Acting in Traditional 2D animation Course 3

In this course, you’ll focus on character acting in 2D animation, learning how to bring emotion and personality into your work. You’ll develop expressive performances by studying references and analyzing character emotions then translating them into believable movement.

You’ll go beyond mechanics and learn how to create authentic, engaging performances that connect with the audience.

New students are required to submit animation samples for review before joining.

Start date
June 8, 2026
Duration
12 weeks
Price per month
415€/month (excl. VAT)
Sign up for the course
Acting in [hl]Traditional 2D animation[/hl] Course 3
Edward Kurchevsky

Mentor

Edward Kurchevsky

2D animator and director, worked on Primal, Scavengers Reign, Tales of Alethrion and others.

About the course

This course is designed to take you from strong animation fundamentals to creating expressive, believable character performances. You’ll focus on acting in animation by learning how to communicate emotion, intention, and personality through exaggerated movements.

You’ll develop your ability to analyze references, break down emotional states, and translate them into clear, readable animation. Special attention is given to subtle details such as facial expression, body language, and secondary motion to help your characters feel alive and relatable.

What you’ll achieve
▪Create expressive character performances with clear emotions.
▪Understand how to analyze and apply reference in animation.
▪Animate subtle acting details like facial expressions and body language.
▪Develop believable, engaging scenes that connect with the audience.
▪Build polished acting shots for your demo reel.

Instead of just theory, you’ll follow a structured, mentor-led step-by-step process used in real animation workflows. Each lesson includes practical assignments where you apply what you learn immediately and refine your work through feedback.

Each week you will meet with your mentor and peers in a group lesson review to critique you progress and gain inspiration from your fellow classmates. You will also get support from moderators and other students through an exclusive Discord channel on our main server. Where you can Ask questions, share your progress, and learn alongside others on the same path.

So you won't be learning alone!

Follow a structured 12-week progression:

▪ Start with head construction, rotation, and understanding facial movement
▪ Develop acting principles, emotion, and expressive character performance
▪ Move into color, environment, and storytelling through scenes
▪ Finish with polished acting shots and a complete demo reel

You’ll begin with foundational exercises focused on head rotation, structure, and how facial features move in space. From there, you’ll develop acting skills by studying emotion, timing, and subtle body language, learning how to create believable performances.

As you progress, you’ll explore color scripts and environment design to support storytelling, combining acting with staging and visual context. By the end, you’ll refine your work into polished acting scenes and assemble a demo reel that showcases expressive, character-driven animation.

After the course

By the end of the course, you’ll have created a series of polished acting shots that demonstrate your ability to animate emotion, personality, and performance.

You’ll have strong portfolio-ready work and the confidence to take on more advanced animation challenges, collaborate on projects, or continue developing toward professional-level character animation.

After the course

Once you've completed this course, you’ll have the skills to create expressive, portfolio-ready animation that brings characters to life. You’ll be ready to go beyond exercises and start developing your own stories and films in our Short Film Creation course series choosing between either: "Animation & Directing" or "Visual Development " courses.

The course is suitable if you:

  • Continuing your growth as SERIOUS 2D animator

    You want to grow your skills beyond being good to being GREAT. You’re serious about building a career in animation by mastering nuanced motion and want a clear, structured path instead of figuring everything out on your own. You’re looking for guidance from an experienced mentor to develop strong acting and performance skills.

  • An Ambitious Indie Studio

    You want to improve the quality of your skills to work better with your team’s animation output. Being able to produce stronger, more dynamic animation with better efficiency. . This course helps you develop stronger character performances, refine workflows, and bring more personality and storytelling into your projects.

  • Graduate of Course 2: Body Mechanics

    Your already fluent in applying the 12 basic principles of animation, such as archs, volume control, weight, timing, and character mechanics, but your animations lack emotion and personality. This course helps you move from action packed motion to suttle charater performances by creating expressive, believable acting and portfolio-ready scenes.

The course is [hl]suitable[/hl] if you:

Сurriculum

Month 1: Emotion & Character Expression

4 lessons

  1. Head turn. Get acquainted with how to convey differnt types of emotion through head movement and facial direction.
  2. Head drawings. Improve structure and consistency when animating expressive faces.
  3. Wave principle. Apply overlapping motion to hair, clothing, and secondary elements.
  4. Character & environment interaction. Begin integrating characters into a scene with context.
  • <b>4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)</b>

    4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)

  • <b>By the end of Month 1,</b>You will understand how to express emotion through head movement, facial structure, and secondary motion, creating more believable and engaging characters.

    By the end of Month 1,You will understand how to express emotion through head movement, facial structure, and secondary motion, creating more believable and engaging characters.

<b>Month 1: Emotion & Character Expression</b>

Month 2: Acting, Reference & Scene Development

4 lessons

  1. Wind interaction. Animate how external forces affect character movement and mood.
  2. Acting fundamentals. Work with reference and sound to develop believable performances.
  3. Color script. Define mood and emotion through color and visual tone.
  4. Environment design. Create scenes that support character performance and storytelling.
  • <b>4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)</b>

    4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)

  • <b>By the end of Month 2,</b> You will begin creating a complex acting shot using reference, sound, and visual storytelling, combining performance with environment and mood.

    By the end of Month 2, You will begin creating a complex acting shot using reference, sound, and visual storytelling, combining performance with environment and mood.

<b>Month 2: Acting, Reference & Scene Development</b>

Month 3: Performance & Portfolio Creation

4 lessons

  1. Acting performance. Develop a clear and expressive character action.
  2. Clean-up & drawing. Refine your animation with clarity and consistency through tightdown and drawing clean up.
  3. Breakdowns & polish. Add detail, timing, and subtle motion to enhance performance.
  4. Demo reel preparation. Select, refine, and present your best work.
  • <b>4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)</b>

    4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)

  • <b>By the end of Month 3,</b> You will have create a complex and high quality, emotion-filled acting shot and formalize your demoreel that showcases your ability to create expressive, character-based animation.

    By the end of Month 3, You will have create a complex and high quality, emotion-filled acting shot and formalize your demoreel that showcases your ability to create expressive, character-based animation.

<b>Month 3: Performance & Portfolio Creation</b>

You will learn

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Meet Your Course Mentor

Course author

EEdward Kurchevsky is a director and 2D animator with over 10 years of industry experience. He will guide you through the exact techniques and workflows used in a real animation production. He'll help you avoid common mistakes and improve faster through both recorded lessons and and live weekly feedback sessions to give you the best possible change to succeed in your animation journey.

Acting in [hl]Traditional 2D animation[/hl] Course 3

Acting in Traditional 2D animation Course 3

Course fee

415€/month (excl. VAT)

Start

June 8, 2026

Spots left

8 spots

Frequently asked
questions about the course