Students will be introduced to the 12 principles of animation along with fundamental software knowledge used in 2D animation production. During the course, learners will plan, draft and participate in hands-on exercises while producing their own short animations. By working through the complete production process—from character and background design to animation and post-production editing—students will expand and challenge their existing creative and technical knowledge.
Students will be introduced to the importance of design in character animation. Line, shape, negative space, volume and colour will be studied. The relationships between these elements—including proximity, balance, rhythm, repetition, proportion, variety and size—will be emphasized. Three-dimensional models will be created to support an understanding of structure. Through drawing exercises, students will learn to create strong character poses that communicate effectively with an audience. Students will also study different artistic styles in animation and work both independently and as part of a team to create effective and original character models.
*Studio access is available to portfolio students only.
Follow the complete animation production process, from story development and character design to clean animation, coloring, compositing, sound, and final presentation.
The instructor will help students finalize the story and overall project direction. Students will also begin developing the main character and confirm the animation sequence. The 12 principles of animation will be introduced during this stage.
Required Reading: Pages 338–339 and 35–60Students will learn how animation interacts with the background, perspective, and horizon line. They will complete a reference sequence analysis or draw keyframes for an original story, along with a rough color design for the main character.
Required Reading: Pages 61–69 and 78–79Students will learn how timing works in animation and work with the instructor to establish the final visual style. They will then rough out the main keyframes and create an initial timing plan for the sequence.
Week 3: Pages 84–101With the characters and keyframes established, students will begin adding rough in-between drawings based on the approved timing. The instructor will demonstrate proper in-between techniques, while students also complete the background linework.
Week 5 Required: Pages 156–166After the rough animation and scene planning have been reviewed, students will begin cleaning the keyframes. This stage includes multiple rounds of timing and pose revisions rather than simply tracing the rough drawings.
Week 7 Required: Pages 201–208 and 212–216Students will composite the cleaned animation with the rough background to confirm that both elements work together. After instructor approval, they will refine the background linework and begin the final background coloring process.
Week 9 Required: Pages 231–245Once the background rendering is complete, students will begin applying flat colors to all character animation frames while maintaining consistency throughout the sequence.
Week 11 Required: Pages 256–272At this stage, the animation should be approximately 80% complete. Students will use this time to catch up, refine the timing, correct small issues, and complete final adjustments without making major structural changes.
Week 14 Required: Pages 297–303Students will complete the final compositing process, add sound and effects where needed, review the completed sequence, and prepare the animation for final presentation and export.
Week 16 Optional Reading: Pages 333–337
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