#altopikachu

You don’t need fancy software to animate - sure good software can facilitate things, but you can start with anything – my first dabbles with animation were with MS Paint and Windows Movie Maker!Things you do need are:  • some art skill - you’re drawing, after all  • an eye for detail - real motion is v complicated  • endless patience - prepare to spend hours of work for a second of animation  • punching bag - for when (not if) you get frustrated

With 2D animation, yes, you do need some art skill. 3D not so much if you have your rigs made and ready for you. After that, animation is less about the software (software still matters, just not as much as you might think) and more about how you can replicate realistic (or toony - up to you) motion - the Twelve Principles of Animation is a good reference. All of them are important, but a few good ones to really nail down early on are Anticipation, Secondary/Overlapping Action, and Timing.For creature motion, nothing beats realistic reference like the real thing itself - watching the motion of animals or your own movements is great for posing and timing and stuff!