- What kind of animation do you make?
- Find your ideas, your story, your character, your movements.
- Do this with sketching, video reference, and story boarding.
#2 - Blocking (Very Rough)
- What are your most important parts of the animation?
- Add in your storytelling drawings/poses/keys
- Just the bare minimum to sell the idea.
#3 - Blocking Plus (Rough)
- Breakdown how to move from 1 storytelling pose to the next.
- Here your animation really starts taking shape.
#4 - Refining (Detailed)
- Add a lot more drawings/keys to further define each move.
- By the end of this stage your animation, has believe-able weight, acting, and story. All the major movements feel good enough.
#5 - Polish (Very Detailed)
- At the last stage the animation is already working well overall. You're just getting all the little bits just right.
- Fingers, toes, drapery, ears, knee pops, arcs on the jaw, little lip sync tweaks, etc.
source: rustyanimator.com
