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Advice for new animators

Advice for new 2D animators

I'm Billy, a 2D animator based in Manchester with over a decade of experience in the industry. I've had a few emails over the years from early-career 2D animators asking where to find work, what software to learn, and how the industry works, so this is my attempt to collect a bunch of resources I would usually send them into one place.

This is specific advice for 2D animators, as this has been my main career, although some advice and resources will apply across more animation roles. Some of the advice is skewed towards the UK TV and cel animation industry; however, there are loads of different paths you can go down, especially in the commercial space.

(image above: Very True Story OHS project)

Learning fundamentals

Learn the 12 principles of animation. Read the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams. Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair and The Illusion of Life are the other two foundational books.

Do lots of quick, rough tests to practice the principles and get feedback. It might be worth holding back on cleaning up animation until you're confident with the principles. Use well-known characters, they'll have lots of model sheets and example animation you can reference. Try nailing the style of animation you're referencing.

Draw from life - sounds obvious, but it will massively help your animation to study anatomy and learn observational drawing.

Once you're confident, spend time on a very short piece of animation that you can polish and make look good. Check out my 'notes on character animation' article to find some of my learnings!

Where to learn

Software to start practising with

Here is a list of software that is free or low-cost that you can start practising on an iPad or a Wacom Tablet on your PC.

  • Flipstudio - Free for the iPad animation app, simple but good for practice.

  • Callipeg - great software for rough animation on the iPad. £15 one-time free and totally worth it!

  • Procreate Dreams - great if your used to the Procreate environment, with some great tutorials online

  • Pencil 2D - The paint of 2D animation software, simple but easy to use! for the PC

  • OpenToonz - A tad more complicated but used by lots of cel studios and very robust. for the PC

Types of 2D Character Animation

For character animation in 2D, you can do traditional cel animation or rigged animation (othewise known as cut-out animation). The majority of Kids TV is made with rigged animation. Rigged animation is also used a lot in motion graphics, like in explainer videos made in After Effects. Rigged animation can be helpful if you have the same character used in lots of scenes, as it is easier to maintain consistency and you have the ability to reuse animations like runs and walks.

Timing charts and TV style

Research timing charts! They will help with the style of the animation. Look at your favourite shows, you can go for pose-to-pose with snappy animation or more traditional style.

For most children's TV the style is limited as turnarounds are faster. We use strong poses and secondary action on hair and arms to sell movement. If you can learn this style of animation, you will be in a good position.

Learn Toon Boom Harmony / Equivalent software.

This might change but It's one of the biggest software in kids' shows at the moment. Rick and Morty, Bob's Burgers and a bunch of others use it. There are other software used in TV production, like Moho, Cel action and Animate so its worth doing your research if there is a particular show you want to work on. However, Toon Boom gives you a good base for learning rigged and cel animation in one software. You can go on the main website to download a trial. There are lots of tutorials on rigging and animation, and online trainers you can sign up for. Check out my TV Animation Software Article to find out more. The main downside to Toon Boom Harmony is its price, so if you are a student its worth trying to get through your university.

Skills are transferable, and what I've learnt on one software I've always managed to translate fairly quickly to another software so the main thing is to get the fundamentals down and start animating!

Showreels and applications do's and don'ts

  • Include a CV, reel, and cover letter for a job application. All three might be what gets you an interview

  • Show short tests demonstrating the 12 principles of animation, one or two acting scenes, a walk cycle and anything else you love animating!

  • If you're applying for a cut-out studio, try to show cut-out animation work - you can access free rigs to practice with, see the TV Animation Software Article.

  • Keep it short! less than 2 minutes in your showreel. Only your best animation. Show a variety of work.

  • If you are working on a group project make sure you specify what part you did in your reel.

  • Keep an eye on continuity between shots if you have a sequence. This is very important in production.

  • Upload your Reel to YouTube or another easily accessible video service and provide that link in your application.

  • Don't password-lock your showreel unless you have material that might be screened at a festival or client work.

  • If you are rejected and don't receive a test or interview, please don't apply again until you have new work to show. If you do receive a test/interview and are not successful, you can always ask for feedback

Check out Maaike's Resume Tips for more advice here.

Foot in the door

Here are some entry-level TV jobs that will get your foot in the door and develop your skill set and knowledge of a production pipeline:

  • Animation: Junior Animator, Scene Setup

  • Rigging: Junior rigging Artist

  • Design: Prop Artist

  • Storyboard: Storyboard Revisionist / Clean-up (Storyboard Pro)

  • Comp: Renderer, Junior Comp (After Effects)

  • Production: Pre-production / Post-production Assistant (Excel / Google Sheets)

Check out my other articles on where to find work.

Wages

Don't be afraid to ask colleagues. Get paid fairly. Check out my Communities, Unions and Industry info page

TV Animation Software ›

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billympetha@gmail.com