How to Create an Idle Character Animation in Procreate Dreams (plus FREE download!)

To celebrate the launch of our massive new Procreate Dreams course, we wanted to share a few free Procreate Dreams tutorials with everyone over the next while!
This tutorial shows one approach to creating a simple idle character animation using our viking ... make sure you download the free Dreams files of the animation at the link below - it includes the start file (with all the artwork and groups set up, ready to animate) and the finished version.
I take a look at the artwork setup and then work through the full animation process, step-by-step. It's pretty straightforward to follow and reuses similar techniques throughout, but there are some must-know animation tips in there. The goal of this one is to show how lots of simple, small animation details combined can breath life into your characters and be greater than the sum of their parts!
// Download the free Dreams files here:
shop.greenroommedia.eu/produc...
// Check out the full course here:
shop.greenroommedia.eu/produc...
// Check out our best-selling brush packs here (Procreate, Photoshop, Affinity):
shop.greenroommedia.eu/collec...
00:00 Introduction
00:18 NEW Dreams 4 Hour Course
00:46 Artwork Breakdown
03:24 Eye Blink Animation
06:50 Eyebrow Animation
09:11 Animating the chest
10:56 Animating the fur
12:46 Crouch animation and anticipation
14:52 Torso following the legs
16:18 Right leg individual animation
18:39 Lift up the hammer arm
19:58 Rotate the wrist to swing the hammer
21:01 Make the hammer feel heavier with easing
22:47 More eyebrow animation
24:06 Record perform the right arm animation
25:24 Record head movement performance
26:48 A few tweaks
27:48 The final animation
#procreate #procreatedreams #animation #tutorial

[@SkyOrtizCreative]

These tutorials for Procreate Dreams are fantastic! Thanks for sharing with us and I hope you make more. ✨🤩✨

[@doodlingdebbie1]

Wow! This is the best tutorial for Procreate Dreams on the internet. I took up animating with Procreate Dreams as a fun hobby. It’s been so frustrating at times not knowing how to get characters to move without looking funky. I’ve learned so much from this one video than I have from watching hundreds of others. Thank you so much! Please, make more. I don’t know why you didn’t show up when I searched for Procreate Dreams tutorials but, I’m sure glad you showed up on my Home Screen. You’re so good at teaching! ❤❤❤

[@GreenRoomIreland]

Thanks so much Debbie, that's so lovely to hear :) Really appreciate it and glad you found a few useful tips in there! I'll definitely be putting up more tutorials (both short 'n' sweet as well as more deep dives like this one) ... so keep an eye out!

[@doodlingdebbie1]

@@GreenRoomIreland Awesome!! Much gratitude and appreciation.💕💕💕

[@THECASUALNEWSROOM]

Thank you so much. One of the best procreate dreams tutorials. I know this channel is going to burst into the KZbin scene. So underrated

[@GreenRoomIreland]

Thanks so much for the kind words - really appreciate it! And if there’s anything you or anyone else would like to see covered, feel free to shout it out :)

[@decalpals8496]

As I told you in our communication about your Procreate Dreams Animation Guide (highly recommend to anyone reading this comment), I like that you get into the more technical side of the animation process where you show us how to use the values for different parts, like expanding the keyframe values and changing the easing for just a portion of the keyframe. Very helpful to get the precise movement I want in my animation. Looking forward to more content from you on Procreate Dreams. Kathy G.

[@GreenRoomIreland]

For sure! I think animation is definitely a juggle between both the creative and technical aspects moreso than other disciplines (like illustration or straight up design) … it’s one of the reasons I wanted to make the Dreams course (thanks for the kind words on that by the way!) - it’s one thing to follow along KZbin tutorials (some of which are great!) - but getting at least some of the broader technical knowledge down really opens up what you can make by yourself!

[@decalpals8496]

@@GreenRoomIreland I look forward to more technical guidance.

[@GreenRoomIreland]

@@decalpals8496 Very good! Keep an eye out for a new tutorial tomorrow or Tuesday which has a few new tricks ;)

[@ivan_vecerek]

Awesome video!!! We hope for more animations in near future ;)

[@GreenRoomIreland]

Thanks so much Ivan! Hopefully there was something useful in there :) And yep, will definitely be doing more Dreams videos, so anyone can feel free to shout suggestions on things they’d like to see covered in particular

[@doodlingdebbie1]

Hello Tony, I signed up for the course and downloaded the files. Where do I go for the instruction videos? I’m sort of lost….lol

[@GreenRoomIreland]

Hey Debbie! Thanks so much for taking the course - it’ll definitely fill in a few blanks from the KZbin tutorials so hope you like it!! So to access the course videos, go to the shop page and log into your account - there will be a “my courses” section on your orders page and the course should appear there, so just click to get going! If you’ve any problems, pop us over an email via the site contact form and I can email you back directly :)

[@GreenRoomIreland]

Also to add: you should also have received a course “welcome” email which brings you directly to the course videos (perhaps double check your spam folder in case it went in there!)

[@doodlingdebbie1]

@@GreenRoomIreland thank you. I’m a dingaling. I didn’t sign up, I just paid, downloaded and left….lol thankfully, I received the email you mentioned. I might be your worse student ever…lol

[@GreenRoomIreland]

Aw no worries at all - glad you’re sorted and up and running now! Hope you enjoy the course - feel free to message us any time if you’ve any questions :)

[@solrax6026]

This idle animation would work better an easier in toonSquid. Its flash

[@GreenRoomIreland]

I haven’t tried ToonSquid yet actually (Flash was the first animation software I ever learned so this looks familiar!) It’s great having a collection of different tools to choose from for different tasks - for any serious 2d character animation where I need to create reusable assets I would use something that has an actual rigging feature (like Spine or even After Effects with the right plugins) - but I wanted to show one possibility in Dreams for now as I’ve been working a lot in it lately! Thanks for the app suggestion!

[@solrax6026]

@@GreenRoomIreland well I hope to see some kind of tutorial of how u created something in toonsquid. Tools are always going to change. For me I've changed to using moho for rig animation. I've committed myself to dropping Adobe and figuring new ways of creation plus I'd rather support new businesses than feed the one that rules all. Haha. Fun fact tho. Toonsquid was and is developed by 1 guy. Love to see what 1 talented person can do over a big company. Ill be around checking out some of ur vids.. cheers

[@TheEricBooth]

This guy looks like he's ready to Diggy Diggy Hole.

[@GreenRoomIreland]

😂 yep, just a quick tool swap and he’s good to go