Visual Arts & Making · Part of Animation
2D Animation
Draw the key poses first, then fill in every frame between them
Unlike stop motion, every frame is drawn, so drawing skill shows directly in the result, but there are no puppets or sets to build. The standard method is key poses first, then the in-betweens. Free animation software already has onion skinning and a timeline and works with a mouse; a tablet comes later. The first exercise is almost always a bouncing ball.
First stepInstall free 2D animation software and animate a bouncing ball with onion skinning: key the contact and the peak first, then fill in the frames between, for two seconds.
Barriers
Cost to start
Free
Going deep → $300–2k
Alone or with people
On your own
Effort
Sitting
Without a teacher?
Self-taught
One session takes
1–2 hours
Where
At home
Why people take it up