We believe being an animator is one of the most fun professions or hobbies you can have! With the power of technology, or simply some sketches with a pencil, you can bring to life anything and everything. But for a first time animator, trying to animate can be very daunting. Here we've wrote down our Top 5 Tips for practising animation!
Tip Number 1:
Become inspired! There is no better way to become familiar with animation than to indulge yourself in some of your favourite animated movies, cartoons or anime. Think to yourself what is it you like about the animation; is it the way the characters move, the fast paced movement of a chase or the simplicity of a conversation between two people. This way you'll find what it is you enjoy most about animation and even perhaps the medium you wish to learn it in: traditional, 3D, stop motion, etc.
Tip Number 2:
Reference! When it comes to almost anything, reference is highly recommended in animating. This can be in the form of books (one of our favourites we recommend is 'The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams'), YouTube videos or yourself! Use a mirror and observe your expressions or film yourself arguing with the wall, by watching your own movement you'll learn how our bodies move and engage, and this can be applied to animation.
Tip Number 3:
Practise, but most importantly have fun! You may choose to practise walk cycles, but if you're beginning to get stressed then switch to something else. Sure, walk cycles are important to learn but having fun with animation is just as important!
YouTube is an amazing place to find tutorials for all types of animation, so we recommend trying there first. We also recommend talking with industry professionals as well and picking their brains for information; try asking them on Twitter or LinkedIn. There is also the option of taking an online course or studying at University; and either of those are fine to do! Some online courses and training are free, we recommend checking out AnimDojo (which is currently free at the moment!). Knowledge is so important when it comes to animation, so make sure to consume as much as you can online, in videos, blogs, documents, etc.
Tip Number 4:
Take part in challenges, competitions and festivals! There are plenty of opportunities out there to practise your animation skills. Here are a few we recommend checking out:
Animorsels host animation challenges on their Instagram page. They recently did a crazy golf challenge, be sure to follow them and take part!
Animation-Festivals have an extensive list of animation festivals taking place all over the world, with details on how to enter and more!
The British Animation Awards (BAA) are a perfect opportunity to submit your animation to one of the most exciting animation awards ceremonies in the UK!
Tip Number 5:
Animate together! There are dozens of communities out there for animation and we could not recommend them enough. Whether local or online, joining a community and discussing all things animation can not only help increase your skills but can open the door to so many opportunities. We're a part of some amazing animation and design communities in the Leicester area, below are some of our favourites:
Creative Coffee is a monthly creative meetup in Leicester, situated at the LCB Depot. Designers of all types meetup and chat all things creative! We've met some wonderful people at Creative Coffee and if you're in the Leicester area we highly recommend checking it out!
LAM! (Leicester Animation Meetup) is a recent animation meetup for animators of all levels to talk all things keyframes, host talks and more. Be sure to follow them on social media for updates on their next event!
LCB Depot offer a range of opportunities to showcase your work at events or join in on creative sessions. You'll meet people from all kinds of creative backgrounds there and many of them are happy to share their design knowledge with you.
These are just a few of the things we find really help us with our own animation journey, so we hope this helps you too!
If you are looking to get in touch then please don’t hesitate to send us a message or fill out the form on our website.