Everything I draw ends up wearing a bow-tie

doodleniks asked: if i'm interested in starting to teach myself animation, where would be a good place to start? just picking up a pencil, paper, and a lightbox, and working from there, or some other avenue? i know you went to school for animation, and i want to too, but as a measly high schooler im hoping i can teach myself some stuff before i go. thanks, and sorry if this question is somehow bothersome!

oh gosh well I started trying animation long before I went to a school for it so YES just try anything you can! flip books are fun and easy to make, lightboxes are good to start but try not to rely on them- you get a better idea of how the drawings will move by flipping the paper so find a method of holding the paper together (use a hole punch and make a peg bar or even just staple them together at the bottom to start), and there’s always stop motion that you can start trying with moving about anything at all and a camera! plasticine is good but you can get the idea of movement and learn about animating by using coins, clothes, literally anything you have- my first gig in animation was work experience in a stop motion studio (the place that does Bob the Builder) and it gave me a good footing in how far to move things and the importance of holding still once in a while. Hope you don’t mind me publishing it but I think it’s relevant to anyone wanting to have a dabble at animation- don’t think you can’t start now!