What are the most common 2D animation mistakes that ruin your work?

1 Lack of planning

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a 2D animator is to start animating without a clear plan. Planning your animation involves creating a storyboard, a script, a layout, and a timing chart. These elements will help you define the structure, the flow, the pace, and the mood of your animation. Without them, you will waste time, energy, and resources on animating scenes that may not fit your vision or your audience's expectations.

2 Poor drawing skills

Another common mistake that can ruin your 2D animation is having poor drawing skills. Drawing is the foundation of 2D animation, and you need to master the basics of anatomy, perspective, proportion, and gesture. You also need to be consistent and accurate in your drawings, especially when you create multiple frames for the same character or object. Poor drawing skills will result in choppy, distorted, or unrealistic animation that will break the illusion of movement and emotion.

3 Bad timing and spacing

Timing and spacing are essential principles of 2D animation that determine how fast or slow your animation moves and how smooth or jerky it looks. Timing refers to the number of frames you use to animate a movement, while spacing refers to the distance between each frame. Bad timing and spacing can ruin your 2D animation by making it too slow or too fast, too stiff or too elastic, or too boring or too chaotic. To avoid this mistake, you need to study the natural movement of your subjects, use a timing chart to plan your frames, and adjust your timing and spacing according to the weight, size, and speed of your elements.

4 No anticipation or follow-through

Anticipation and follow-through are two more principles of 2D animation that add realism and dynamism to your work. Anticipation is the preparation for a movement, such as a character winding up before throwing a ball. Follow-through is the continuation of a movement after the main action, such as a character's hair or clothes swinging after they stop running. No anticipation or follow-through can ruin your 2D animation by making it look flat, unnatural, or abrupt. To avoid this mistake, you need to think about the cause and effect of your movements, use secondary actions and overlapping action to enhance your main action, and use easing in and out to create smooth transitions.

5 Overuse of tweens

Tweens are a feature of some 2D animation software that allow you to create intermediate frames between two keyframes automatically. Tweens can save you time and effort, but they can also ruin your 2D animation if you overuse them or rely on them too much. Overuse of tweens can make your animation look robotic, lifeless, or inconsistent, as they may not capture the subtleties and variations of your movement. To avoid this mistake, you need to use tweens sparingly and carefully, check and edit your frames manually, and mix tweens with traditional frame-by-frame animation to create more organic and expressive animation.

6 Ignoring the audience

The final mistake that can ruin your 2D animation is ignoring the audience. The audience is the reason why you create animation, and you need to consider their needs, preferences, and expectations. Ignoring the audience can make your 2D animation irrelevant, confusing, or boring, as they may not understand, enjoy, or relate to your work. To avoid this mistake, you need to know your target audience, their demographics, their interests, and their problems. You also need to communicate your message clearly, engage their emotions, and entertain their senses.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?