Trying to get started in computer animation, how do I begin?

[ToastiestZombie]

snip

It's true, a lot of movies are still shot on traditional film at 24fps (and some TV shows), but digital is the future. Like I had said previously, 24 frames was the minimum required frames that still made things look good. That's a good point to remember. Standards usually become standards not necessarily because they're better, it's usually because it's the most economical or the best compromise. A good example of this is VHS tapes versus Betamax. Betamax was a higher quality resolution, but more expensive. VHS is gone now, but for a long time it was king. I believe some TV stations still use Betamax decks and cameras.
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I think at this point (while you're young that is) it might be best for you to skip paper entirely. Granted, paper is cheap, and you don't have to buy an entire light table [http://www.amazon.com/Artograph-inch-Light-Pad-Box/dp/B003N45KRS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1VYKV0M7R4QNR&coliid=ILOK6JPPNNO0O] to work with it, but it's a hassle to record.
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Working with paper means you would have to keep your paper 'registered', that is, absolutely still and in perfect alignment when being drawn/scanned. This brings us back to the traditional animation peg [http://thingiverse-production.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/91/1d/f1/88/98/pegbar_display_medium.jpg]. Animation pegs are cheap, but the punches required for the paper aren't. If you could find some way to keep paper registered for both drawing and scanning, then go for it. Otherwise, it might be best to join the digital world and save up for a tablet [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wacom] so you can start working in Flash or whatever you want like a boss. They can get expensive, but at the very least you would get some experience with a tablet (even a cheap one).

I actually already have a tablet, it's what I used to draw the stuff on my DA profile. It's a cheap-ish tablet, so it's not got the precision or shading of a high-end one (although I'm saving up for one for my birthday). I might just go entirely flash, as flash animation has been used for things such as MLP and it can produce fantastic results. Yet I don't want to end up learning flash, then being shite at paper or other methods of 2D. So I think I might just stick with photoshop or Paint SAI then converting to JPGs.

 

[lechat]

on the subject of drawing frames.
isn't there some sort of differential animation programs out there that can fill missing frames yet? i know post process motion blur does something very similar at the very least

EDIT: also another bonus of 3d animation. you can make something 3000 frames a second just as easy as you do 24 fps

 

[Frezzato]

snip

You'd think there WOULD be, right? Coincidentally, the latest Disney short, Paper Man, was made with their own special software [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZJLtujW6FY] to make the short look like it was drawn by hand. I believe it took key frames, simulated a hand-drawn look, and also did some 'tweening. The point is, while the short looks hand drawn, it's basically all CGI.

I'm surprised it took this long for someone to do it.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

on the subject of drawing frames.
isn't there some sort of differential animation programs out there that can fill missing frames yet? i know post process motion blur does something very similar at the very least

EDIT: also another bonus of 3d animation. you can make something 3000 frames a second just as easy as you do 24 fps

At least I haven't found any programs that will do that for you (it would be wonderful). Photoshop claims to add in-betweens, but they're all messed up and not realistic. Flash will tween simple motions for you (like a bouncing ball or a panning camera), but forget a walk cycle. That's why I stressed just drawing it yourself (regardless of it being on paper, in a drawing program, or right into Flash) That way the motion is exactly how you want it.

3D programs will do it easily, but as far as 2D goes, computers don't like to draw.

 

[Little Duck]

The first thing I did was bounce a ball and then personalised that (made it react better with physics, squeezed it when it bounced).

That's the advice I'd give. Whatever you do, do simple things first, then worry about the more complex as you meet them. Crawl before you run and all that.