Switch Layer and Fill Colors

[Lupas Deva]

What exactly does a Switch Layer do?

Filll colors is also confusing me. I know how to change the stroke and fill colors. But to create a detailed character with many different colors you have to draw the area then contain/loop the duck lines to get your fill color.
I tryed doing every color item on a different layer then merging the layers but I couldn't figure out if Anime Studio had a merge layer button.

Anyway does anyone have a good tutorial for that?

Thanks

[tonyg]

A switch layer contains sub-layers but only one of those sub-layers is visible at a time so you 'switch' between them.
Have a look at the default character for examples.
Winsor_45 (AS 5.6) has switch-layers for eyebrows, eyes and mouth.
You can interpolate between the sub-layers but can sometimes look odd.
A very simple example is having an eyes switch layer with sub-layers eyes_closed and eyes_open. Use eyes_open then switch to eyes-closed for 3-4 frames to get a blink.
I also use them for head-turns (face-on, 3/4, profile), hands (open, fist, point) and mouths (for use with Papagayo)
They're VERY handy.

I haven't found a way to create lots of different colours other than the way you describe. I draw the character in Art Rage Pro (or PSP, GGale or Gimp), fully colour it with shading and then use that as a trace tool for my vector characters. I find the vector tools quite intuitive in AS if I have something to work from. I do keep colours to a minimum though (e.g. one-colour shading)

I am quite new to all this as well so there might be some better recommendations.

P.S. I managed to get Learn to Draw 1 + 2 from user Philippe Cizaire (p6r) which were great for getting started. They covered cartoon animals as examples for how to draw but there was suggestion #3 would be humans... (p6r, that would still be welcome)

[Lupas Deva]

Thanks, I've been playing with Anime Studio for hours and its really fun.