Bouncing Ball Animation

Here is my bouncing ball animation as a GIF. I tried to minimize mouse clicks by using 2D traditional animation sketching

Software and Equipment

• Pencil & Erasure
• Lightfoot Light Table
• 35 Sheets of animation paper
• Adobe Photoshop
• Scanner

1. With Light Table, place one animation paper over it. The first page I draw all the rough ball movements in one page eyeballing the angle (if you cant eyeball, I would suggest use a 1 point perspective and draw lines to show the angle the ball is coming from and how big the ball will scale as it gets closer).
2. Once rough outline of the drawing of the entire animation is done on one page, place a second page over it on the light table and trace the first ball location and add details, then take it off and place another page and draw the next ball frame...etc. Remember to number all your page frames.
3. Near the end I decided to make the ball stop and open as a critter, I made the ball have little plates and decided that to stop one of the plates will pop out and stop the rotation, afterwards it will open up like a pillbug.
4. Once all drawing frames are done scan them into the computer with a scanner (be sure to name the images in order). Then turn all layers off (layer toolbar click the eye symbol)
5. Open Photoshop and drag and drop all the images into one file. Have each animation frame pasted on a layer over the previous. Once u paste it in same image it automatically puts it over the previous layer.
6. Go to Windows>Animation to open the animation toolbar in Photoshop. Click the little square icon to create new frames and change the layers. Make frame 1, then make layer 1 visible (click the eye). Then do the same thing for frame 2...etc
7. After you have all the frames, double click each frame and set the timer of the frame to 0.2 seconds
8. Export by going to File>Save For Web And Devices. Make sure its a GIF file and save it!

Best Work?

Its really hard for me to say what is my best work... mainly due to two reasons

• I don't value my work, unless theirs some purpose or project that needs it theirs no reason to save it after its done. Art is a blast! I enjoy the process but see little value in the result from a art appreciation point of view.
• I don't like to consider a work my "best" because that means that I have reached my maximum potential, I believe I wont ever get a best piece of work due to constant improvements and advancement.

That being said, I will put down my more recent Photoshop digital paintings to keep this post a little interesting. I would say my biggest achievement (not necessarily art, but is related to digital media) is starting my own video game development company. Although my technical specialty is in animation and art rather than programming, I planned since high school to make this dream come to fruition. By networking with programmers and artists, I was able to convince people to work together on larger projects. Currently we have released a project with Firestorm Studios the game Abaddon Retribution, working on a PC game for Steam along with a free online website game, looking for investors to advance our current large PC game project. and designed 2 logos for foreign companies in Asia. 

Although this isn't much accomplishment wise, its a start. I consider it as a personal achievement since it was challenge because normally I am a introvert that is afraid to take risks.