The digital world of graphics falls into two categories - vector and bitmap (or raster) images. In this first post we’ll cover some basic information about 2D graphic software. The software will also need to have the capacity to play back the timeline (play movie), and have frame forward and frame back functions. I discuss only a few of them but I do recommend that you have, at the least, a software that allows for onion skin or light table functions so you can see previous and/or next frames while drawing the current frame. There are lots of 2D software applications on the market, ranging from fully dedicated animation packages down to the simplest of image painting software. Kudos to Toon Boom for offering a modestly priced package for those who are serious about wanting to try their hand at this art form but don't want to invest heavily at this stage. The problem for the self-taught animator is that they aren’t registered with an institution – a firm requirement for taking advantage of educational pricing.

Most software is available with educational pricing. And since I’m an artist animator, there is also a bias toward independent rather than commercial production tools as well.īefore we begin, a brief note on pricing is in order. I’ll state at the outset that my bias is toward hand drawn animation. (My previous post on this subject was on learning timing for animation.) In this post we look at finding the right tools to both learn the skills and start a first film. But for those with limited options - my situation when I first became interested in animation - I’ve assembled some resources for teaching oneself the fundamentals. Since I’m mostly self-taught, I get asked occasionally by would-be animators, “How do I learn animation?” For those with a school nearby and some time on their hands, it’s not a problem.

Pencil animation tutorial pdf