Cartoon Doctor - www.drmussey.com

Many people have asked about software and hardware for creating 2-D animations. Many think that FLASH is the best choice. For a non-artist, this may be the case. As an animator and cartoonist, however, I find that FLASH is seriously lacking in tools and workflow to accommodate any projects. Even though many of my cartoons are output in FLASH format, I never even use the software. In my mind, the first choice for those who want to begin to animate is very clear: Toon Boom Studio. When I started using Studio, I was totally blown away. It was created to accommodate the traditional style of film animation. I find it unique in its ability to encourage creativity. I would never want to be a creator of animation software. There is an almost magical interface that must occur between the user and the machine so the tool is helping, rather than hindering. One of the first animation programs for the PC came out in 1989 and was Autodesk Animator. It was crude, with a resolution of 320x200, but was

www.drmussey.com/1105_caseStudy_stevenMussey.pdf

I've been animating since my grade school days. First, I used little flip books. Later, I graduated into Super 8mm film. When computers came out, I used the amazing Amiga Computer. Now, I use PC's and Tablet PC's. The goal of this is to provide regular details of my experiences with animating cartoons. I do not animate for a living. In my real job, I am a Primary Care Physician in Virginia. Animating provides a wonderful escape. Many of my animations can be found at my web-page: www.drmussey.com Be sure to visit and check out the site! Steve