10 STEP ANIMATION TUTORIAL + PSD BASE DOWNLOAD (Patreon)

Hey everyone! I thought I would share a quick animation tutorial on how to make a 'wobbly' animated icon! You will require a program that allows you to arrange frame sequences but this can be at your preference!

(I highly suggest starting with something simple and free, here's a list of a few to research:  https://learn.g2.com/free-animation-software  )

In this tutorial I will be working with Paint Tool SAI for the illustrations, and Photoshop CS5 for the animation. The base I use for example is available in the attachment tags!

SETUP / SPECS

Square canvas (1000x1000x px ) | Animation bar in photoshop: Window (tab) > Animation

(Depending on your program the layout may vary slightly, but the features are generally the same)

STEP 1

First step is to sketch up your first frame. This is just a rough look of what you'd like! I suggest setting this layer to a low opacity (around 20%) once you are complete so you can use it as a guide for your line art.

STEP 2

Complete the line art of the first frame! I suggest doing long quick strokes to get very smooth lines. My stabilizer setting on SAI is also available in the first image.

STEP 3

Once the line art is complete, do a simple fill and colour of your character. I suggest keeping each colour on its own layer so you can adjust each section individually, and example of this can be found in the PSD file.

STEP 4

Reduce the opacity of your first copy to about 20%. You want the image to be just visible enough for you to trace over in the next step.

STEP 5

Start a new layer (and/or folder) for your second frame. You will want to trace over the first copy but with some slight inaccuracies. These inaccuracies will come up as the wobble effect once we start animating.

STEP 6

Repeat step 3 for your second frame. I suggest copying the 'symbol' layer over so that this part of the piece is not distorted but this is only a personal preference! You are free to copy any of the first frame layers if you feel the image will be ' too wobbly '. (Example - I copy / pasted the eye shine and just moved its placement.)

Here's a quick look at what all the layers should look like at this stage. You can see that Frame 2 is basically a redraw of Frame 1. 

You should now have 2 almost identical drawings. They would look the same from the naked eye but when placed in the same position and flipped between you will get a 'wobble ' effect which I will explain how to do below.

STEP 7

In your animation program you will just need the layers bar and animation bar to complete the animation. First make sure to only have 'Frame 1' layer folder visible and turn off the visibility of Fame 2 for now.

You dont have to but I like to merge all of these layers so I am only working with 2 active layers instead of 2 folders. If I start to merge files I also make a second copy of the file so I am not loosing the original separated layer files.

You can also see that Photoshop has automatically made the first frame in the animation window as well.

STEP 8

In this screenshot you can see that I have merged all those folders so I am only working with 2 pieces + the background which doesn't need to be touched.

1: Make the second frame, Photoshop will automatically make the first one when you open the animation window. If not just make sure you have a total of 2 frames.

2: In the first frame, only the drawing 'Frame 1' and background should of been set to visible, now in frame 2 just set the first frame as hidden and 'Frame 2' drawing + background as visible. (TLDR - 1st copy turned on for frame 1, redraw turned on for frame 2)

3: Set your frame speed. I suggest making the speed for each frame identical in this scenario. For a piece like this I suggest 0.2 of a second but this is purely up to you!

STEP 9

Test your animation speed. If you are happy with the result then you can move on to sizing & saving settings.

To save on photoshop you will need to choose 'Save for web & devices' not 'save as', this is how photoshop will make sure to include the animation frames on the file and not just save as a flat .gif file.

Here's all the save settings for the animation, make sure to always select 'Original' to get the highest quality copy. Hit save and it will just ask for a file name and location, don't touch the format/settings or anything.

STEP 10

Open your animation and test it! See how it looks, if you are happy with the speed you are now complete! If not, go back into the file and adjust the frame times, you may find something that looks nicer to you!

Once you are totally happy, change the file size to 100x100 to get an icon sized copy. You can have multiple copies at all different sizes by changing the canvas size!

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TIPS AND REVIEW 

You are more than welcome to redraw all the assets or simply just re-colour them! For the adventurous you can also draw a 3rd or 4th frame to get even more effects / movement using the same format above! You can also do a non animated flat version if you do not wish to use the animation feature!

For this kind of animation I suggest little to no shading as well as it can take away from the simplistic look of the piece.

Here's two finished examples using the base! (Speed - 0.2 sec)

 BASE GUIDE / RULES  
- File is PSD, should work in most drawing programs
- Do not redistribute the base outside of Patreon
- You are free to either 'colour in' the base or redraw the piece (Trace over)
- You are free to add/ change / remove features of the character to resemble desired look! - You are free to change the species from the original base
- You are free to ask a colleague / artist to help with the base so long as its within our members.
- Make sure to check if the layer is locked/unlocked if you are experiencing issues.   

SHARING RULES
- Completed compressed copy of the base can be shared online. (Your completed copy)
- PSD file can only be shared among Patreon members / Modified by Patrons only.

If you have any trouble using the base or need further explanation on a particular part of the tutorial please comment below! Enjoy!! ^^