Looks great, man! The only thing I caught really during the transformation is that his arm disappears when he stands up. Are you planning on putting it on a different layer perhaps? You have a wonderful sense of weight and I love when he stands up after the transformation, it's like he's catching his balance a bit.. Using his momentum to build up that final howl, it really puts more emphasis on the howl and it's a great finish to the transformation.. Very nice work, man!

Not bad at all!

You might consider pushing your keys even farther... I often find with animation that when you think you've gone too far, that's when you're maybe going just far enough. And don't shirk on the 'tweens... you want your movements to sell, and if they go by too fast, then it's not happening. You are animating at 24/30 fps in twos, right?

Also, here's a query, maybe the other animators here on DA or your instructors at SCAD might chime in on this, but why, WHY I ask, does everyone (myself included) ssem to default on going for the same angle when doing PT work? Why not throw the "camera" above him, or down at his feet, for dramatic effect?

Animation is unique in that it allows us to create movement and action that's limited only by our skills as artists and our imaginations... we should take advantage of that, right?

Thanks. I'm wanting to draw the howl out a little more, coupled with a very slight shifting of the character's weight. That way I'm hoping that it doesn't seem so static. As to the missing arm - just a lack of time to throw that in. There's a few frames or series of frames in there in which certain body parts vanish. But, what do you honestly think of the dialouge portion of the animation? I feel that is the weakest part. I guess I really struggle with action in general....

Thanks for the honest feedback! It's guys like you that make me feel like crap, but in a good way if you know what I mean....But yeah, it's on 24 fps - mostly on twos, occasionally on ones. I definately agree with better camera angles. Since I'm still struggling with learning how to effectively capture motion, I'll leave that to later. But, I do think that a more strategically positioned perspective would have helped sell some more emotion. I'll take you up on the challenge however. Next time - mark my words - next time.

Awww, hey now, I didn't mean to take the jam out of your donut. But just think, while all the other students are drawing from the same, head-level angle, you could be blowing away the competition with dynamic and creative angles that really sell the mood as well as the motion.

This is really an illustration and storytelling technique, not an animation one so much... it's stuff I picked up from comics work, and of course a lifetime of seeking out the best animation I can find to study. But if you can draw it, you can animate it... at some point, it all boils down to the keyframes and then drawing the images that it takes to get from one key to the next.

Chuck Jones said in his autobiography Chuck Amuck (if you want to be an animator of any kind, then you MUST read his book, it will help SO much) that his instructors at Chouinard told him this (and I've kept it close ever since):

"We can teach any artist to animate. We do not have the time or inclination to teach you to be artists"

I paraphrase... not sure where my beaten copy of the book is right now. But the point remains... animation and the ability to envision and depict motion is only a part of becoming an animator... there's a lot more out there that comes from just being an artist, and it takes time to learn it all, but the end result is that we become so much better at what we do.

Don't worry, I wasn't offended at all by your comments. In fact, I'm glad you gave 'em to me. Anyways, thanks for the info you are giving me. I've heard of the Chuck Amuck book before. I'll see if I can't scrounge up a few bucks and go out and buy the thing. How long have you been doing this sort of stuff, anyways?

Animation for nearly four years, illustration for almost 10... that's career time, when I've been getting paid for this drawing stuff.

I've been drawing since I was old enough to grip a crayon. My mother threatens me occasionally with the things I drew when I was two, which only a mother would keep. I decided early on that I wanted to draw for a living, and so I threw myself into it. I'm still not nearly as good as I want to be, though...

Well, it'S better tahn I could do... since I'm in 3D now

but nice work. I don't think I can say anything else than wahat the other said.

Yup. I know how that feels..... That's cool, though. I tried checking out some of your stuff, but the DA was having problems, and it was being quite uncooperative. But, what I did see, I liked.