Sketchbook Investigations: Extremes and In-Betweens

So as I was getting some keyframes in for my animation, I looked back and hit play like every other frame see how things were going. I noticed that my animation looked really choppy at certain points and going back to fix it was a real pain. As I was trying to fix it, I learned something that I actually learned last year in my 3D animation class. A method of approaching animation called "Extremes and In-Betweens".

You basically draw 2 frames, one is the start of the action; one is the start of the action. You then draw every frame in between the two actions. You'd start with the frame between say frame 1 and 8. then the frame between 1 and 4. Then 1 and 2; 3 and 4. This helps make things look a LOT smoother. 

Sometimes you want characters to move quick during certain parts and slow during others, so this method helps alot with that especially if you plan it out on a sketchbook first, and then animate it on pencil or flash. Onion skins help lot to when drawing the in betweens.