In FLASH

Blood tutorial

I'm now going to show you how I do to make THIS

First of all, I start by making the stick-figure getting pushed down by the force of the bullets (unrealistic, yes). I'm sure you know how this is done, but in brief do it by putting the stick-figure in a new graphic symbol (CTRL+F8). When inside the symbol itself, just draw a stickfigure getting shot down.

Place the symbol on the main stage. It could look something like THIS

If you want to add the shading effect that you can see on some of my stick-figures, add a new layer. Copy the symbol from your other layer (CTRL+C) and then put it in the other layer by pasting it to the same spot (CTRL+SHIFT+V). Tint the new symbol to a color you want and move it a bit to a direction by using the arrow tools on your keyboard. Make sure the new layer is under the first layer.

Now lets create the first blood. I make a new symbol again and do some frames of blood squirting. I use the brush tool with a pretty dark-red color. Shapes are fast and larger in the first frames, and in the end the drops move slower and gets smaller. Shade some of the blood by drawing lines with the pencil tool (N) and then fill the areas with darker red. Delete the lines when done. To add a shine just pick a very bright red color and draw some bright next to the drops using the brush tool.

Go back to the main stage and add the symbol in a new layer at the point the stickfigure gets hit. This symbol was supposed to be the blood that comes out on the backside of the stick, so I flip the symbol and put it at his back.

To add the bloodsplatter caused by the bullets, I once again create a new symbol. This time I make it look kind of like an explosion. Use the same shading and shine technique as in the previous blood symbol to create this one. Watch mine frame by frame here

To add the bloodsplatter caused by the bullets, I once again create a new symbol. This time I make it look kind of like an explosion. Use the same shading and shine technique as in the previous blood symbol to create this one. Watch mine frame by frame HERE

Now let's drag the new symbol from the library to the main stage. Copy it (CTRL+C). As the stick falls to the ground, keep pasting new symbols (CTRL+V) in new frames.

Also remember to place the symbols in new layers, that'll make things easier.

Now you should have some decent looking blood explosions and blood coming out of the back of the stick as he falls down. After this I make the blood on the grund. Make a new layer on the main stage.

This might sound tricky but it's really easy. At the frame where you see the blood in the air for the first time, draw some blood drips on the ground in your new layer.. Press F6 to create a new keyframe and add some more. There should be new drips of blod on the ground at every new keyframe in the new layer.

Add even more at the place where the stick gets to touch the ground. When you think it looks alright make longer and longer gaps between the drips untill it finally stops. Should look something like this

Well, you're kind of done. Add a background and if you feel for it, add some random blood in the air. Oh and last of all. You create that pile of blood by tweening a small circle.

Hopefully this made sense.

- Oscar Johansson Dec 09 2005