2D Animation Diploma

Learn 2D animation online from industry experts and kickstart your career in film and TV

Overview

Learn 2D animation from top animators

Progress faster with expert career training and mentorship

Discover what it takes to become a professional 2D animator! In this comprehensive course, you’ll learn how to use Toon Boom Harmony to create hand-drawn style character animations from scratch, and be guided every step of the way by your industry mentor.

Why study 2D animation at CG Spectrum:

Learn hand-drawn style character animation
Train on industry software Toon Boom Harmony
Be mentored by a world-class animator
Flexible study and payment options

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CG Spectrum’s 2D animation classes are conducted online, meaning they’re available to you, wherever you are in the world. You’ll be personally mentored by former Disney and DreamWorks artists with decades of experience working on TV shows, and feature films. Your mentor will guide you through exercises, offering insightful feedback to help you progress faster as an artist.

Get expert career training and kick-start your journey as a 2D animator!

Industry Qualification

Diploma

Study duration

9 months

Commitment

20 hrs weekly

Skill level

Intermediate

Prerequisites

Basic computer and drawing skills

Delivery

Weekly online classes, feedback and support

Included software

Toon Boom Harmony

Start date

Jul 5, 2021

Why study with us

Learn 2D animation from industry pros who have worked on major films and TV shows

Whether straight out of high school, changing careers, or upgrading skills, our specialized expert-led 2D programs help you build practical job skills that serve throughout your career

Flexible Scheduling

Plan your studies around your work and family commitments

Industry Mentors

Learn from experts who have worked on major feature films

Job-Ready Skills

Build practical, hands-on job skills that studios are looking for

Payment Plans

Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments

Curriculum

An industry-approved curriculum to get you started in the exciting world of animation

Term 1: 12 weeks

Fundamentals of 2D Animation

Starting with the 12 Principles of Animation, you'll learn 2D animation fundamentals and begin putting them into practice with your first 2D pieces: the bouncing ball, flour sack jump and a walk cycle.

You'll discover how to add personality and emotion to your work while creating the illusion of three-dimensional space; learn key features of Toon Boom; and get familiar with drawing tools, posing, timing, spacing, the timeline and X-sheet.

Learn how to:

Make your own 2D animations from scratch
Use Toon Boom Harmony software
Apply the 12 Principles of Animation
Set up efficient workflows

The Principles of Animation
Bouncing Ball Exercise 01
Bouncing Ball Exercise 02
Drawing Fundamentals
Flour Sack Exercise 01
Flour Sack Exercise 02
Flour Sack Exercise 03
Walk Cycle Contact Poses
Walk Cycle Inbetweens
Walk Cycle Follow-through
Character Take Key Poses
Character Take Inbetweens

Term 2: 12 weeks

Acting and Creature Animation

This term focuses on drawing skills, advanced physical human and quadruped animation, plus animating pantomime and simple dialogue scenes. You'll study the greats and discover what makes their work so captivating, learn the importance of silhouettes, how to use a variety of timing in your story, and gain speed creating thumbnails and key poses.

Learn how to:

Identify what makes or breaks a scene
Leverage anatomy principles in your work
Create your own compelling pantomime animation
Bring creatures to life with believable movement

Anatomy for Animators
Anatomy with Volume
Quadruped Walks 01
Quadruped Walks 02
Runs in Perspective 01
Run in Perspective 02
Acting for Animators
Pantomime: Key Drawings
Pantomime: In-betweens
Study of Animation Greats
Character Monologue 01
Character Monologue 02

Term 3: 12 weeks

Advanced Acting for 2D Animation

By this stage, you’re ready for more advanced aspects of 2D: creating appealing characters, solid drawings, expressive acting and FX animation. Increase your technical skills while working towards creating a polished dialogue scene. Finish the course by polishing your portfolio and exploring next steps with your mentor.

Learn how to:

Create successful model sheets
Develop a 2-person dialogue scene
Add compelling FX and details
Finalize projects for your portfolio

Body Language
Dialogue Scene: Planning
Study of Acting Scenes
Dialogue Scene 01
Dialogue Scene 02
Figure Drawing
Dialogue Scene 03
Drawing Quadrupeds
Clean-up Animation
Tradigital FX 01
Tradigital FX 02
Animation Reel Review

Mentors

Get direct access to professional artists

To be the best, it helps to learn from the best. All 2D animation classes are taught by industry mentors with years of experience working in feature films and TV.

Scott Claus

While at Disney and DreamWorks Scott animated classics like Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame and Road to El Dorado. He later won an Oscar for best special effects for Life of Pi.

Read full bio

Manager of Animation

Known for Hercules

Hubert Lapointe

Montréal-based Hubert Lapointe has worked as an animator and animation supervisor on hit shows like Rick & Morty and The Ollie and Moon Show, and as a software instructor for ToonBoom.

Read full bio

Mentor of 2D Animation

Known for Rick and Morty

Marcel Laurin

Marcel has animated for film, TV and video games since 2003 at studios across Canada and France including Bardel and Gameloft. He was also a Toon Boom instructor at studios and schools around the world.

Read full bio

Mentor of 2D Animation

Known for Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure

Mike Wiesmeier

Mike's been animating films and games for 28 years at Disney, Netflix and Eidos Interactive. Credits include Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000, and F is For Family.

Read full bio

Mentor of 2D Animation

Known for Tarzan

Study Options

Small Class

The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.

Max. 4 students per course
Affordable high-quality education
Network while you learn

Study Options

1-on-1 Private

Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.

Maximum level of mentor interaction
Greater flexibility to schedule classes
Customized learning experience

Monthly

$1,185 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term

$3,199 USD

(3 x payments)

Most popular

Save 25%

Upfront

$7,999 USD

(1 x payment)

Monthly

$1,485 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term

$3,999 USD

(3 x payments)

Most popular

Save 25%

Upfront

$9,999 USD

(1 x payment)

Student Showcase

High quality student work that speaks for itself

With a focus on portfolio preparation, we help students build their competitive edge with high quality work that gets noticed. See what they are creating.

Studios that hire our students

With a focus on portfolio preparation, we help students build their competitive edge with high quality work that gets noticed. See what they are creating.

I’d take the course again if I could!

I can’t praise CG Spectrum enough for the quality of teaching and dedication to their students. Mark was by far the best mentor I’ve ever had. He really took the time to help design the course around what it is that I wanted to get out of it. I’ve studied other animation courses in the past, but none even come close to the depth and speed of development as CG Spectrum.

Ned Curwood-Hyde
Animation

I landed a job immediately after finishing the course.

When I started CG Spectrum's animation program, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now, I can surely tell that choosing CG Spectrum was the best decision I've ever made. My mentors were incredibly knowledgeable, dedicated and supportive.

Vanessa Rossi
Animation

I was hired by Ubisoft!

It’s your career success that matters. I applied to some companies with my updated reel and got hired by a studio named Dwarf-Labs where I did some animations for a CG commercial. Then I was hired by Ubisoft where I worked on one of their biggest franchises, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate!