Halloween special: Anatomy of a scene

How we made one of our short animated scenes in Toon Boom Harmony. A step by step process!

A few years ago we decided to do a few animated challenges for Halloween season. It's a time I personally love as here in the North of England we're getting all the lovely seasonal changes, and it's full of creative possibilities. Below is our process and the steps we took to make the short.

Initial idea

There were several quick sketch animatics made for the different options we had. Here's the rough for this example. Note how it's very loose and quick, probably 15 minutes or so to complete this whole sequence. When it's a short personal project without a team, there's no need to draw as clear or tidy things up. It's just a shorthand for you as the artist, so you can get your ideas down fast.

Adapting the rig

We used the Peter rig from the Toon Boom Animation course (included in our resources for anyone who signs up, as well as all new rigs updated every year!). As the concept included bat wings, they needed to be designed and added, although just a quick solution using drawing substitutions was made (no deformers or rigging). In total there were just 3 drawings to create the animation and some clever choices on when to swap the drawings out, plus some easing on the peg for each wing.

Blocking the animation

Initially the animation was blocked out, meaning the minimal amount of frames were created to get the idea across. This often includes keys and breakdown poses. Once the timing was adjusted, it was on to inbetweening.

Finessing the movement

After the inbetweens were created (using the key poses and turning the keys to Set Motion Keyframes) the adjustments and refinements could begin. Slight tweaks to the easing on the wings, the duvet on the bed and other parts of the rig as needed. Struggle to get your animation looking professional? It's tough! That's why we teach a simple and effective way to take your skills to the next level. As a professional animator of over 16 years, as well as animation supervisor and lead artist, I can help you make your showreel stand out.

Spooky lighting added

No Halloween scene would be complete without dramatic lighting! You can see the difference between the above unlit shot and the one we landed on. This was done via colour palette adjustments (cloning the palette first, then using the palette tint function) and fake lighting by using the animation and offsetting to apply shadows. We used several cutters or masks to apply the shadow to specific areas of the rig and bedroom environment.

Creative challenge time

This was a small creative project but gave us some nice challenges to tackle. We were very happy with the results! What creative project could you do in a weekend or a few spare evenings? Are there any seasonal events or just personal interests that you could use as a theme? It's a GREAT showreel builder and general way to practice your skills.

No tricks, just treats inside our Toon Boom Animation Course!

If you'd love to know how to put together scenes like this on your own, or just want to improve your animation skills, come join our next class! It's hands on, flexible learning using the latest Toon Boom techniques. Software is included, as well as one-to-one support and an online community to share your creations. Plus, you'll be learning one of the most sought after animation tools on the market. Great for positioning yourself to make awesome animated content (whether than for a studio or your own YouTube empire!)

Read more about our class here 🚀