get the basics switching to something else is just adapting to another user interface so I'd suggest using either of these. Possibly even Photoshop- most animation jobs don't use Photoshop for animation but knowing Photoshop is good and has a vast amount of uses.


Start off with simple exercises like the ball bounce, pendulum swing, saving hard stuff like walks for last.


Here's a video that was recorded in a college level animation intro class: https://vimeo.com/15213159 It's unedited, but literally a recording a professional animator made while teaching his class so his students could rewatch the lesson when they got home (you miss things the first time when you're first learning it) The first one is a ball bounce.


This one teaches overlapping action: https://vimeo.com/7328290


There are a TON of other tutorials out there, but draw loose and practice the basics like bouncing balls BEFORE you try to do character animation.

definitely invest in the michael hampton book, figure drawing: design and invention. it is a spectacular book that focuses on every area of figure drawing for artists--gesture, anatomy, and construction. keep in mind, however, that it isn't entirely comprehensive; you're meant to study from it along with other books.

try looking for teachers/mentors/classes if you can. avoid classes that teach traditional figure drawing for painters; although these are no doubt taught by talented and terrific artists, it is not the type of figure drawing you're trying to learn. it's important for an animator to be able to quickly analyze, invent, and construct forms. traditional figure drawing by observation and long poses is, therefore, fairly antiproductive (there are some who disagree--john kricfalusi, creator of ren and stimpy, for example, thinks that really analyzing leads to stronger understanding and cleaner linework. your mileage may vary!)

i'm glad that you're looking into improving your figure drawing skills; it's a vital step to improving as an artist. keep in mind that for animators, it's recommended that you focus on improving your gesture (short pose) studies as much as possible (again, some people disagree--john k, for example. the average person, however, will find gesture to be more beneficial).

figure drawing is an important part of foundations. try looking into a school that has a strong emphasis on foundations as opposed to theory; having been to a school that was more "experimental," i regret not having transferred out sooner.

Start with Eric Goldberg's book "Character Animation Crash Course!"

http://www.amazon.com/Character-Animation-Crash-Course-Goldberg/dp/1879505975

It reads a lot less like the stereo instructions that is Richard Williams's "Animator's Survival Kit" providing for a much more accessible and lighter introduction to animation. If, after you've read through it, you find that animation is still for you then absolutely 110% get Richard Williams's book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/086547897X/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MV2H6MZNC3HHHH1ED43

Another must have is "The Illusion of Life".

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786860707/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1S91BNCH9AFXPJQCA1HH

Always keep in mind that the word animate means "to give life to." You are bringing a character to life be it a drawing or a 3D model. Before even touching paper and pencil (because you thoroughly plan your scene out that way first before touching the mouse ;-) ask yourself "what is the character thinking?" Get inside that character's head. Sketch out exploratory poses. They don't have to be gorgeously rendered drawings. They are your visual notes and can even be stick figures just so long as you can read them. Get away from your desk and physically act out what your character has to do or hit up YouTube for research. Shoot reference with your smartphone (use an app like ProCamera which lets you shoot at 24fps) and analyze how long it takes you to perform an action. Don't sweat the software just yet. That's the technical stuff that comes later. Animators are actors and it's important to understand acting first. That being said, this book is great for learning Maya.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0415826594/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1453026213&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=how+to+cheat+in+maya+2015&dpPl=1&dpID=51IrWwVyubL&ref=plSrch

This book combines learning to animate in Maya while simultaneously teaching the 12 principles of animation. The very best of luck to you in the beginning of your animation journey. Take your time and practice everyday. Think of animation as a muscle. You have to workout everyday for it to get stronger even if you only work on something for 15 minutes a day.

We purchased this one. We did check out a few of the highly recommended tablets, but all were quite expensive for an 11 yo. This one was in a list of good beginner tablets, and happened to have a 25% of coupon that day. We dont want to sink a butt load of money in just yet, as kids can quickly drop things, however, I dont want it to be so crappy she loses interest entirely.

XP-PEN Deco 01 10x6.25 Inch Digital Graphics Drawing Tablet Drawing Pen Tablet with Battery-Free Passive Stylus and 8 Shortcut Keys (8192 Levels Pressure) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077P6BQP7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_kFSZDb1T4PZAY

Do you know anything about it?


For the frew software, would FireAplaca be your top suggestion?

Any good YouTube channels that could help her? I'm not ready for her to venture on to reddit just yet, lol

I'll echo what others are saying. Nice first attempt but it's missing a lot of basics (And obviously more nuanced things as well).
Things it could benefit from:

1. Overlapping action
   
2. Squash and stretch
   
3. Attention Timing/Spacing
   
   
   More nuanced things I see that are problems:
   
   
4. eyes move un-naturally (should be quicker)
   
5. Lot of "popping" in the shoulders
   
   
6. Needs "Moving holds" (arms are perfectly still for much of it)
   
   etc etc
   
   These are all things covered in books such as this, that I would highly recommend.
   
   https://www.amazon.ca/Animators-Survival-Kit-Principles-Formulas/dp/0571202284
   
   Don't be discouraged, you have a good start... but there is a lot of art and science to animation that's been established for over a century (Disney etc) and there is no point re-inventing the wheel. It's well worth your time reading up on it.
   
   
   Keep at it!

When I learned (granted it was more than a decade ago) I found the tutorials at Lynda.com were fantastic. That being said, is there a specific reason you're shooting for Flash? I only ask because if you have yet to dedicate time and energy to a program, I'd highly recommend switching to one built for animation. Toon Boom makes a range of good products, or there's Pencil and TVPaint as options as well. All these programs will serve you better in the long-term than Flash, which was never designed for animation and with each new version becomes more difficult for that purpose. (This is from someone who did animation for 10 years in Flash. I had no idea how bad it was until I left it in the dust and moved to Toon Boom Animate.) Just a suggestion!

If you do choose to go the Toon Boom route, I recommend Adam Phillips book "Animate to Harmony" which is published by Focal Press. http://www.amazon.com/Animate-Harmony-Independent-Animators-Guide/dp/0415705371

I picked up this Monoprice tablet yesterday after owning this Wacom tablet. I'm already convinced that the Monoprice tablet is all around better than the other in price, drawing area, and it also has programmable buttons that I use to replace keyboard shortcuts in photoshop. Best $60 I ever put into anything art-wise.

This book is in the related and I've heard some really good things about it as well

Any advice I could give will pale in comparison to reading this:
The Animator's survival Kit

Richard Williams goes over all the big stuff, breaks it down bit by bit and it really is a fascinating read if you want to get into animating. I still go back and reference it after 5 years.

Andrew Loomis' Figure Drawing for all it's worth
has some excellent breakdown of drawing the figure in perspective.

Michael Hampton [Figure Drawing: Design and Invention] (http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-Invention-Michael-Hampton/dp/0615272819) demonstrates an excellent constructive approach to anatomy of the human figure.

Preston Blairs Cartoon Animation isn't so much a book on figure drawing or anatomy, but a book on the process of drawing for animation. While a lot of the work might be outdated, the process can be an indispensable foundation for artists.

Do you have a copy of Preston Blair's book? It's always been the most important entry-point bible (IMHO).

If you want to learn how to accurately, I would highly recommend 'drawing from the right side of the brain' by Betty Edwards. I used to teach drawing to architecture students and I used many of these exercises. You don't need to read a word of the book, just do the exercises. They'll teach you to stop seeing 'objects' and start seeing spatial relationships, which is the key to drawing accurately.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0874774241/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492836156&sr=8-3&keywords=drawing+from+the+right+side+of+the+brain

Try looking at Directing the Story.