Timing
Understanding timing is fundamental to understanding animation. The more you practice, the more you will develop an instinct for how many drawings/frames will be needed to communicate any given action.
As a simple starting point, if you want a moment to hold on screen for longer, more frames are required and many subtly changing drawings will convey slow motion.
A very quick movement will only be shown briefly so will need only very few frames.
Animation is typically either done on 'ones' (a drawing for every 24 frames per second) or 'twos' (half the amount of drawings, 12). Each of these techniques has its advantages. Even though twos are slightly less smooth on the eye, there is an appeal in the vitality, and most cartoons will use twos not least to cut the workload. Try both and see what works for you.
Timing can be a real asset in bringing character to a piece of animation.
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Chuck Jones was known for his brilliant timing, particular on the Road Runner films, where you can feel his perfecting of comic timing as if it were a new kind of science. We know very little about the coyote and we read almost everything from his reactions to failed attempts to catch his prey. What really sells this is the acute sense of timing. We already know what's going to happen, it's just a matter of holding it to the right... moment.
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Studying timing and process can be a dry exercise, so don't forget to have fun with it and see what you can discover.
