So, I wanted to make a simple animation, you know, like those old-school Flash games. I figured, “Hey, I can do that!” Turns out, it’s a bit more involved than just drawing stick figures and hoping for the best.
First, I downloaded a program called “flash sport”. Gotta start somewhere, right? I opened it up, and… blank screen. Okay, no problem, I can handle this. I found the “pencil” tool – classic! – and started drawing a little stick figure. He was… well, he was a stick figure. Let’s just say my artistic skills are a work in progress.
Drawing and Moving
Then came the hard part: making him move. I figured out that I needed to create something called “frames.” Think of it like a flipbook. Each frame is a slightly different picture, and when you play them quickly, it looks like motion.
- I drew my stick figure in one pose.
- Then, I created a new frame.
- I drew him again, but with his arm a little higher.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat.
It was tedious, I’m not gonna lie. But slowly, my stick figure started to wave his arm. It was jerky and weird, but it was moving! I felt like a god of animation… a very, very amateur god of animation.
Adding Some… “Sport”
I wanted to give the program, “flash sport” a go. So i thought my guy needed a ball. So I drew a circle. A perfectly round, beautiful circle. (Okay, it was a little lopsided, but who’s counting?) Making the ball move was the same deal as the stick figure: draw, new frame, draw, new frame. I made it bounce up and down. It looked… okay. Like a ball bouncing. Nothing spectacular, but hey, it was my bouncing ball!
The “Finished” Product
Finally, I hit the “play” button. My stick figure waved his arm, and the ball bounced. It was a masterpiece! Okay, maybe not a masterpiece. Maybe not even good. But I made it! I took a bunch of drawings and turned them into something that moved. And that’s pretty cool, even if it looks like it was made by a five-year-old. I spent a good few hours on this, and you know what? It was actually pretty fun. Maybe I’ll try adding a background next time… or maybe just stick to stick figures. We’ll see.
