A few things relevant to the stuff above alongside some rules of thumb.
- FlipAClip I hear is okay, but most of what I've stumbled upon has been within hobbyist work. Which is also fine until you realize it deprives you of basic animation functions behind a subscription fee when otherwise readily available in different software. I myself do not use a tablet at the moment but two good alternatives I've found for tablets are Rough Animator and Toon Squid. I suspect you'd be interested in the former, especially for the feature film that it was designed to produce.
- As for desktop applications, I recommend Tahoma2D, TV Paint or Toon Boom Harmony. Only get the latter two if you can pirate them safely, it's not worth the extortion.
- I'm happy to hear you're drawing, as it is admittedly sort of a weakness of mine. But always know that you can dabble back and forth between animation and drawing. They compliment each other and good to interleave, but aren't necessarily dependent (recommended (slop) watch). For instance, I like to slack back to using placeholder cylinder and box shapes as guides, it's far easier to control and explore the movement than applying the two skills in tandem. In case of a complex character animation, I would then rough in basic head, torso and pelvis clusters with sticks for limbs, then tiedown the rough with the inclusion of the connecting flesh.
- Treat learning as a curious exercise rather than a to-do task. If you have to animate a walk cycle, try type of walk that appeals to you, or one you wish to understand and pick apart. Alternatively, you can make a generic walk cycle of a character you admire instead. There are many ways to do this, it's up to you to explore and tailor to keep your interest up.
- As with drawing, consistency is key.
I strongly believe anyone can make something wonderful with the little tools they have, it just takes time and dedication. I do not believe you can find it easily in larger productions nowadays but that should never discourage you.
Happy drawing
