November Art Challenge: Animation 🎬

We're bringing back our monthly art challenges! This month we're going to try something we haven’t done before.

Simple Animations in Procreate!

You don't need to create a full animated scene or learn complicated animation techniques. A little movement is all it takes to bring an illustration to life.

đź“Ť Your Challenge

Create 1–3 short animations using Procreate's Animation Assist feature.

Start with an illustration you've already made, or create something new, and choose just 1 or 2 small elements to animate.

A character blinking, leaves blowing in the wind, flickering candlelight, or some text that wiggles over your animation.

You can keep things incredibly simple or make them as elaborate as you'd like!

How to Animate in Procreate

  1. Open an existing illustration in Procreate, or start something new.

  2. Turn on Animation Assist under Actions → Canvas.

  3. Set your finished artwork as the Background in Animation Assist so it stays visible throughout the animation.

  4. Create new frames on top of your artwork to animate the elements you've chosen.

  5. Try setting your frame rate to around 8 FPS for that slightly wiggly, hand-drawn animation style.

You don't need dozens of frames to make something interesting. Even a simple 2–4 frame looping animation can add a lot of personality to your artwork.

Prompt Ideas:

  • Flickering Candlelight: Animate the flame of a candle or lantern.

  • Autumn Breeze: Leaves gently blowing or falling from a tree.

  • Blinking Character: Bring a portrait or character to life with a simple blink.

  • Cozy Coffee: Steam rising from a warm drink.

  • Holiday Card: Create an animated greeting card with twinkling lights or falling snow.

  • Pumpkin Glow: A jack-o'-lantern with a flickering light inside.

  • Rainy Window: Raindrops sliding down a window.

  • Starry Night: Twinkling stars in a night sky.

  • Little Critters: A cat's tail swishing, a frog blinking, or a butterfly flapping its wings.

  • Something Magical: Floating particles, glowing objects, or a little sparkle.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Feel free to reuse artwork you've already finished. It's a great way to give an older project a little extra attention.

Although, sometimes it's easier to start from scratch! That way, you can plan your illustration around the elements you want to animate rather than trying to figure out how to animate something that wasn't designed for it.

The goal is to finish 1–3 small animations throughout November. Don't worry about making them perfect. Experiment, see what works, and have some fun with it.

Share your finished animations (or works in progress) in #Tribe Studio so we can see what you've been working on!

I'm looking forward to seeing your artwork come to life. 🧡