Choose your 2D animation format. Your project can either use 2D traditional animation or 2D computer animation. Animation, regardless of format used, produces movement through the minimal differences shown on each drawing being sequentially played on screen. The fast playback of related still images results in the illusion of movement.
In 2D traditional animation, each element is drawn repeatedly. In 2D computer animation, it is possible to lessen the images drawn by creating keyframes placed on the starting and ending points of a visual element's specific movement, then the computer creates the in-between frames.
Make your character design. You can simply draw everything on paper, then scan it to the computer, or you can create the entire design using a computer program. Finalize the look of the animated person you want to make and include all necessary details including facial features, hair color, body frame, identifiable body markings, clothes, shoes and accessories.
Create a character turnaround and a character design comparison sheet. These are important in the animation process so that you can combine the different elements of the animation with accuracy -- especially in terms of the shots, distances and angles they are shown.
For your animated character, the character turnaround shows the front, side and back of the character design drawn in a single document. Additional turnarounds can be done to showcase additional perspectives of the character, especially when certain shots and angles in the animation require more specific camera perspectives. For the character design comparison sheet, draw the various characters in a single document so that you can accurately compare their sizes when you use them together in your animation.
Record the voice of your animated character according to the dialogue required in the animation's script. This is called the scratch voice, which can be used as the final recording for the character or it can be replaced by a new recording during the animation's post-production stage.
Open your character design in a 2D animation program. Separate its elements into many layers so that you can move or animate each layer to specific directions required in the story. For instance, separate each finger from each hand into specific layers so that you can animate them properly.
This is quite a tedious process because if you want your character to move more smoothly, you need to separate its many elements into hundreds or even thousands of layers. Each layer should be moved according to the intended direction of the character's overall movements. If necessary, group each layer so they can also be moved together more conveniently. For instance, you can group all the layers of each finger so that they can follow the movement of the entire hand. At the same time, you can separately move one finger's layer to show movements specific to that finger only.