How to animate FLIGHT

Animating flight can be a bit tricky if aren’t yet comfortable with drawing wings at different positions and in 3 dimensions, but giving it a try is at the same time really good practice for that, probably the best you can get.

[kevinjohnson]

The carrot analogy was the best example!! Thank you!

[Whydoiexisthere-]

Also, an extra tip from someone who is chronically addicted to drawing dragons, birds and other winged things:
Look at skeletons!!! I HIGHLY suggest looking at the anatomy of a bird, pteranodon, or bat wing. It’ll help give you a sense of how the bones move and position themselves; this is useful not only for animating flight, but also for other actions! You can watch videos, look up bone and muscle examples on google, or even look at your own hand (birds essentially have a feathered arm as their wing, just with a longer wrist)! Of course, it’s not like your screen will explode if you don’t do this or anything, but if you want that extra detail, then go for it!

[Abbydog]

Something else that helps ALOT. If it’s a bigger bird/dragon or anything else that is Medium to Big sized—when the wings go up, make the body go down. The wings are pushing some air up, so it would make the animal “fall.” When the wings go down, they catch the air and make it go up more. I would say this is mandatory, and it helps build the action and it also makes it slightly interesting and fun. Try that, hope it helps! ❤

[NeoSokioArtz]

Even if it was an accident, the carrot example was so bloody helpful 😭🙏

[Spinosaurus_egyptiacus]

btw in flying side view the wings should atually move more like in a circular motion instead of just flapping up and down

[confusedkitty]

Something that helps me animate wings is looking in a mirror and moving my arm in a figure eight motion. The wrist of the wing is what moves the primary feathers, so I look at where my fingers are angled to see where the primary feathers would be. The movement is the same that a bird in flight seems to do. It’s an easy way to get a reference if you don’t want to scavenge for good videos of birds flying (:
If you do this, remember to make your figure eight skinny and tilted sideways because that’s more accurate to how wings are moved

[Polar]

bro the moment u sent this is CRAZY I WAS NEEDING THIS RN TYYY

[sanstheanimator]

I got so used to using the wave to animate that I forgot wings have bones in them so mine ended up looking like a bird doing a harlem shake

[Mr_Freds_Studio]

Can you do another video about bat wings they have different bone structure

[SolvaneonAndBenjamin]

I love animating flying
I love it so much
It’s so fun

[scribblecloud]

id use more downward drag on the up flap to make them look less stiff, and use many quick flaps for take off instead of just one single one

[multidebbie]

I have this absolutely adorable little creature. Literally a bunny, thats more circular and fluffier. I was thinking of giving them wings, and after watching this, I think I will! Instead of landing on their hind legs though, I can imagine when they land, they land on their front legs and because of the momentum they kind of run for a moment before stopping. Sometimes, probably most of the time cause their found in forests, they'll hit a wall and kind of bounce off of it.

[El_li_kbron]

You are amazing at explaining and I'm not a native English speaker, But you understand, I've been watching your videos for a while now and it's really helped me a lot. :)

[yourname-vboo]

Love your art! Great job. I hope to see more tutorials in the future. I would like to see one about how you paint your artwork. It looks SO GOOD! And I'd love to see how you do it!

[perrithepetrica]

DUDE. Where were you when I wanted to get into animation as a kid!? ;-; I would search for a tutorial on flying everywhere and could never find one that explained the process well. Thank you. You have healed me xDDD

[immagoholdupd]

this was perfectly timed holy

thank you <3

[rattatarats]

naw your tuts are awesome and aesthetic, THANK YOU FOR YOU HARD WORK!!!!

[thecalico]

Thank you very much, this will help me improve a lot ✨😁

[TooIndecisiveToChoose]

The channel always has clear and understandable animation tutorials! Gonna subscribe

[thecrookedjackdaw]

another tip id recommend is to move the character not just the wings due to force in physics in flight when wings are up move your character down and when wings are down move your character up.