New Course On How To Assemble a Moho Animation Launching Late January
Hi Guys!
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays. I am back and have been steadily working on my new course. As I discussed in my last post, this course is going to take all the pieces we’ve learned in all Moho courses published on Toon Files and put it all together to create a cohesive sequence of events with action and dialogue. I am getting close to getting ready to start recording this one.
In the meantime, here are 4 new images from the project. We will be using 2D rigs with a combination of 3D sets, all built in Moho (with some outside assistance from Procreate-created textures).
Once I get a little further into this I will set up a pre-order page on Toon Files (which I will announce here as well). Thanks for reading!
What To Look Forward to in January
Hi there,
It’s been about a month since I’ve posted an update anywhere. I figured I should get on it soon before 2019 calls it a day.
There’s a reason for my absence. I’ve been having back issues. It’s something I’ve always dealt with but recently I have been enduring some pretty intense upper back pain. It’s slowed me down this month as it’s harder for me to sit for longer periods of time. In addition, my wife and I are expecting our son soon and so that’s taken some focus as her condition advances.
But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working.
I am planning to release my next course this coming January. This new course focuses on Moho and is the nexus that connects all the other courses together. Up to this point the Moho courses have focused on isolated tasks that make up an overall production. This new course will take all those pieces and show how to properly put together a short animated production.
For this course I am taking a little inspiration from the past. About five or six years ago I produced a free course titled “Steve and the Alien”. It showed the process of building a short animation from start to finish in Moho. The series of Moho courses I have released on this site and Udemy is set up to follow a similar path. Instead of one long slog of a course though, I have split everything into easier to digest packages. This also allows for you to come in and just learn one piece if you wish.
I should have a pre-order page up sometime in early January. For now though, you can check out the images below. Still early, but it shows off new characters we will be animating, as well as some 3D objects we will be using to build the sequences.
Beyond that, I have been working on Benik a little bit, but I will be honest, it’s taken a backseat until this next course is released. My back issue threw a wrench into my workflow this month. But the only thing I can do is keep pushing and hope you guys find the course (and my new Benik) worthwhile.
This will probably be the last time you hear from me this year. To those of you celebrating this holiday season, I hope you have a safe and wonderful time bonding with family and friends.
Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!
Black Friday Sale! Save 40% on All Courses and Files!
BLACK FRIDAY SALE! Looking to save 40% on any Toon Files product? Now's your chance to grab what you need and save big!
Just click this link to activate the coupon!
Note: You won’t see the discount apply until you click on the product page itself.
New Free Tutorial! Different Action Types in Moho Pro
Are you a Moho user who is curious about the Actions panel? Well, I have a full course now available on this subject. But if you’re looking for a quick explanation of the different action types, you will want to check out this free tutorial. I go over the three main action types using version 13’s new enhanced Actions panel.
I also have a new Newcomer membership perk coming next week. Stay tuned for more info on that!
New Course! Building an Actions Library in Moho Pro 13
Hey Guys!
I took a couple weeks off from this blog as I have been going through a few life events. While I haven’t officially announced anything on this blog, my wife and I are expecting our new son in January. I have lots to say on that subject, but it deserves his own post, after he’s here :)
But I also have been working (and playing RDR2 on PC but we won’t talk about that). I set down my animation for a couple weeks to record a new course. Not only that, I decided to forgo the usual pre-release window and release it today. Surprise! I bet your mind is blown.
It’s on the shorter side, clocking in at a little over two and a half hours. I focus on building actions using the new Actions panel in Moho Pro 13. If you’re looking to build actions that can be saved, organized, reused and edited, perhaps for a big production or web series, this course is for you!
If you’d like to get more information on this course, please click here and you’ll receive 20% off if you decide to buy.
I plan to swing back and keep working on my animation. So you’ll be seeing more images, and perhaps clips, soon. Thanks of reading! Have a great weekend!
Happy Halloween! Let's Celebrate with this TBT!
PSA: This Halloween, when bobbing for apples, try not to fill the tub with boiling hot oil. Oh, and make sure the apples are apples and not deep fried chicken balls. Thanks!
Bubba throws a Halloween party for his friends. Animated in the fall of 2003.
Cartoon Particles Pack Now Available!
A new pack with 25 animatable particle effects is now live on Toon Files. Best of all? You can access it for free simply by signing up for a Newcomer account! This free account now only gives you access to this pack, but three courses and a starter file pack as well. And if you want to sign up for a premium membership, don’t worry, this pack is available to premium members too!
Weekly Update: New Free Particles Pack Incoming! Plus Benik News
Hey there!
I was a little late with this week’s (or rather last week’s) update. I’ve been getting carried away with my current animation project and sometimes I tend to let things slide. But, better late than never, here we go!
I am planning on releasing a new free assets pack this week which will be available to all members of Toon Files. This includes Newcomer members, which is our free membership plan. If you want access to this pack, plus other files and courses, sign up now! This pack includes some pretty simple particles created in After Effects using the Particle World plugin. Effects like this can be useful for creating sparks, smoke, dust, fire, weather effects and much more. Getting access to this pack also means any new particle effects I add are available to you. I will post a separate update once the pack goes live. Should be up either Monday or Tuesday.
Below are a few examples of particles included in the pack.
Unfortunately, there is no free tutorial this week. I decided to take a week off as I continue to focus on animation. I should hopefully be back on track next week.
Speaking of my animation, it’s coming along nicely. I have over a minute animated. As of right now I am working on an underwater sequence in which Benik must escape a hideous monster. This whole process uses a combination of Moho, Cinema 4D Lite and After Effects. The results are nice, I’d say!
I’ve also posted some updated images of the production below. Hoping to wrap this one up in early November but sometimes my estimates on my animated projects can be a bit off.
Anyway, that’s all from me. Look forward to the Particle Pack, which I’ll be posting a link to on this blog when it launches.
Weekly Update: New Backgrounds, Props and Benik Animations
Hi there!
This week was a little less busy for tutorial work. But that doesn’t mean nothing has been going on. Here is a recap for your reading pleasure.
First, I released a new preview for my latest course. This one covers how to fill in objects after throwing down line work. You can check out the video below! And if you’re interested in purchasing the course, use this link to receive 20% off!
Next, I managed to squeeze out seven new downloadable files this week. The bulk of them are abstract backgrounds, but I also threw in a new cave scene and two new alien guns for props. You can purchase these packs individually. If you’re a Studio member, you already have access to these files. View the images below to see what as added.
I’ve been spending the past week working on my new personal project: Mr. Binek’s Class: The Great Asscape. It’s been nice to take a little break from tutorial making. However, I do have to question my sanity on this one. Sure, it’s a throwback to an old idea I did in high school 18 years ago. But, as I keep going, I am wondering some things about myself. With that said, I posted a stationary Benik animation followed by the first 40 seconds of what I did so far. It’s still a bit rough, but should give a good idea of where I’m going with this.
And that’s it for this week! Thanks for reading and good luck with your projects!
Weekly Update: New Animate Course Released, Plus Demo Videos
Hello!
Time for another weekly update! This one is a bit light on content but that’s mostly due to wrapping this new course. The end process always takes up a good chunk of my time. So unfortunately, there will be no asset releases this week. Look forward to that next week, though!
As stated in a previous post, Designing Cartoon Characters in Adobe Animate is now available! This course acts as a prequel to Rigging and Animating in Adobe Animate. If you’re looking to understand the design tools in this software, then this course is for you!
I also released another sample from the course. I will embed it below for your viewing pleasure.
That’s it from me! Short and sweet. Until next week…
Throwback Thursday: A Bad Hair Day
This week’s ChadToon throwback focuses on the original Ahoyager crew. I was a huge Voyager fan in the early 2000’s. It was the first Trek I discovered and fell in love. While it may not be my favorite series anymore, it always holds a special place in my heart.
In this Halloween episode I think I tried to mix a bit of horror in with the absurdity. But again, coming from the mind of a 16 year old with not so great writing and animation skills, the result is a bit odd. I wouldn’t say it’s bad. Just odd. Okay, maybe it’s bad. I’ll let you decide:
Have a great Thursday!
Now Available: Designing Cartoon Characters in Adobe Animate
Hi there! If you have any interest in Adobe Animate, you may find this new course to be of use! My new six hour course takes you through the process of designing vector based characters in Animate with the intention to rig and animate. I already have a course on rigging and animating with layers, and so this course acts as a prequel of sorts. if you want to produce your whole production in Animate, it’s totally possible!
Check out the overview video for more information!
Like most of my courses, this one comes with exercise files to help with every step.
Be sure to use this link to get 20% off!
I hope you find the course useful and happy animating!
Weekly Update: New Props and Sky Textures
Hello!
I hope you’re having a great weekend. I am back for my weekly update on all things Chad. I am the most interesting subject I know most about, after all.
I still have my new Benik episode on hold as I work through more Toon Files content. Unfortunately, this is the reality of my workflow; it’s hard to focus on two full projects at once. But, the scenes are still built, voices are recorded and the process is ready for me to jump back to. I am hoping this will happen mid October, after I release Designing Vector Characters in Adobe Animate.
Speaking of my new course, why not check out the new free lesson I released this week? This 16 minute video goes through the process of designing a character’s torso and should give a good idea of what the bulk of the course will aim to achieve.
Finally, I have released 12 new files this week: six props and six textures. The props are a bit of a mishmash while the textures are all skies. So if you’re looking to add a sky box or texture a vector in Moho, you may find these useful!
New Assets for Cartoon Props Pack:
New Sky Textures for Cartoon Textures Pack:
That’s it from me this week. Thanks for reading and happy animating!
Throwback Thursday: Aliens and Time Travel
In late summer of 2001 I took my inspirations from the series finale of Star Trek Voyager and made a time travel adventure of my own. Of course this concept resembles other series more than Star Trek, but that is the series that sparked my obsession with time travel.
So this week I am spotlighting one of the funnier time traveling cartoons I have animated. This is an old 3dmm, so be prepared for neck breaking 7 frames per second! Enjoy!
Weekly Update: New Animate Course and Scenery Files
Hello!
I hope you had a great week. I’ve been trying to keep busy by starting work on a new Adobe Animate course, which focuses on character design, as well uploading new files to the Cartoon Scenery Pack. If you’re a Studio member on Toon Files, you will have access to the scene files already, with the course launching October 7th. If you’re not a member, you can always pre-order the course and receive 20% off! Or you can become a Studio member and get access to everything I release!
A preview for my new course. This video covers Adobe Animate’s main design tools.
As stated I also released some new sets for the Cartoon Scenery Pack. Two interior sets, plus nine exterior, all made with vectors in Moho. Files also come in PSD, .svg and .pngs formats. Here are some images for your reference:
That’s it from me this week! Stay tuned for more course and file updates!
Weekly Update: Toon Files' New Look
It’s been a busy couple weeks as I have been working to revamp the Toon Files website to be easier to navigate. I ended up skipping last week’s update because I didn’t really have much to say. I wanted to get the site done before writing about it. Not to mention I skipped the free tutorial last week. Shame on me.
The biggest change to the site comes with the file packs. Originally when I launched Toon Files I had every asset for sale individually. It wasn’t a great way to sell the items. I tried to restructure them into one large pack but that ended up being confusing. So now I have once again redistributed the files, this time into four packs: Abstract Backgrounds, Cartoon Scenes, Cartoon Textures and Cartoon Props. In total there are over 150 files and the plan is to add more monthly, in addition to recording course content.
Unfortunately, all this focus on the site means Benik is still trapped in the bottomless ass. Don’t worry, I plan to get him out. May not happen until late October, maybe early November.
And while I skipped last week, I did release a new free tutorial today. This time another preview from the Moho 13 Bitmap course. I’ll embed it below:
And that’s all from me. Be sure to check out the new Toon Files revamp!
Throwback Thursday: Star Trek on Weed
At the beginning of 2014 I teamed up with my friend Jimmy Mills to deliver the final, and best, episode in the then new Ahoyager series. Entitled Galactic Ganja, this episode focused on two minor characters during an alien invasion. The twist? The two friends are high as a kite. Here’s the YouTube link for your viewing pleasure:
I’ve loved Star Trek since I was a tween and, to the surprise of many, Voyager was the series that grabbed me. It’s no longer my favorite series, but it has always held a special place for me, flaws and all. This “new” Ahoyager isn’t a direct parody. It’s mostly a name carry over from my old series. I seem to build new iterations of things I developed years ago. It’s just the way I like to work.
The Ahoyager series never found it’s footing for me. The first episode isn’t very… good. I even got criticized for being misogynistic with it. The idea was to create a female over exaggerated version of Captain Kirk. While I understand the point of view that I am bringing down a quality of Trek that shines (equal representation), it really is just meant to be funny. A burnt out aging woman burdened with her command and poor life choices. But I totally understand the point of view that I am knocking and bringing down what is seen on the real Trek series as a strong and inspiring female captain. I just wasn’t thinking that way during the production of this series.
The second episode, while trying to do an Office-like Michael Scott approach to Pakaday’s character, the whole things comes off as racist with a weak underlining message that doesn’t pay off. Again, the intention here was to go a little deeper, highlighting that Pakaday just isn’t capable of dealing with people who are different from her. She’s uncomfortable with dealing with people of a different race. But it’s not really well conveyed and it’s probably a low point for me in terms of execution and writing.
I feel this third and final episode got things right. It focused on the most normal of the characters (BJ) and his friend CJ, who is possibly the least normal of the crew. Under normal circumstances BJ would probably clean up the situation quickly. But his state of mind from the galactic ganja complicates matters. Ultimately though, it’s the ganja that saves CJ. Jimmy helped me write this episode and that whole back and forth struggle with the characters really paid off, especially with his voice acting.
While some of the animation and pacing could use some tightening from my 2019 perspective, I still find this to be a solid animation. It also uses an older style of animation, which can be charming in some cases.
So there you have it, a little history on Ahoyager and the final episode. I still find it enjoyable. I hope you do too!
See you next Thursday for another throwback blog piece!
Weekly Update: Free Lesson on Moho 13 and New Concepts Images from Benik
Happy Friday!
I have decided it’s time to dedicate more time to this blog. I seem to get sidetracked with my social media accounts and this blog seems to always get neglected. Well no longer!
So what happened this week?
First, I released my new course on bitmap design in Moho 13. If you’re a user of the software and are curious about the new tools, this is a course you will want to check out. It’s available on Toon Files, Udemy and my YouTube Channel Membership.
You can also view this week’s free lesson, which relates to this course. Here I show how the bitmap fill tool works with Moho 13:
Finally, I’ve been working on a new cartoon and have been posting some images from it. Decided to post a whole batch today too. Here they are for your viewing pleasure:
Designing Bitmap Characters in Moho 13 Now Available!
New Moho course! Learn about the new version 13 bitmap tools while designing a character from scratch through nearly 4.5 hours of learning content and exercise files!
Get it on:
Toon Files: https://www.toonfiles.com/designing-bitmap-characters-in-mo…
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyZi5pyQmTg
Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/course/designing-bitmap-characters-in-moho-13
New Course Incoming: Rigging and Animating PSDs with Duik and Joysticks
Learn how to create bone-based animations in After Effects! Here is a sneak peek where we create a skeleton and line up points for a layer-based rig. The course launches July 3rd!