On Making 2D Animations For The First Time
And making the leap from Procreate to Dreams.
In July 2023, I made a few simple animations using Procreate, a drawing tool for the iPad. While hand lettering was my focus, I got curious about the frame-by-frame animation feature built into the software. So I gave it a whirl.
It captured my attention for a minute. I learned how to move static images I had already drawn. This “Cookin’ with Gas” animation is one of them (which later became the springboard for this greeting card).
I didn’t feel the need to keep going with it, though, so I moved on.
Then in November 2023, Procreate released a dedicated 2D animation tool called Dreams. I was excited for animation professionals to have this new option, but it didn’t strike me as something I needed to check out.
Until it did.
I don’t know what led me down the animation path again, the internet is sneaky and probably the culprit, but in December 2024 I had a renewed interest in it. And this time I downloaded Dreams to my iPad.
Dreams is similar enough to Procreate that I was able to get started without too much effort. Some features feel clunky (like figuring out how to watch your animation in full-screen, and just where do you adjust the background color), while others are carried over from Procreate and feel great (love those drawing brushes).
After a bit of tinkering, this is the first animation I created, snowflakes falling down the screen. I had picked up where I left off with Procreate and animated art I had already drawn (for this holiday card). Except, this time, I used a Dreams-specific motion recording feature to move the art, vs. manually drawing it frame-by-frame.
I was intrigued by the possibilities and wanted to do it again. And I had the perfect art to use.
I had drawn these flowers peeking out of an envelope, as a representation of my weekly newsletter called the Roundup. And I imagined how fun it would be to animate the flowers, having them hidden inside the envelope and slowly “growing” out the top.
Here’s the finished animation:
Fun, right?
Next I wanted to make art with animation in mind from the beginning. My limited knowledge of animation was a sticking point, though.
But no fear, YouTube to the rescue.
It led me to Aaron Blaise, a former Disney animator who’s worked on movies like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. He has an extensive library of online courses to help you learn animation, including a bundle I couldn’t refuse.
As it turns out, Aaron’s not only a skilled animator but he’s great at teaching it, too.
Now, this sketchy, bouncing ball is what I consider to be my first real animation, modeled after Aaron’s demonstration of it, drawn frame-by-frame. I learned and applied techniques like “stretching” and “squashing” to give the ball substance. And how to space the art between frames so it appears to move faster or slower.
Ignore the leaning Tower of Pixels.
Because I’ve now seen the bouncing ball exercise in several places on the web for beginners, I’ve decided it’s the animator’s equivalent of “Hello, World” for coders.
Okay, now for the grand finale of this first go-round with animation in Dreams.
I wanted to create an animation using fresh art, color, AND sound.
A tall order for a beginner, but I was ready for the challenge.
After carving the snail stamp, I had the idea to draw another snail and do something fun with it. But I probably spent more time trying to figure out the software and technical aspects of animation, than I did drawing.
Tracks, timing, frames, onion skins (love that name), audio…these are all concepts a digital, 2D animator works with. And, oh yeah, the art.
It’s wonderfully complex.
Below is my 4th and final animation using Dreams, using both the motion recording tool and frame-by-frame drawing. I kept the art simple for a few reasons.
Although you can draw directly inside Dreams, it’s one of those things that feels clunky when compared to Procreate. A major Dreams update is coming (hopefully) soon, and I’m curious to see the improvements made for drawing.
I didn’t want to spend a lot of time rendering art when I wasn’t sure if the animation, as a whole, would be successful.
It allowed me to focus on the action and story.
Right now, quantity is more important than quality. (Read: I could more quickly move on to the next project!)
(Music by BackgroundMusicForVideo on Pixabay.)
Did it make you smile or laugh?
Great. Mission accomplished. :)
When I finished the snail, I realized how I’ve taken animation for granted. Those beautiful animation movies we’ve all seen on-screen? That take a few hours to consume, at most? They take so much work to create, it’s difficult to imagine.
I also never realized the power I have, as an artist, to tell a story using animation. I’ve touched on storytelling with static illustrations. But this feels like a whole new thing.
It’s exciting.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more animation courses to watch.
Love,
Christina