I’ve been also keeping up with this guys tutorials.    I’m always looking for easier and faster ways to animate an entire film.  This guy has it right.

This reminded me of those Japanese, novels/games.  Someone let me know the name.    I have been enjoying this.  I think he also uses a psuedo 3d method to create this animated series.

If you want to tell your story here is another way to do it.

 

Okay so when you think of telling a story visually, especially in animation you may be wondering what kind of animation can I make especially if I am a single person working on a project.

I wanted to show you the different styles you can work on and actually get things done.  Here are some different types of animations you can make.  Hopefully this gives you ideas on telling your stories visually.

1.  Minimum animation.

This style is one of the easiest because it takes less drawings and less art and is yet still beautiful and fun to watch.

Here are some examples of the Minimum animation style.

D7 Peacemaker

Technical Dave

Broken Saints

Afterworld

Now I know these are not anime per se but the concept is still there.  Could you tell your story in a minimalist style?  Notice Afterworld which is about 13 hours long.  If your story is good could you tell it with minimum animation?   Could you concentrate on telling the story with great visuals doing it this way?  Could you hire an artist who can draw just a few drawings and tell a whole story?

Anime incorporates a lot of pans and slides all the time.  This is just a simpler form of that.  I use the above examples because they are entertaining and tell a very big story which otherwise might not have been possible any other way.

What kind of story could you tell this way?

PS here is a nice version of that.

Less animation but still visually stunning.  I think if you have limited time and money you could go this route and still tell an awesome story.

Some of you may not have to deal much with this but I know I do and that is the lack of artistic talent.  Animation in general is a visual media.  We may have a great story and have all these ideas in our head but getting them out there for people to see can be a challenge if you do not have the talent to draw.

Some will tell you that you can get there.    Usually these are people with talent themselves.  Point is you probably can with much practice and determination.  But it is in my opinion that natural talent is also required.    I have been drawing everyday since I was 3.  I have gotten better and I do draw better than the average person but I am no where near what I want to be and no where near what I want to show people.

My Work-Bleh

Behold my work above.  That is the extent of my drawing talent.  I think I can do a little better with more practice but honestly that is not what I want to see in MY series.  I’m sure I could make something watchable in my style but I’d rather go a different route.

You see this whole website or book depending on what you are reading is designed to address that TALENT part in full.   In fact it should be titled “How to Make your Own Animation even if you suck at art and nobody will help you because I don’t have the money to hire them but have this great idea for an Anime

That would be the synopsis.   Well despite some of your limitations or perceived limitations I think we can work through this together.

How?

A combination of things will make it possible.

*Save a little money and hire some artists. (I’ll show you where to find them)

*Collaboration (works great in connection with voice actors, musicians but visual artists are going to be a tough sale)

*Using tools to the fullest (don’t be afraid to use things or think you are too good to use certain tools)

*Stylize (make a unique style out of it)

*Rely on the STORY! (Story is king)

*Just do it with what you got

I want to share something with you if you feel that you do not have the talent to draw.   I personally was depressed at my own ability until I saw this.

Best comic ever

Truth be told I draw better than this guy.  It looks like the stuff I draw in my quick storyboards but I will tell you now that this is one of my favorite Mangas EVER!  What it lacked in beauty if made up for in character, charm and story.  I cannot stop reading this story.  Before I knew it I was hooked.  At one point this artist of the series One-Punch Man was getting 20,000 views a day.  It became a viral hit and was very popular.    Soon I didn’t care about the art and that it wasn’t perfect.  I was still looking at a wonderfully entertaining story. Since then the art has been beefed up but quite honestly it lacks the charm of the original.

onepunchman

The point is your art does not need to be Disney, Pixar or Miyazaki level.  Your story however should be.

 

Blender is a great tool if you are on a budget.    Why?  It is free and does everything that an expensive 3d program can do.  Blender has been used by tons of people to make shorts and movies.  Blender is not my cup of tea but for many artists they can make wonderful things.

Here is a tutorial by artist Brandon White who has created his own Anime style series.

 

Here are some of his episodes

One of the best ways to learn is to check out the behind the scenes to watch over an artist’s shoulder.