First sprite

[sfried]

I guess it's a little late to respond to this... there are two words you need to commit to memory: REFERENCE and PERFORMANCE! This animation looks robotic because her movements are far too precise and utilitarian. If you tried to adjust your glasses just by throwing your finger in a straight line towards your face like this, you would poke yourself in the eye or nose. And moving your hand that fast with the rest of your body static would only be possible if you were specifically trying to be rigid.

If you try this movement yourself in a mirror, you will see that there is a LOT happening besides the utilitarian movement of the hand and outstretched finger. You will find that humans approach their own faces very cautiously, because we have a lifetime's experience of accidentally jabbing ourselves, and also because we can't see the action as we're doing it so we have to "explore" with our hand a little bit. You might even shift your weight a little bit from one leg to the other. There are myriad other little details that you would discover if you studied this motion a little more in the real world. And they are all important because they make the character believable. Remember that animation is ACTING more than anything else. It's a form of pantemime that permits unlimited control, so take advantage of it!

So should I plan out all of these elaborate movements in paper first? I'm kind of confused as to what you just said since they highlight alot of important faults (I'm quite aware that the animation looks stiff, which is why I'm seeking advise), but I'm not exactly sure how to tackle these subtle motions you mentioned unless your're asking me to rotoscope, which I lack the means to execute.

[geerolled]

i give up on bloggers. you all ask for help, and flatly reject it when industry veterans take the time to offer advice.

[Ben2theEdge]

So should I plan out all of these elaborate movements in paper first? I'm kind of confused as to what you just said since they highlight alot of important faults (I'm quite aware that the animation looks stiff, which is why I'm seeking advise), but I'm not exactly sure how to tackle these subtle motions you mentioned unless your're asking me to rotoscope, which I lack the means to execute.

I don't recommend rotoscoping even if you had the means - ironically it almost never looks natural. I often sketch out key-frames on paper - this really helps in developing good poses, but won't do much to improve your sense of timing, it's really just only good for practicing. For actual animation I prefer to do very rough keyframes in Graphics Gale as simple sketches, then add a layer and draw the character on top, then fill in the frames between until the timing is correct. This is an old example, it's not a subtle motion but this is the technique: http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=4599.msg57614#msg57614

Beyond that the best way to improve is to learn to draw what you see. It's difficult in animation because things move so fast, and it's hard to study them frame-by-frame. It takes time to train your eye to scrutinize and commit to memory. It all starts with good reference, especially when animating people. The action of pushing the glasses up is a pretty easy animation to reference, since all you need is a mirror or a webcam - or a willing friend/family member to model for you. If you just observe it a few times before you try to animate it you'll see all the little details that make it real.

[sfried]

For actual animation I prefer to do very rough keyframes in Graphics Gale as simple sketches, then add a layer and draw the character on top, then fill in the frames between until the timing is correct. This is an old example, it's not a subtle motion but this is the technique: http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=4599.msg57614#msg57614

Thanks. The link is very helpful and I'm studying the program right now. I really new to using Graphics Gale and so far I've only grasped certain basics like onion-skinning and the color pallets. I really do want to learn certain in-between techniques like blurring and such.

[Sokota]

Also, on your running frame, the right[?] shoulder is very unreadable at first glance. It took me about 20 seconds to figure out which arm was which. You have it positioned way to far to the right, when actually, her shoulder should be more in line with her neck. (Like most of us) The bicep and forearm do move like that, (I think), but the shoulder doesn't move very far forward. Hope that helped.

Sokota

[geerolled]

...

[sfried]

for animation and/or pixel animation, i strongly recommend Pro Motion by Cosmigo. learn it.

Which is easier to learn and master? GraphicsGale or Pro Motion?

[Sherman Gill]

for animation and/or pixel animation, i strongly recommend Pro Motion by Cosmigo. learn it.

Which is easier to learn and master? GraphicsGale or Pro Motion?

I'd definitely say GraphicsGale. It's much closer to... well, just about any other art program than Pro Motion is.

[geerolled]

it was just a suggestion. almost all game development studios are using Pro Motion. so if you're looking to get into actual game dev, Pro Motion would be the weapon of choice. but to each his own, i guess. do what you want. those of us in game development prefer Pro Motion. everything else is just a runner up.

[Ben2theEdge]

Not all of us in game development prefer Pro Motion 
I'm all about Graphics Gale. But at our studio the artists can use pretty much whatever tool they're most comfortable with.