Animated Illustrations with Procreate

I’ve refocused my “free time” after the completion of the Spring semester into exploring Procreate on the iPad Pro. I’ve really enjoyed using it for lettering projects so far—but today I broke the seal on the new(ish) animation feature.

I’ve taken some inspiration from one of my favorite American traditional tattoos with the raining umbrella. I’ve added a twist with the rain becoming a bit more cheery over time. Dare I say there is a statement here on things being better over time but never perfect...?

Nah, too artsy for me.

I’m really enjoying the “easy to learn, hard to master” style of Procreate animation. In its simplest form, the app exports each illustrated layer into a frame by frame animated GIF file (or MP4 video if you prefer). The complexity comes in with redrawing, repositioning, transitioning colors, etc. This particular illustration style translates well because its meant to be naturally appealing as a sketchy aesthetic. The wobbly feel of the umbrella being redrawn over and over adds to the charm.

I’m looking forward to doing more of these.