Scribbles: You came to the right episode. Please welcome today’s host: CloudCuckooCountry!
[applause]
CloudCuckooCountry: Hello everyone, and hello Crowne. It’s good to be here.
Scribbles: Cloud is going to read all of your animation questions, which I sorted into these
lovely categories. The bonus FUN questions are scattered throughout the episode. Alright
Cloud, take it away.
Cloud: And the first category is… Art! Here is the first letter.
Ledacacic88: How can a young artist find his or her style?
If you draw the same thing repeatedly over a few years, you will naturally develop a
style. Making a comic is a good way to find a style. Even if you start by mimicking someone
else’s style, eventually you’ll think of ways you want to improve or change it.
Many people asked: What are the best free programs for drawing or animating?
Read the list of programs under episode five.
Renee: How much money should I be spending on my art as a hobby?
If art is a big priority in your life, it’s normal to spend money on supplies and programs.
You might even prefer to get a tablet as a present than a video game system. As long
as your art spending isn’t affecting other areas important to you, like paying for food
or college, then it’s fine.
S-HowlingStallion: Is it better to critique your own work, or have others point out things
that you can improve on?
It is much more useful to get critique from other people. They will see what you cannot.
Zack: How exactly do you get an image in your head to appear on your paper or computer screen?
I have such great ideas but when I try to draw it, the idea doesn't come out the way
I envisioned.
The longer you make art, the closer you will get to putting your imagination on paper.
It takes a few years. Also, you find out that not having it come out the way you imagined
can actually make the piece of art better.
Friender Ender88 + Rebecca: What is your favorite Pokemon?
I say this unironically. Magikarp.
Midnight Blaze: What platform do you think would be best to promote your art/animations
and reach out to different people?
YouTube for videos, DeviantArt for artwork.
Thomas: I have heard drawing “not safe for work art” can hurt your ability to get a
job in the art industry. Do you think this is true, and would you ever consider drawing
mature art for profit?
This is true. If there are two qualified candidates for a job, and I see one of them draws a lot
of porn, I hire the other artist. Yeah, employers are judgemental, it sucks, but there’s an
easy fix: make your not safe for work art under a pen name.
Just like any other specialized art category, you have to build a good reputation to make
money drawing mature art. If I took a real interest in drawing it, I’d start a new
identity to handle those commissions.
Eve: Could you show us some examples of earlier work?
Cloud: And the next category is Animation! Alena: Do you suggest Toon Boom or Flash?
Toon Boom.
Branden: Chunky or smooth peanut butter?
Chunky!
Awes0me Panda: I'm going to get an animation software soon, and I was wondering what would
be the best thing to do first: walk cycles, face expressions, or just get used to the
program?
Learn the basics of the program, especially the tools. You’ll learn the tools faster
if you try to make something simple, like a blink. Look up tutorials if you get stuck.
Warriorwyatt: How long did it take for you to be at this point in animating?
Six years self-taught, but I’ve only been animating a lot for three years.
Ravenhoof: What's the dumbest thing you've done as an animator so far?
Cloud: Invite me on. Ha ha ha!
Micheal T: What is the best way to do motion blurs and/or smear frames?
Motion blur depends on what programs you are using. Smear frames, on the other hand: the
principle is to show the path of motion and shapes that connect two extreme poses. You
can have lots of crazy fun with them.
Zack: How difficult is it to animate a character in 60fps?
Puppet animation: it takes two to three times longer.
Traditional animation: don’t.
Rebecca: Do you ever have projects you didn't like the outcome of, or think could use improvement?
When I finish something I can at least say, this is okay, it’s good. Improvement? Everything
can use improvement. I even know exactly what to do, but it’s too expensive to make it
better.
kyle wuvswubs: What are some of the worst and best characters you have made?
I really, really wish I still had the drawings, but I think I tore the pages out of my journal
because I could never find them. I made Tiger Dragon, Turtle Dragon and Eagle Dragon.
Cyn, Argent, Bingo, and Raúl are the best. Cloud: Spinning the wheel again. This isn’t
prescripted at aaaaaaaaaaaalllllll. Business! A few people asked: How did you determine
your commission prices?
I kept a log of all the commissions I did that showed hours spent for each project.
I used the log to determine the normal time it takes and multiplied that time by an hourly
rate.
Animation prices are complicated so those I have to custom estimate depending on the
order.
William C: Would it be more profitable to work freelance or get a job in a studio?
A studio, by far. As a freelancer you have to make 20% more than a studio salary to make
up for the hidden costs of working for yourself. (self employment tax, health insurance, business
insurance, business registration & filing requirements)
Kevin F: Is Scribble Kibble and YouTube your main source of income right now or do you
also do things like commissions or part time jobs?
I make less than $100 a month from YouTube. Commissions (animations for other channels)
are my main source of income and tips plus Patreons are the second.
ValorZeroAdvent: Heya, I'm just wondering, what is your MBTI type (Myers-Brigg Type Indicator)?
I usually test as an INTJ. I find personality tests like this fun but not useful.
Rainbow Woof: My goal is to become an animator and own my own studio. How did the bigger
animation studios start and how do they work?
Two ways a world class studio starts: with one or two visionary artists working in a
run down shack, or with a small team of already successful studio people breaking away and
starting their own company.
If by big studio you mean one that employs at least a few hundred people, they are corporate
environments that function like any big business. You have departments, like finance, legal,
sales, animation production. The whole studio is owned by shareholders (investors), who
get a percentage of company profits. Like how you can buy some shares of Disney or Dreamworks.
Shareholders want to make money, so they appoint a Board of Directors to control the animation
studio. The Board decides what the studio is going to do to make the most money. The
Board also hires the highest level staff in the studio, and those people are responsible
for hiring other employees and developing animation ideas they can present to the board.
The staff at the studio pitch ideas to the Board about animations they want to make.
Whoever is pitching the idea has to compromise between the vision of the artists downstairs
and what the Board wants to see, which is an animation that will make lots of money.
Ella: I’ve been using Flash for around three years. I can't seem to learn how to use other
programs and I've been worrying about my future as an animator. If I want to get into TV or
Film animation, will I have to learn how to use another program?
Yes. Flash is still used in TV animation, but it was never a film quality software.
I wouldn’t say Flash is kicking the bucket quite yet because Adobe is pushing hard to
improve Adobe Animate, but so many TV studios are switching to Toon Boom that right now
Toon Boom is what I recommend for North American animators.
TartarusFire: Fdk hgdikghsl ghdr oghlhgoe dhjdh lv nklb?
Ffsssksk grbarout aroulourarloraromoroor.
Elijah: I'm a high school student interested in some sort of art career, and I was wondering
if animation is a viable field right now? Could I actually get a job coming out of college,
or is it super competitive?
Animation is not as competitive as you would think. 3D animation is a really good field
to be in right now. We haven’t moved on from 2D completely - anime and cartoons are
still going strong - but 2D is dead in the film world and most major games require 3D
animation now.
Scribbles: That’s the first half of our show. Let’s roll intermission with some
art and comments you sent in.
Cloud: And we’re back. You’re listening to Scribble Kibble, thanks for tuning in.
This is the Q & A episode and the next category is Scribble Kibble, the show. Let’s take
it away! LaniBoss: Where did you get the idea for Scribble
Kibble?
I wanted to make a show I could post weekly, and I saw an opportunity. None of the cartoon
reviewers talk about how to make an animation, and none of them talk about indie cartoons.
If Scribble Kibble was just a review show I wouldn’t want to do it, but I like teaching.
xxWolfii: What flavor is the scribble kibble and can my dog or I eat it?
Scribble Kibble is a healthy addition to any human or animal diet and comes in four flavors:
chicken, beef, shrimp, and banana.
AStrollWithMyShadow: Where do you find the animations to feature?
I’m subscribed to animation studio channels on YouTube and I follow a lot of independent
animators, who run around shouting every time they see something cool. I prioritize animations
that get mentioned a lot in the comments.
Panicmun + CynderGirl77 + Kryn: How did you come up with the design for Scribbles, and
did you ever write a story for the character?
Scribbles is an adaptation of this horse color scheme.
Scribbles had a story, but she grew away from it. All I know right now is she lives in a
happy world with a lot of different animals.
Lpssplashpaint: What is your favorite show that ended?
Firefly. WHY. WHYYYYY (cries).
Metrosaurus Rex: Where else can I find an animation or drawing lessons via videos like
Scribble Kibble? It is very fun and easy to understand.
For art: Aaron Blaise and Draw With Jazza Brain Dump is the closest show style to Scribble
Kibble. The production value is a lot higher, but the content is definitely not for everyone.
If you like dirty, irreverent humor, check it out!
OsageOrange: What do you feel is the best part of making a Scribble Kibble episode?
The fan mail and art! Hearing that Scribble Kibble inspired someone to try art or go back
to making it, or that the show makes people happier. Easily the best part.
Cloud: Only two categories left. Spin, wheel.
Many of you asked: I want to make art or videos. Where do I start?
Anywhere. If you have an idea for a comic or a show, start it now. Don’t wait until
you’re a better artist, or it’ll never happen. If you’re too scared to start, make
some things for yourself and build the courage to post them. If you’re not motivated enough
to start, then maybe art isn’t for you. Drawing always made me feel better, so if
drawing doesn’t do anything for you then maybe your hobby is something else. Cooking,
gardening, small engine repair, music.
Another popular question: What inspired you to start animating in the first place?
I watched animated movies all my life and never thought it was possible to make them
myself. Then I discovered YouTube and saw these simple cartoons made in MS Paint and
thought woah, maybe I could make one after all!
Angsty Doqq: I struggle with procrastination a bit too much. Any tips on how I can overcome
that?
Set a deadline. Procrastinators need deadlines. Make it simple, like, “I am going to post
one 30 second animation a month,” and tell everybody that is your schedule. Then you
know that if you fail to deliver, you disappoint all of your subscribers.
1C3 W01F: How do you live with the fact that everything you do is not controlled by you,
but your creator? That your response to this question will not be from you?
Why is my creator bored enough to be talking to itself through two drones and make a few
thousand other predestined drones listen?
A simulation isn’t any fun if you don’t allow randomness and free will.
FramedDragon08: Where do you think your channel will be in a few years?
In a few years everything will be different. Scribble Kibble will be scaled back or completed
and an original animated series will be in its place.
Unless I can’t make enough money, I go to work for a company, and my channel goes back
to being a dump for the rare memes I can make in my spare time.
WizemanTheWicked: Right now the animated movie scene is dominated by 3D animation. Do you
think 2D animated movies will make a comeback any time soon?
No. 2D animated movies are dead. They are like black and white films. Nobody wants to
invest in a 2D animated movie. It costs too much and doesn’t make money the way a 3D
movie does. 2D animation will not make a comeback.
2D is still really strong in the independent industry, so as long as you don’t want to
go work for a major video game company or movie studio, you can do 2D.
Aaron: With the ever increasing sophistication of computer software, it is possible in the
future that most of the animation processes could be automated. What level of automation
is acceptable?
Totally possible. I used to think art couldn’t be replaced by a computer, but now I know
I’m wrong. The programs today that allow computers to imagine and create new art out
of nothing are primitive, but give it time. Compared to giving a computer an imagination,
programming it to automate a walk cycle is easy.
It’s depressing to think we can program away everything, even art, but I like to imagine
that the human race is on a path towards more creativity, not less. There’s more freedom
and tools and knowledge than ever before.
Royal: Why is there an "e" at the end of "Crowne"?
Scribbles: The “e” makes it fancy.
Cloud: Because it’s fancy!
Scribbles: Hey, this turned out to be a pretty educational episode. I mean, chunky versus
smooth peanut butter. Who knew?
Well, for more of my voice stick around, for more of CloudCuckooCountry’s voice, here
is his channel.
And thank you so much for sticking around to the end of the first season of Scribble
Kibble. So against all odds, here’s to a nice, relaxing new year!
Cloud: Happy New Year. Goodbye everyone.
[music by Josh Woodward la la la la]