A lot of people love drawing, painting, and sketching but there are very few people you find who say they love animating. If you call yourself artistic and are always longing for new and exciting ways to express yourself, animation maybe your new hobby. In today’s article, I’ll present some facts and opinions on animation as a hobby and then provide you with some resources to kick start your journey into animation.
What does being an animation hobbyist look like?
As a hobbyist, you would obviously not be spending the majority of your day on animation. You could practice it in the evenings after your day job or school and on the weekends. Even if you dedicate 2-3 hours a day, it is a good way to grow in this space. But let me also set your expectations straight by telling you that animation is a time-consuming hobby and it requires patience. So as the term hobby signifies, make sure you’re taking up animation for the love of it and because you truly appreciate the art.
At least give it a shot
If you are reading this article, chances are you are an animation enthusiast and maybe even considering animation as a career option. Taking up animation as a hobby is a good way to test the waters before making a career choice since you will have enough experience to make an informed decision.
As a hobbyist, you also have FULL CREATIVE FREEDOM- something that even professional animators long for sometimes. You can animate literally anything and everything you want and however you want - there is no restriction whatsoever. If you want to get better at this art, you need to build creativity, and more importantly, YOUR OWN creativity. Observe your favorite artists and learn, but develop your own style.
Remember, "you're a mosaic of all the things you like".
Can I learn animation on my own?
The answer is a definite yes! There are many successful animators who have built their skill and profession by learning animation entirely by themselves, at home, and with minimal investment, without even going to art school. You don't need fancy softwares and you don't need to be burdened with tuition debt. You just need to start.
How can I learn animation at home?
So if I’ve managed to convince you to give animation a try, you’re wondering ‘well how to get started?’
The internet is a vast place, and today you can find tons of resources to learn anything online. So you have a few options- YouTube Channels, Websites and blogs, Online courses, Books and Free animation softwares. Today I’ll talk about a few of these options which I feel are particularly useful for beginner animators.
Animation YouTube Channels- YouTubers to learn from
YouTube might be the best platform for you to learn animation from, even better than websites because here you can see exactly what the animators are doing. Some of the best YouTube channels for beginners and what you can learn from them are:
Sycra- Drawing and basic animation concepts
Jazza- Art and drawing
Note: The first two channels are purposefully kept as drawing channels because drawing is the base for animation. Work on that at least a little bit before you move on to animating your drawings.
TipTut- Beginner videos on animation concepts, techniques, softwares, hardwares. One of the best animation YouTube channels to really help you build your skills
TJ Free- Tutorials on using many common softwares such as Blender and Open Toonz
Onion Skin- Easy and fun to watch tutorials with a focus on the software Toon Boom
CG Geek- A bit more advanced. Good videos to learn CGI, VFX and Blender
Free animation softwares for beginners
When starting off on your animation journey, you don’t need any fancy softwares and equipment. In fact, you shouldn’t use professional softwares as they will most likely confuse and intimidate you. You can learn the basics with many free tools out there, and when you want to invest further in your skills, then move on to paid and more professional tools. So here’s a list of free softwares that you can use:
Krita- The best software to practice digital drawing. What makes this software special is how it is very similar to drawing on a canvas, and so provides a smooth transition into digital art.
Flip a clip- The best software for any beginner to start off with. It’s available on both android and apple phones and tablets. So yes, you can animate on your mobile. This app is good for short and simple frame-by-frame animation and also includes audio.
Open Toonz- Easy interface but still a very powerful tool
Blender- Very good for 3D animation. There are many large communities of Blender artists since it is so popular
Graphics tablet- Now this one is not free, but once you start taking animation a little seriously and want to grow your skills, you can consider purchasing a graphics tablet. There are many affordable graphics tablets that come without screens, which are a serious level up to your animation game. Wacom is a good brand to consider for beginners.
The next steps
Now that you’ve understood the basics of animation and have been practicing at home, you can take your hobby one step further to get more practice and experience.
Volunteer to make free animations for clubs and other projects. This will build your portfolio and more importantly, your skill.
Connect with animators through dedicated online forums to learn from their experience and advice.
Build your online presence. Displaying your work on social media allows you to receive appreciation and feedback, and even though you may not be looking to make a career out of this, you never know what might happen. Either way, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Taking the leap
By the time you reach this stage, you will already be proficient in animations, and have a strong portfolio in place. Now comes one thing you might want to consider- taking up animations as a career path. This is a very informed decision that you need to make since it could change your relationship with the art. If this is something you’re considering, stay tuned……..we have an entire blog article on this topic coming up.
Hope you had a great time reading this article and see you in the next article of Pixels In Motion!
This is such a helpful blog for someone who is willing to try their hand in animation!