Bouncing Buckboard x8.mov

Just to remind folks --- I like showing people how to do animation. I've taught almost 2,000 people how to draw animation, and how to use 2D and 3D animation Software. My brother and I started drawing when we were in diapers. Eventually that got us to where we could make some $$$ at it. I'm not saying it's easy. But it's a way to make a living, if you hustle. •••••••••••••

I'm going to repeat the points made in the brief title description, because they're IMPORTANT:

First point:  Think about how much actual time eight drawings can actually cover without additional in-betweens. Eight images at 3 frames each works out to a single FULL second if the frame rate is 24 f.p.s. A little less than a second, if you work with the Video frame rate of 29.97 frames per second. So Don't try to Cram TOO MUCH into a very short interval of time... Like I almost ALWAYS did... You end up spending a LOT of effort, and having to TOSS a bunch of ideas and drawings you might have spent a LOT of effort to make'em pretty.

Wa...

Actually Everything in this sequence is animating throughout, although the cowboy and box are just silhouettes at this stage. In this, I'm emphasizing the SHAPES, but you can add all the detail you like, so long as detail doesn't WEAKEN the silhouettes.

Sure: Belt, belt loops, peestolas & holsters & bullets & bandoliers, hat band, neckerchief, buttons, plaid pattern on the shirt, Eyes & eyebrows and pupils & lashes if you must. No one will See those unless you go in for a close-up, But INDULGE yourself... See if all the detail makes it any better. You will Learn something, for sure.

Of course, in addition you eventually need to animate the horses, and the REINS. I have some tricks that can work nicely: First, Animate ONE horse, then use that horse to make duplicates. OFFSET the animation drawings of Each additional horse, both on the time line and in each individual FRAME. Notice what I did for the Wheels of the buck board –You don't want corresponding parts to ALWAYS be doing identically the SAME thing. So offsetting the horse CYCLES in the Starting numbers will make them all be moving differently. You can ALSO change the colors, for instance, making the FAR SIDE horses all darker than their paired NEAR SIDE horse...

Nother CRUCIAL POINT: This is an 8-drawing Cycle of the Buckboard and Driver ---> Ideally, you want to create an 8-drawing cycle of the horses, so you don't get into a CRAZY situation of having to deal with MIS-matched numbers of two Overlapping Cycles. 

That is INSANITY. To be AVOIDED, UNLESS there is some COMPELLING REASON DEMANDING IT.

Later, you can add Shadows, to anchor the whole thing to the ground plane.

Still much later, you could make a 16-drawing cycle...by doing another 8-drawing cycle where number 09 flows from the number 8 and number 16 returns to number 01. You could Use a double cycle for a long panoramic shot, with the buckboard moving through a landscape with the mountains panning slowly beyond the wagon... Maybe with Bandits chasing...