You ever want to create a GIF, drawing, or animation and be able to share it with your friend instantly? Look no further than a new app called Animatic by Inkboard. It’s a free animation app that creates Gifs frame by frame, utilizing a variety of tools such as markers, erasers, and pencils.
Darren Paul, co-founder of Inkboard said in an interview with the Huffington Post that he and his co-founder were talking about Walt Disney creating animated shorts in the 1920s. They wanted to create animations using a frame by frame template and make it modern by being able to using a mobile phone.
PSUC’s graphic design and illustration professor Norman Taber thought the app was an interesting concept.
“It looks like a fun app. It’s kind of a nice segway into animation and it sort of simplifies the process for people,” he said.
Each new frame of the gifs features a trace of the previous, to help the animation flow and functionally of the app.
Taber said with the app, the art process is being picked up earlier with the ability to sketch each frame with a finger. He does suggest sketching before beginning the frame by frame process.
“It’s a cleaner progression of your mind,” Taber said. “ So you see immediately what you’re doing.”
Even though Taber liked the concept of the article, he did feel like the app appealed more for a general audience rather than art students.
“It’s not trying to do anything too formal or too intimidating with people’s artwork,” he said.
PSUC junior and graphic design major Liam McGuire likes the concept of the app.
“I’m excited to see what I can do with it. I like the structure of it,” McGuire said.
McGuire mentions the bottom bar on the app which he believes can be helpful and has everything he normally uses.
“I find myself carrying too much pencils at all times.”
Other features that are in the app include an undo and redo button on the side of the frames which McGuire finds helpful.
“The adding and taking away of layers is really cool because that’s what I work with with Photoshop,” he said.
McGuire who admits he personally likes drawing with paper better because of the connection into the drawing itself.
“I have a paper in my hand. A pencil in the other. There is no middle man I have to use to make it happen” McGuire said. “That being said, this is a cool app.”
McGuire recommends this to other artists.
“I think it could be really cool as an animation app. The design is sleek. It’s responsive to my fingers. There’s no catch to the app.”
“I think it’s really cool. It’s simple to use,” she said. “It seems like a lot of people who don’t have creative talent can even use it, which is good because I don’t have that,” Adams said.
Adams, like many people, find Gifs online to be very funny and she thinks it cools that she make one herself.
“It’s a cool concept. I would try to make funny pictures and upload them on the internet,” Adams said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this app, which is why it’s so unique. The fact that it’s free is amazing because most apps this complex aren’t free.”
Senior studio art major Ndeye N’Diaye was looking for an app similar to Animatic. Pros of the app according to N’Diaye are the all the options it provides.
“I can use my finger, drag it and use different colors as well.”
“You can use pencils, crayons and markers. Even different shades and types of pencils which we even use in art class” N’Diaye said.
The app also includes a selection of finished GIFs, which users can share as-is, or edit to create their own animations.
“It’s definitely something I’m interested in.” N’Diaye said.
Email David Luces at fuse@cardinalpointsonline.com
