Traditional 2D animation. Course 1 — Basics

About the course

This course is designed to take you from beginner to confident 2D animator by guiding you through the core skills used in traditional animation. You’ll learn and apply the 12 principles of animation, mastering timing, spacing, weight, squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, follow-through, overlapping action, arcs, easing in and out, and Secondary motion. Each exercise builds on top of each other, with live mentor feedback, to create believable, fluid movement within your work.

What you’ll achieve
▪Understand and apply the 12 principles of animation
▪Create multiple animation exercises and scenes
▪Build a polished demo reel with your best work
▪Gain the confidence to continue into advanced animation or freelance work

Instead of just theory, you’ll follow a structured, mentor led step-by-step process used in real animation workflows. Every lesson includes practical assignments. You’ll apply what you learn immediately and receive feedback on it, so you always know what to improve and how to fix it.

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 timing, spacing, and motion fundamentals
▪Move into character animation and dynamic scenes
▪Finish with polished work and a complete demo reel

You’ll begin with foundational exercises that build control and consistency, focusing on timing, spacing, and volume control. From there, you’ll develop essential skills in character scaling, simple effects, and composition. As you progress, you’ll move into more complex animation tasks by combining multiple principles to create dynamic action scenes of a character punching a wall and transforming with clear movement and storytelling.

Designed to help you succeed :

By the end of the course, you’ll have completed a series of animation exercises and scenes that demonstrate your understanding of core animation principles, giving you the practical skills and confidence to create polished, portfolio-ready traditional 2D animations.

After the course

Once you have completed this course, you will be ready for complex dynamic shots animations and work on perspective with our "Mechanics of Movement" Course 2.

The course is PERFECT if you are:

Want to be a 2D animator

If you're starting from zero and feel overwhelmed by where to begin, this course gives you a clear, structured path into animation. you'll follow a step-by-step process to build animation skills with a mentor guiding you from the ground up.
Junior 2D Animator

You already understand the basics but struggle with consistency, timing, or making your animations movement feel natural. This course helps you fix weak fundamentals and gain control over motion, so your work looks clean and professional.
Artist or Designer

You can draw, but your work feels static. Learn how to bring your drawings to life by applying animation principles like timing, weight, and volume consistancy, so you can create engaging, dynamic pieces that strengthen your portfolio.
Graduate of the free courses

You've completed the introduction or intermediate course but aren’t confident applying the fundamentals in animation outside of the practices. This course bridges that gap, helping you turn skills you began practicing into practical character animations through guided exercises and structured progression.

The course is [hl]PERFECT[/hl] if you are:

Сurriculum

Month 1: Fundamentals Introduction

4 lessons

Start with squash and stretch to understand how objects compress and expand in motion. Create 2 different bouncing ball animations while learning timing, spacing, volume control, and easing in and out.
Apply the whip principle to introduce overlapping action and follow-through by adding a tail to your bouncing ball animation.
Transition from bouncing ball to a pillow case character-based motion. Animate a simple character movement while focusing on weight and direction.
From the pillow cases stop position, you will animate it jumping into a pendulu swing to understand arcs, rhythm, and antisipation in animation.

4 weeks (6+ hours per week for homework recommended)
By the end of the first month, You will have built a strong foundation in timing, spacing, weight, and volume control. You’ll complete your first animation exercises, understand how to use TVPaint, and gain the core skills needed to move into character animation and more complex scenes.

Month 2: Dynamic Motion & Scene Building

4 lessons

Animate a pillow case proforming a punch action to develop anticiption, impact, weight, and force. Learn how to create convincing, dynamic movement in a short action scene.
Explore different animation techniques and styles while refining character transformation motion. Continue developing dynamic movement through more complex variations of your previous exercises.
Work with camera and perspective using camera tools in your choosen program. Learn how to rotate characters in space and maintain volume and consistency during movement.
Finalize your animation project by refining timing, overall motion and line clean up to create a clean, polished scene.

4 weeks ( 6+ hours per week for homework recommended)
By the end of the second month, You will have created a complete animated action scene, combining character motion, camera work, and dynamic movement. You’ll understand how to handle more complex animation challenges and refine your work to a higher, more professional level.

Month 2: Dynamic Motion & Scene Building

Month 3: Character Mastery & Portfolio Creation

4 lessons

Animate a full 360° character turn to master volume, structure, and consistency from all angles.
Add special effects and secondary details to enhance your animation, improving clarity, appeal, and visual impact.
Focus on compositing and polish. Refine your animation by cleaning up motion, improving timing, and preparing it for final presentation.
Create your demo reel by selecting and presenting your best work in a clear, professional format which will be showcased during our graduation livestream with an industry guest to reveiw and give final feedback. (Final feedback is only given if you get full completion marks durning the course)

4 weeks ( 6+ hours per week for homework recommended)
In the third and final month, You will have a completed demo reel showcasing your strongest animation work, including a seamless 360° character rotation, enhanced with detailed special effects. You’ll understand how to present your work professionally and have a solid foundation to apply for advanced courses, freelance work, or junior animation roles.

Month 3: Character Mastery & Portfolio Creation

Bonuses

3 lessons

Introduction to compositing in After Effects. Learn how to finalize your animations, add effects, and prepare your work for presentation.
Animation Clean-Up 101. Master clean linework, consistency, and professional polish to bring your animations up to industry standards.
Job preparation booklet. Get practical guidance on building your portfolio, structuring your demo reel, and preparing for opportunities in animation.

1 Week (2+ hours of addtional excerices to work on at your own pace)
With these bonus materials, you’ll be able to present your work professionally, improve the quality of your resume, and understand the next steps to start building a career in animation.