Creating a Simplified Animation-Ready Character

Most animators start out with dreams of grandeur. We're going to single-handedly create the most detailed animation ever, drawing and painting every frame with such loving care that the major studios will stare in wonder at our handiwork. We design elaborate characters with intricate detail right down to the filigree on their clothes...and then we regret it after six months of nonstop labor has produced maybe two seconds of rough animation that grows increasingly sloppy the more we realize just how much work we're in for. This is why most animated character designs follow the KISS method: Keep it Simple, Stupid. Simple lines and easily-marked key points make for cleaner, smoother animation, which is why I like to build my characters for simplicity from the ground up.