2D Animation for Beginners

Create and animate dots in OpenToonz by building a new project, scene, and vector level, using onion skin, frame-by-frame drawing, and a guide path to choreograph motion.

Create four random dots, animate them across a scene using onion skin. Learn to use layers and the fill tool to color shapes for a choppy two-frame look.

Animate blobby slime shapes in OpenToonz by morphing organic forms with onion skin, frame-by-frame drawing, and optional path following to create looping slime motion.

Learn to create a switch animation morphing shapes with frame-by-frame timing. Use onion skin, anticipation, and overshoot for a smooth transition.

Learn how to craft a switch animation using anticipation by working with raster and vector levels, converting to vectors, and refining with freehand drawing techniques.

Master the hide switch technique in 2d animation for beginners, using anticipation and an auxiliary object to conceal changes with precise frame timing.

Practice a heart-to-pumpkin transition in this 2d animation for beginners course, building a frame-based switch with anticipation, squash and stretch, overshoot, and easing to refine the motion.

Explore advanced morph animations by adding color fills, outlines, and frame ranges, and morph between a circle and a plus shape using onion skin and keyframes.

Explore morph animation concepts using deformers to morph shapes, push edges, and create transitions from a leaf to a weight lift with practical timeline tips.

Morph a rose into a dumbbell using contour and vector tools and frame-by-frame animation, merging shapes and refining edges for a dynamic 2d animation project.

Plan a morphing animation by sketching moving blobs that slow and speed up as they merge into a circular morph, guided by timing lines and a timing chart.

Create blob motion using a timing chart, draw blobs across vector levels, and simulate collisions and splash effects in 2D animation for beginners.

Explore morph animation in 2d animation for beginners, transforming water into a circle, then into a square, using onion skin and 12-frame timing.

Color and glow your animations by enhancing water and light layers, then start a mini doodle board project by creating a new scene, vector background, and doodles for later animation.

Group shapes into a single unit and animate with keyframes using position, then isolate those groups on separate vector levels to loop smoothly without overlaps.

Learn frame-by-frame animation in 2d animation for beginners by using the animate tool or transform techniques, including onion skin, duplicating drawings, grouping, and pivot-point rotation to create motion.

Wrap up the doodle animation by organizing layers on a subject sheet. Animate sun, burger, whale, chicken, drumstick, plants, and planet separately, grouped in a sub sheet.

plan a basic jumping sequence by squashing the square for anticipation, lifting to a peak, and landing with a squash, using frame-by-frame planning and a ground line.

Plan and execute a jumping box animation by drawing frames with a guide, using onion skin and a raster level, and refining squash and stretch.

Add faces to the character, refine eyes and mouth during the jump using the animate, brush, and eraser tools, and test the loop with onion skin.

Create a new raster level named flaps to add the box edges and animate the side flaps through down and up movements as the character lands and takes off.

Create two bouncing balls inside a box using raster levels, shading, and an onion skin animation workflow, then organize with a sub sheet and add a shadow and dust lines.

Color a box in pastel hues using impasto and crayon on raster layers, create a simple background with sky and ground, and test frame-by-frame animation.

Learn how to animate the camera in Opentoonz to add depth, using camera scale keyframes, easing, and the function curve graph for smooth motion.

Duplicate layers to create a moving background of bubbles with varying sizes and speeds, offset start times, and finish with bubbles popping and appearing against a customizable background.

Learn to create a water dripping animation from scratch in OpenToonz, setting up a sketch, ground, frame timing, onion skin, and splash effects.

Create a clean vector water drip animation by building a separate pipe layer, tracing water shapes, refining splashes, and preparing a dark gradient background for the next lesson.

Create a readable dark background by applying a linear gradient to a new vector level. Animate the pipe and water with highlights, keeping elements inside the safe area.

Apply bloom and glow effects, adjust size and gamma, and tweak color to preview lighting; group layers into a sub sheet to apply group-wide effects for reflections and water animation.

Discusses adjustments to the water drop wrapup: addressing render issues, correcting splash motion, and realigning bubbles to reflect realistic water behavior.

Plan and sketch a simple pendulum animation by setting up an OpenToonz project, creating a raster level, and drawing the arc with a center and ball.

Build a pendulum-style 2d animation by creating a vector scene, applying easing in and out around breakdown point, setting center anchor, using onion skin, and looping for a ping-pong effect.

Create a bright yellow background and a purple pendulum using vector levels, fill tools, and color paste and name workflows in opentoonz, then add a blue ground for depth.

Apply light and shadow effects in Opentoonz to add depth to a 2d animation, using vector levels, glow, bloom, blur, and x-sheet driven blending for a looping pendulum scene.

Create lip-sync in opentoonz by using rest, mbp and a position, plus e, o, c s t z, f v, l and n 2–3 shapes with teeth and tongue cues.

Develop lip-sync skills by building a simple character with separate layers for face and mouth, creating multiple mouth shapes (rest, o, l, wide), and setting animation frames for looping.

Record audio with Audacity, export as WAV, and import into Opentoonz to synchronize lip movements with the dialogue using basic mouth shapes.

Master lip sync techniques for front and three-quarter views in 2d animation for beginners, detailing mouth positions, tongue and teeth cues, and frame-by-frame animation to add realism.

Master the basics of 2d walk animation by building a walk cycle across frames: from contact to down, passing, and up poses, using guides, timing charts, and drawing on twos.

Thank you to all who subscribed, and commit to practice to become a better animator; this message encourages growth and progress for every learner, see you in the next course.