How to Become a 2D Animator: Skills, Tools and Techniques Explained

2D animation can truly be an interesting career path. Creativity and technical skills blend in telling stories. If you’re crazy about bringing characters and worlds to life, this text may greatly help in designing such tasks.  With ten years  of experience in animation services, here I am, ready to share with you everything you should know on how to become a 2D animator. From the very basics to landing that first job, this will be how to be a successful 2D animator. Let’s dive in and start turning those static images into dynamic stories!

• What is 2D Animation?
• History and Evolution of 2D Animation
• Essential Skills as a 2D animator
• Educational Pathways
• Building a Strong Portfolio
• Learning the Basics of Animation
• Understanding the Animation Production Pipeline
• Why pipeline knowledge is important?

2D animation is all about creating movement in two-dimensional space. That is a world where creativity merges with technology. More than a decade has passed, and I have been deeply indulged in the realm of animation. The magic that is unfolded in front of me with 2D animation keeps me really excited. An animated film, at its very core, consists of characters, backgrounds, and effects created in a flat plane. Unlike 3D animation, which deals with depth and volume, 2D animation deals with height and width. It has a definite charm of its own and has been liked by millions across generations.

For more than a hundred years, 2D animation has won hearts with unforgettable grace and timelessness.

1900s - 1930s: 2D animation made its appearance in the early 1900s. Walt Disney’s introduction with animation, created the very first synchronized sound cartoon, ‘Steamboat Willie’, in the year 1928. This was nothing short of a breakthrough work in which animation as an art form sealed its place as a medium for narration.

1930s - 1950s: This was the era of the “Golden Ages of Animation”. It brought films like ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ in 1937, which marked the first full-length feature with cel-animation in motion picture history. Studios like Disney, Warner Bros., and MGM created some characters and storylines that became part of cultural history.

1960s - 1980s was the time when Television was gaining momentum in the mass media scene and a new series of animations started to develop. It got coupled with Saturday morning cartoons, which gained a niche in children’s programming. Shows like ‘The Flintstones’, ‘Scooby-Doo’, and ‘The Jetsons’ enthralled the young minds, and animation started entering household TV sets.

1990s - 2000s: Digital technology came to the forefront, changing everything in 2D animation. Traditional hand-drawn techniques began to incorporate computer technology. A new hybrid style emerged in movies like ‘The Lion King’ way back in 1994, whereby hand-drawn characters were combined with digitally created backgrounds. It furthered the potential of animation.

2010s - Present: 2D animation today is capable of surviving alongside 3D. Due to increased streaming, 2D animated content is on the rise once more. Programs like 'Adventure Time' and ‘Rick and Morty’ have gathered enormous fanfare that speaks a lot for the popularity of 2D.

Knowing how 2D animation evolved makes one appreciate the amount of artistry and innovation involved in what finally grew into a very formidable means of storytelling and creativity. So the next time you commission animation services, remember the incredible journey that brought 2D to where it is today.

Drawing: Drawing is indeed at the core of 2D animation; hence, a fine grasp of anatomy, perspective, and shading acquires extreme importance. Animators bring characters to life with just a few strokes of a pencil, which means every line does count.

Storytelling: Animation, at its core, is not an issue of motion; rather, it is an act of storytelling. If done well, animation conveys emotion and tells a story in a very detail-oriented way, able to render static images dynamic and engaging.

Software Proficiency: The advent of technology has also made present-day 2D animation extremely dependent on technology. It needs proficiency in software like Adobe Animate, Toon Boom Harmony, Clip Studio Paint, etc. Powerful software will allow an animator to manage workflow with ease while putting minute details into the creation.

Understanding Motion: That is how living things move and relate to each other. Characterized as borrowing elements from principles of motion, Squash and Stretch, Anticipation, and Follow-Through.

Attention to Detail: This forms one of the most important elements for an animator. Each frame must lead fluidly into the next, and these all make up a flow. It will thus ensure that the movement of the characters in a character animation course looks very natural and credible.

Communication: It is a two-way process where the animator has to be clear about his communication and receptive while receiving it back. Clear communication will ensure the final product fulfills the vision of all those persons associated with it.

Knowing the essential skills a 2D animator can help you make informed decisions. By recognizing these skills, you can ensure that your project is in capable hands, resulting in an engaging and high-quality animation that captivates your audience.

Degrees: Many animators start with a degree in some type of animation or other affiliated courses.

Workshops: These will fine-tune practical skills and provide the opportunity for networking.

Enough free online material is available, from Coursera courses to YouTube tutorials, to get you started with basics and advanced techniques.

Never underestimate the power of practice. The more you animate, the better you get. Make personal projects to exercise your skills.

Your portfolio serves as your resume. Through a portfolio, you can express your skills and creativity to any potential employer.

Variety of Work: Include different types of animation characters, effects, and backgrounds.

Best Work First Put the best first to ensure delivering a memorable first impression.

Online Presence: A website, or use services such as Behance to showcase the material.

Demo Reel: A good short-form demo reel can prove to be powerful.

1. Squash and Stretch: This principle gives your characters weight and flexibility. Take, for example, a bouncing ball. As it falls, it deforms at contact, therefore stretches, and then squashes back into its original shape, making it more believable and full of life.
2. Anticipation: Before the jump, the character shall crouch. What this does is prepare the audience’s minds for the action to be performed and thus more believable.
3. Staging: Similar to what it is in theatre, staging refers to the process of composition setup to guide the audience’s gaze on what is paramount at any given time. It’s about clarity and focus.
4. Straight Ahead Action or Pose to Pose: These are terminologies associated with the two different techniques for animation. The former, Straight Ahead Action refers to action that was started straight from the first frame right through to the end, usually from the Centre of Action. The latter, Pose to Pose, is where key positions shall be taken first before filling up the gaps.
5. Follow Through or Overlapping Action: Parts of a body tend to keep in motion, even though a character comes to a stop. This adds to the illusion of an action. Think about the dog who actually continues flapping his ears at each step he makes, well after he has stopped running.
6. Slow In and Slow Out: Nothing in life starts or finishes in a single instant. You will create much more natural motion by inserting more frames at the beginning and end of an action.
7. Arcs: Most natural movement decidedly follows an arc rather than a straight line. Whether it is the swing of an arm or a bouncing ball, arcs add fluidity to animations.
8. Secondary Action: These are secondary actions that support the main action; for example, what the facial expressions of a character are or their hair swaying to and from. They enrich the scene and add depth to it.
9. Timing: It is what determines the tempo of how long an action takes. It implores emotions and feelings and is the deciding factor if the acting will be believable or at best engaging.
10. Exaggeration: At times, reality does require a bit of a stretch. The exaggeration of actions brings life to animation and can make the animated piece more exciting to watch.
11. Solid Drawing: For 2D Animation, one needs to be aware of the basics of three-dimensional forms and anatomy, for example, “the feeling that your characters are heavy, three-dimensional, and balanced”.
12. Appeal: Your characters ought to appeal to the viewer. It might be a hero or even a villain. They must be charismatic and demand viewers’ attention.

Bundle It All

Any person who would like to create an animated work or even view one ought to know these principles back to front. Whether you’re outsourcing work or you need to create your own animations, these tips will be your way to go.

Imagine the animation production pipeline to be a kind of roadmap that ushers a project from an idea to some cool animated piece. This pipeline consists of:

Pre-production is concerned with planning and providing a base ground. It includes:

1. Script Writing: When the idea is nailed down to its basic structure, it is then scripted to form the basis of the dialogue and action.
2. Storyboarding:: A storyboarding is a visual simulation of the script, and this is where each scene is laid out like a comic strip.
3. Character Design: It designs a character to let the story come alive.
4. Animatics: Storyboards synchronized with the audio of a rough preliminary version as an up-front reviewing mega-set of the film.

Production is really where everything magic happens. The stage deals with creating the actual animation:

1. Animation:Movement of characters and objects using software. This would be achieved through frame-by-frame or keyframe animation.
2. Background and Layouts:Designing and creating the settings where all the action takes place
3. Voice Recording:Recording voices for characters. This ensures that the dialogue runs perfectly with the animation.
4. Inking and Coloring:Adding the final touches in animation to make it vibrant and full of appeal.

The last stage will then be post-production, which fine-tunes all these elements and lays them properly in their places. It shall entail the following:

1. Editing:Getting all the animated scenes together in coherent flow and checking continuity and pace.
2. Sound Design:These are sound effects, music, and other audio effects that really bring things up to the next level.
3. Visual Effects:All the other effects, such as lighting and shadows, which attempt to add depth to a character or scene to give the illusion of reality.
4. Final Render:The exported version of animation in its final form, ready for sharing or showing.

Understanding an animation production pipeline is very important. It helps you in the following ways to set:

Realistic Expectations: Knowing the stages involved allows you to set realistic timelines and budgets.

Better Communication: You will be able to communicate your needs and your feedback at every step and thus make sure that the end product is what you had envisioned.

Judge Quality: Understanding the process lets you judge the quality of work and, in turn, the amount of hard work that goes into it.

You will need to know what it feels like to really get into a scrap, creative and challenging, in order to achieve the great experience of becoming an on-hand 2D animator. With the right set of skills, the correct tools, and intense dedication, you can bring animation to life and make an impact on the industry.

Moreover, a portfolio is needed because it explains your ability, creativity, and style for animation to be understood better by an employer or client.

Typical problems are complicated movements, keeping yourself motivated while struggling with a long project, and tight deadlines.

Influences can be from film, television, nature, fine art, literature, or simply from life itself.

Take advanced courses, attend workshops, follow industry trends, practice regularly, and seek feedback from your peers and mentors on work.

That’s work in film, television, video games, advertising, web content, teaching—more. Career range extends from animator to director.

Build a good portfolio; network with people in the industry; apply for as many jobs as possible; take up any internship or freelance opportunities to gain experience