Flipbook vs Digital Animation

So now I have created both a flipbook and made it into a short digital animation. Both projects were fun, but they felt very different. I did not prefer one project to the other. The flipbook and digital animation both offered different challenges and rewards in the world of animation. I noticed that while I was making the flipbook, I would focus on the individual picture I was working on and almost forget how it fit into the piece as a whole. However, as I was working on the digital animation, I would focus on the whole piece instead of the individual frames.

Even though I have never completed a flipbook from start to finish, as a child, I would draw stick figures preforming simple tasks, such as taking a step or sitting down. Later, I would have sword fights, though never in flipbook form. Still, while making the flipbook, it felt very familiar and almost like I was reviewing the basics of animation. I knew what I was doing and it was a fun first exercise for the class. On the other hand, I have never worked with digital animation, so it was a new experience. It was not as easy as the flipbook and more intimidating, however I felt like I had more freedom because I experimented more and learned a lot more form this experience than the flipbook experience.

Probably my biggest struggle was creating persistence of vision. Since I am a beginner, I am still learning how to make my animation come to life. For example, while making the flipbook, I tried to make the ball the same size on each page. What I have learned is I should have made it stretch and compress to not make it look lifelike, but it makes it look like an animation. Meanwhile, since the digital animation was a new experience, I felt like I was struggling a little bit the entire time. This was because I was learning new things and would realize something I did in ten steps I could have done in two. However, I know this is part of the learning process and only with practice and trial and error will I get better with the entire animation process.