#opentoonz

THUNDER THURSDAY #86: More Tuts A-Comin’

Hey folks!

Wanted to let you know I’m working on the next round of OpenToonz tutorials (a trio about vectors and editing brush strokes). Now with cleaner background removal!

Stay tuned,
- Paul

Edit: The resemblance is uncanny…

THUNDER THURSDAY #85: OpenToonz Tutorials Are Live!

Hey folks! For those wanting to learn OpenToonz, thanks again for your patience, and behold: my first few tutorials are online! Here’s the introductory collection (~35min total), or check below for links to individual sections :D

I’ve made a YouTube playlist with individual videos, and here are their separate links (times approximate):

• Part 0: Introduction(2min)
  
• Part 1: Installation(2min)
  
• Part 2: The Startup Menu(2min)
  
• Part 3: The Interface(3min)
  
• Part 4: Levels & Drawing(7min)
  
• Part 5: Drawing Frames(6min)
  
• Part 6: The X Sheet (5min)
  
• Part 7: Saving(2min)
  
• Part 8: Exporting a GIF(7min)
  

ENJOY! And if you have questions, feel free to ask (either here, or in the YouTube comments). Thanks for watching!

Paul

THUNDER THURSDAY #84: Teaching Animation!

Hey folks, Paul here for THUNDER THURSDAY! Couple quick updates:

1. Tomorrow I’m visiting a high school in Southern Pines, NC to give animation demos for computer arts classes. I’ll be showing how to make the gifs above in After Effects–looking forward to it!
   
   
2. On the OpenToonz front, I’ve written my first tutorial outlines and gotten a mic for better audio quality. I’m looking forward to recording soon, but first I need to finish some book stuff and hope that my head cold clears up.

Hey folks, Paul here, and I’m excited to move forward with OpenToonz Tutorials!

I remember how lost I felt when I first launched OpenToonz, so I want to teach it in a way that’s easy to digest. Here are the initial topics I have in mind:

1. Installing & Finding Files
2. The Launch Menu
3. Initial Interface & Navigation
4. Levels & Drawings
5. Saving & File Location
6. Timing with the X Sheet
7. Adding a Background
8a. Exporting on Windows
8b. Exporting on Mac
9. Making a GIF!

And beyond that first wave, there’s more to explore! Read on for more potential topics…

More OpenToonz “how-to”s:

• Coloring
• Editing Brush Strokes
  
• Customizing the Interface
• Working with Cells and Columns
• Projects & File Management (so exciting)
  

More animation craft:

• Disney’s 12 Principles
• Bouncing Ball Demo
• Pendulum Demo
• Walk Cycle Demo

Sound fun? I hope to get started soon! If you have any thoughts or requests, please let me know :)

- Paul

THUNDER THURSDAY #83: Book Requests, and a Tutorial Question!

Hey folks, Paul here for THUNDER THURSDAY! Today marks one month since the book came out–I’ve been thrilled with the journey so far, and I’d love to keep the momentum going!

If you’re into it, check out thundercluck.com/book and any of the following:

• IndieBound!
  
• Amazon!
  
• Barnes & Noble!
• Goodreads!

Now, about tutorials!

While I enjoyed compiling the TUTOR TUESDAY PDFs, I know it’s been a hot minute since we had new tutorial content to share. Meg (@rawranansi), our tutorial mastermind, has been super busy with work! So I wanted to ask:

Would you be interested in animation tutorials for OpenToonz?

OpenToonz is an open source (which means ethically free!) 2D animation software, and I’ve been learning it myself since I started using it for the book trailer this past summer.

It’s a powerful program, though the interface definitely takes some getting used-to. I’d love to share what I’ve learned, especially since the program’s available for all!

If you’re interested, let me know. Comments and reblogs are much appreciated! Thanks,

Paul

BEHIND THE ANIMATION • Hollowville: St. Vic’s Chapel