Research
In the research stage, I gather as many reference images and videos as possible. If I am unable to act out and film certain scenes myself, I search for references online.
Sound Breakdown
Before I start drawing, I like to listen to the sound file that will be used for the scene. First, I listen to the entire sound clip and then I go through it again, writing down any dialogue as well as listing any other sounds I hear. Once I have listened to the clip a few times and written down everything I hear, I prioritize the main sound beats or words that I want to emphasize in the scene.
Sketching
Before I start drawing my thumbnails for my key poses, I like to fill a page with quick sketches. This acts as a warmup and gets my creativity flowing.
When I start doing pre-production for rigging I sketch out a bunch of possible designs with variation in size and proportion to see what I like best.
Thumbnails
In the thumbnail stage I use the sound breakdown I did to create the key poses for my scene. I draw thumbnails for all the sound beats or bits of dialogue I want to emphasize.
Animatic
In the animatic stage, I like to use Storyboard Pro. I start by drawing out the key poses and any background elements or props that will be interacted with in the scene. Next, I bring in the sound file and work on timing. Most of my time is spent on timing when making an animatic.
Blocking
In the blocking stage I usually work in Toon Boom Harmony but for some scenes I find it helpful to do a rough block out in a 3D software like Maya. When creating a 360 rig for 2D animation I like to create the basic shapes in 3D first and use that as a guide.
Organization
Organization isn't a step on its own but it is very important to my process whether I am rigging or animating. When rigging I like to keep my node view tidy and easy to navigate with the use of coloured backgrounds.