Making My OC Talk & Move with the Power of Animation! ✨

Love2DrawManga
22 Jan 202215:24

TLDRIn this animated video, the creator shares their journey of breathing life into their original character (OC), Doris Brooks, through the art of animation. The video is a testament to the creator's desire to practice and improve their animation skills, particularly in the area of lip-syncing. Using Clip Studio Paint, they animate Doris introducing herself, a scene from the creator's webcomic. The process involves creating rough storyboards, recording self-made audio for voice acting, and meticulously animating each movement. The creator also discusses the challenges of animating, such as matching mouth movements to audio and the repetitive yet relaxing nature of the work. The video concludes with a short playthrough of the final animation, showcasing Doris' introduction, and the creator expresses their satisfaction with the outcome while acknowledging the learning curve in animation.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 The video is about creating an animated character (OC - Original Character) that can move and talk, using the power of animation.
  • 🎥 The animator has been practicing animation and wants to improve, particularly in lip syncing, which they haven't tried in a video before.
  • 🎼 To avoid copyright issues, the animator uses self-made audio for the animation, including voice acting for the character Doris from their webcomic.
  • 🎭 Doris is chosen as the character for the voice acting because the animator feels they can convincingly imitate her voice from their webcomic readings.
  • 📒 The animator sketches a storyboard to plan the character's movements and the scene, which is the first scene from their webcomic where Doris introduces herself.
  • 👀 Attention is given to making the character's movements interesting, including blinking, moving irises, and shoulder movements.
  • ⏱️ The animation process is time-consuming, taking about seven and a half hours to complete.
  • 📏 The animator uses vector lines for the line art to maintain quality when resizing and to facilitate modifications.
  • 🎭 The character's facial features, including eyebrows and mouth, are animated with separate animation folders to allow independent movement.
  • 🎨 Base colors are filled in after the line art is finalized, and the process is described as relaxing by the animator.
  • 🖌️ Shading is added with a simple cell shading technique, and the animator adds highlights to the hair to give it a more dynamic look.
  • 🎉 The final animation is a short scene where Doris introduces herself, and the animator shares their satisfaction with the result despite the learning curve and challenges.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of the video?

    -The main focus of the video is to demonstrate how the creator makes their original character (OC) talk and move using the power of animation.

  • What software is used for animation in this video?

    -The software used for animation in this video is Clip Studio Paint.

  • Why did the creator decide to use self-made audio for the animation?

    -The creator decided to use self-made audio to avoid potential copyright issues with YouTube, as using music or clips from movies, YouTube videos, or live streams could lead to problems.

  • Which character does the creator voice act for in the animation?

    -The creator voices act for Doris, the main character of their webcomic.

  • How did the creator approach the lip syncing process?

    -The creator recorded themselves saying the lines in different ways, playing with pitch, tone, and speed, and then chose the line they disliked the least for the animation.

  • What is the frame rate used for the animation?

    -The frame rate used for the animation is 12 frames per second, which is less than the standard 24 frames per second to make the process easier for a beginner.

  • How long did the animation process take the creator?

    -The animation process took the creator approximately seven and a half hours.

  • What technique does the creator use for the line art in the animation?

    -The creator uses vector lines for the line art, which allows for easy modification and maintains quality when resized.

  • How does the creator approach the shading in the animation?

    -The creator uses simple cell shading with muted magenta for most parts, except for the navy blue at the top part of the eyes, and sets the layer to a low opacity to let the base colors show through.

  • What is the significance of the hand drawing in the animation?

    -The hand drawing in the animation was a challenge for the creator as it required drawing without line variation, which the creator usually relies on to separate different parts of the fingers.

  • What is the final step in the animation process as described in the script?

    -The final step in the animation process is adding a simple background, which consists of a wall with a chalkboard, and applying 2D camera effects to give a sense of movement and depth.

  • How does the creator feel about the final outcome of the animation?

    -The creator feels that the animation turned out decently, though it was a bit surreal and weird to see their character move and talk with their own voice. They acknowledge that they are still learning and open to feedback from animation experts.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Starting an Animation Project with Lip Syncing

The video begins with an introduction to a new animation project focused on lip syncing using the creator's original character, Doris, from a webcomic. The creator decides to use self-recorded audio to avoid copyright issues on YouTube and undertakes voice acting, despite initial hesitations about its potential awkwardness. The animation is done in Clip Studio Paint, starting with rough storyboards to plan out character movements and expressions. The creator emphasizes the challenge of syncing animation to audio without using copyrighted material and shows the initial steps of creating a Doris animation rig with vector lines to ease future modifications.

05:01

🛠️ Refining Animation Details in Clip Studio Paint

In this segment, the focus shifts to refining the line art and syncing it with preliminary sketches. Detailed explanation of the animation process in Clip Studio Paint is provided, including managing vector layers and timeline assignments for various animation elements like blinking and iris movements. The creator struggles with combining movements such as blinking and shifting postures simultaneously but finds vector layers advantageous for modifications and zoom-ins without loss of line quality. The segment concludes with the addition of independent movement for eyebrows and the commencement of complex mouth syncing tasks, mixing Western and anime styles for realistic lip movements.

10:02

🎨 Completing the Animation with Coloring and Effects

The final stages of the animation process involve filling in base colors while listening to motivating music, specifically from the game Cookie Run Kingdom. The creator finds this stage relaxing as it involves less creative decision-making and more repetitive action. Subsequent steps include adding simple cell shading and detailed eye animations, adjusting highlights, and creating a background that varies with camera zoom. The creator uses 2D camera effects in Clip Studio Paint to enhance the animation, concluding with a demonstration of the finished product where Doris introduces herself. The process, while tedious, is rewarding, seeing the character come to life.

15:04

👋 Conclusion and Appreciation

The final part of the video serves as a conclusion where the creator thanks the viewers and patrons for their support. The creator reflects on the exhaustive nature of the animation process but expresses satisfaction with the experimentation and learning outcomes. A link to the standalone animation is provided for those interested in viewing it separately, and the creator invites the audience to return for more creative content in the upcoming week.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡OC

OC stands for 'original character,' a term used to describe a character created by an individual rather than one found in existing media. In the video, the creator animates their OC, Doris, making her talk and move, which is central to showcasing the personal connection and creative input in the animation process.

💡Animation

Animation is the process of making the illusion of motion by displaying a series of pictures, or frames. The video details the creator's journey of animating their OC using Clip Studio Paint, including lip syncing, and character movement, which demonstrates the meticulous and time-consuming nature of creating animation.

💡Lip syncing

Lip syncing involves synchronizing the movement of a character's lips to pre-recorded speech. In the video, this technique is a new challenge for the creator, and they describe their process of matching their character Doris' lip movements to voice recordings, highlighting the complexity of adding realistic speech to animation.

💡Voice acting

Voice acting refers to the art of performing voice-overs to represent a character. The creator of the video experiments with voice acting for their OC, expressing initial reluctance due to feeling it might be 'cringe,' yet proceeding to enhance the animation's authenticity and engagement.

💡Vector layers

Vector layers are used in graphic software like Clip Studio Paint for creating designs that are not pixel-based but rather use mathematical equations to render lines and shapes. In the video, the creator uses vector layers for their line art to easily adjust and resize elements without losing quality, which is crucial for efficient animation editing.

💡Frame rate

Frame rate, measured in frames per second (fps), refers to the frequency at which consecutive images called frames appear on a display. The video mentions setting the animation to 12 fps, which is lower than the standard but sufficient for beginners and certain styles like anime, making the animation process more manageable.

💡Storyboard

A storyboard is a visual representation of how a video will unfold, shot by shot. It's essentially a large comic of the film or some section of the film produced beforehand. Initially, the creator sketches storyboards to plan the movements and actions of their character, which is a fundamental step in animation.

💡Rig

In animation, a 'rig' refers to the digital skeleton of a character. The creator describes creating a 'Doris rig' by drawing the line art which can be manipulated throughout the animation process. This setup allows for more dynamic and fluid movement of the character.

💡Cell shading

Cell shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. The creator uses simple cell shading for the animation, which contributes to the anime-like aesthetic they desire, emphasizing the style and mood of the scenes.

💡2D camera effects

2D camera effects in animation are techniques used to add motion or depth to scenes without moving the character or objects. In the video, the creator uses a 2D camera to zoom and pan across scenes, adding dynamism and enhancing the viewer's engagement with the animation.

Highlights

The video focuses on making an original character (OC) move and talk using animation.

The animator has been practicing animation and wants to improve their lip-syncing skills.

Clip Studio Paint is used for animating the character.

The animator creates their own audio to avoid copyright issues with YouTube.

The character Doris from the animator's webcomic is chosen for the voice acting.

The animator performs voice acting for Doris, despite feeling it might be cringe.

The first scene from the webcomic is animated to introduce Doris.

The animator adds details to make Doris' movement more lively, including blinking and shoulder movements.

The process of animating is described as time-consuming but also relaxing.

Vector lines are used for the line art to maintain quality when resizing.

The animator sets the animation workspace to 12 frames per second, which is less than the standard 24 frames.

The line art is turned into a 'Doris rig' for easier modification during the animation process.

The animator discusses the challenges of matching mouth movements to audio at 12 frames per second.

Different mouth shapes are drawn and matched to the audio as closely as possible.

The animator finds the process of animating mouth movements tedious but manageable due to reusing shapes.

Base colors are filled in after the line art is completed.

The animator shares a personal story of being inspired by a song from the game Cookie Run Kingdom while coloring.

Shading is added to the animation using simple cell shading techniques.

The eyes are detailed with shading to reflect the character's movements and expressions.

A simple background is created, and 2D camera effects are added for a dynamic viewing experience.

The final animation is presented after over seven hours of work.

The animator expresses a mix of surrealism and satisfaction with the animated character's movement and speech.