Have you ever thought about how dragons fly, how samurai fight with swords, or how robots shooting laser beams would look in motion? Have you ever thought about making your drawings move across the page, filling them with energy and life, just like they are in your imagination?
Of course, you have, and so have we. We’ve given it so much thought that we have developed magic powers to help us breathe life into still images. And we want to share that ability with you!
We’ve created 6 easy FREE workshops to help you learn how to animate using the same principles that the Nine Old Men of Disney used to create the golden age of animation. By learning how to animate for free, you can kick start turning your hobby into a career right now.
What do you need to learn in 2D animation?
Learn to Draw
Learning 2D animation requires a certain level of drawing skills. It’s good to understand line, shape, form, spacing, and proportions when animating anything. There are tons of how-to-draw tutorials out there, and you can find them on YouTube or Pinterest to get started. But don’t worry; we go over how to create your first character design for animation in our Free Introduction Class for Visual Development in Animation. This introductory course will show you the detailed process of designing a stylized cartoon character for further animation.
Other tools you will need are a drawing program, an animation program, and a drawing tablet.
For drawing programs, we recommend Adobe Photoshop or Krita. Adobe Photoshop is a professional tool used across the animation industry by professionals who make amazing graphics using built-in tools to customize text, color, and images to create something unique. Krita, on the other hand, is a great open-source program for new and experienced hobby artists. It features multiple brush types, layers, and even animation tools to transform your artwork once you’ve got a grasp of the basic principles of drawing.
When it comes to animation programs, Toon Boom Harmony and TVPaint are king. These are what most studios use, so getting comfortable with them will help you land that professional gig if you’re serious about getting into the industry. But you don’t need them if they are out of your price range right now. You can start with any animation software that works for you. Rough Animator or OpenToonz are easy-to-access programs that give you access to all the tools you need to start our free courses.
Having a drawing tablet is way better than drawing with a mouse. There are so many to choose from. The more common brands are Wacom, Huion, and XP-Pen. Any one of these choices works well with the programs we have just mentioned. If you have an iPad, using Procreate Dreams with your Apple Pencil is also a good way to get started.
Getting Started
Make a Moving Character
Remember that character you created in our Free Introduction Class for Visual Development in Animation? How about we give it a bit more life through quick, simple changes of emotion? Before you begin to learn the skills of classical 2D animation professionally, we recommend performing simple exercises to help you determine whether this activity is right for you.
In our Animation Take Free Workshop, we introduce you to our favorite daily sketch practices to significantly improve your animated drawing skills. These are important exercises to begin your training by creating an animated take or a quick reaction of a character to something or someone. By doing this exercise, you can enhance your skills in drawing a character in motion, learn to maintain its volume, and work on some fundamental principles of animation.
First Course
For any other program, try our Introduction to 2D Animation Free Workshop. The purpose of the course is to teach students basic knowledge about 2D animation and give them a better idea of the profession. As part of the classes, you will learn the tools you need to create 2D animation, get acquainted with the basic principles of the 2D animator, and make an animation of a simple character. Once you’ve finished your first animation, share your work with the hashtag #animationclubschool_2d on social media!
Skill Building
Once you have gotten through the introduction, let’s get acquainted with the basic rules of traditional 2D character animation in perspective with our Intermediate to 2D Animation Free Workshop. This is where hand-drawn characters come to life, thanks to your skills and imagination! In this free masterclass, you will understand the step-by-step process of creating an animation in perspective. Then, dive deeper into the fascinating world of animation and become a professional by taking our “Traditional 2D Animation. Course 1 – Basics.”
Adding A Little Polish
Finally, it’s time to make your first animation portfolio-worthy. Transform rough sketches into professional, polished animations in our Free Cleanup Workshop. This workshop introduces you to the basics of 2D animation cleanup through the example of a jumping cup animation. You’ll gain a hands-on understanding of the cleanup process and learn to set up a cleanup project in Toon Boom Harmony, master basic cleanup tools, explore layers and brushes, understand the difference between bitmap and vector brushes for cleanup, and create cleanup spot keys, breakdowns, and in-betweens through guided mentor demonstrations. By the end of it, you will have an animation piece that is portfolio-worthy. You can take your knowledge a step further with our Traditional 2D Animation Cleanup Workshop to become an efficient cleanup artist and boost your animation skills.
Ready to Turn Pro?
Bringing your drawings to life is fun, right? There are so many more skills to learn to master this magic. We want to be there for every step of your journey. That is why we have courses that dive deep into the basics to start a career in creating animated films or series under the guidance of a working animator. Or join our one-month intensive 2D animation mentorship workshop, offering personalized group mentorship tailored to your animation projects or demo reels, ensuring you gain industry-standard skills. Getting feedback on your work is the most important thing to improve your skills. We recommend submitting your portfolio to us at animationclub.school@gmail.com to see which course is best for you.
Now that you’ve been introduced to the skills needed to become a professional animator, we’re excited to be a part of your animation journey, helping you reach new heights and unlock your creative potential! It’s inspiring to work alongside you as you grow your skills and bring your ideas to life. We’re proud to support your progress and can’t wait to see the incredible projects we’ll create together.
