Best place to learn 2D animation?

[Creepy Doll]

I've been thinking about what I'd like to do for further study, and I think animation is something I'd like to learn. I have Adam Phillips to thank for my interest in animation(and John Kricfalusi's blogging efforts for the direction I want to take it). I mainly just want to use my pencil (or Wacom stylus) to animate traditionally (even if 'traditional' would mean 'Flash' in a work environment... but I'd like to go to a school where I can learn the old-school, pencil animation with a lightbox method).

I haven't been searching all that hard for schools, but I found out about The Animation Workshop in Denmark (good location because I have relatives there), but from what I gather from looking at the school's website only the first year there would be of interest to me.

Are there any schools where the focus is entirely on 2D animation (or I can at least choose to focus only on 2D animation)?

What are the best places to learn animation?

What are the best affordable animation schools?

[Zwickel]

California Instutute of the Arts is one of the best schools, but the tuition is around 42k or more a year, some people say that even if you are not that great, if you can pay it you will most probably be accepted. I have been really dissapointed with the student work from this school, they seem not to care if you finish your projects or not. The place is big and the people are awesome though.

Les Gobelins in France I could say, is the best school but it is really hard to get in (8 hours long exam, etc) but it is preety affordable though, people normally apply and fail many times. But the quality of the student's animation is exceptional and they are really strict on their grading.

Sheridan College (Ontario) , I could say is number 3 in the list. It's cheaper than Calarts of course, but not as challenging to get into as either Calarts or Les Gobelins.

Capilano College is an animation school, located in Vancouver. It seems to be great from what Ive heard, and its beautiful around there. It is affordable too.

Emily Carr is also located in Vancouver and they seem to focus a lot on classical animation, but I havent seen a lot of work from students or heard anything from it to rate it.


You can also search for animation schools on   awn.com

[Creepy Doll]

I was looking into Sheridan just yesterday and I have to say it really appeals to me. Anyone here who's been, or knows someone who has?

[Anghenfil]

I agree with everything Zwickel said, with a few additions:

1.  School is what you make of it.  You can go to a great school and come out a crappy animator, and a crappy school and come out a great animator.  A good school helps, but it's not even close to the most important factor.

2.  If you decide to go to a crappier (often much cheaper) school, make sure there's a skilled faculty member that you can grab onto.  My school was not that great, but one of the great lesser-known Disney animators was working there, and I owe 90% of my education to her.  I took all of her classes - sometimes twice - and did lots and lots of extra credit with her.  She was one of three animators on the animation faculty (out of twelve) that actually animated worth a darn, and she was the only traditionally trained 2D character animator of the bunch.  But because she was there, I felt like I got a rather good education.

3.  Don't knock 3D until you've tried it.  I went into 3D and shunned 2D at first because I thought I wasn't a good enough artist or patient enough to do it, but as it turned out I was good at it.  And I enjoyed it.  I consider myself a 2D/3D animator now.

Also, the market for animation is shitty right now.  Knowing both 2D and 3D will make you a more desirable candidate, unless you are just ridiculously good at your chosen specialty.

4.  There's more to a school than what they teach you.  Do they have connections with the industry?  Do they place recent graduates in big studios with regularity?  Do they let you keep the rights to the films you make?  Talk to graduates of their program and ask if they liked it, who the good teachers are, and where they've been hired.

[Creepy Doll]

Thanks a bunch for all the advice! Really means a lot.

1.  School is what you make of it.

The more I put in, the more I get out.
I should practice that advice a lot more in the art school I'm currently in;  There were some life drawing lessons that were really helpful, but most of the classes are too 'loose'. Too much modern art kind of thinking.
I guess I'm there to study as well as learn, but it's so easy to not study when you're not being actively taught.

2.  If you decide to go to a crappier (often much cheaper) school, make sure there's a skilled faculty member that you can grab onto.

Well I know Pete Emslie's teaching at Sheridan. Not that Sheridan's a crappy school, but it's good to know someone who possessed the kind of talent I'm after is teaching there.

3.  Don't knock 3D until you've tried it.

It just doesn't interest me. Nothing I've seen so far has impressed me and so I can't see myself enjoying it.

4.  There's more to a school than what they teach you. ... Do they place recent graduates in big studios with regularity?

Don't know if that's something I'd be interested in... although I suppose a job is a job.


Thanks again!

[Anghenfil]

I guess I'm there to study as well as learn, but it's so easy to not study when you're not being actively taught.

So true.  Where are you now, if you don't mind me asking?

It just doesn't interest me. Nothing I've seen so far has impressed me and so I can't see myself enjoying it.

Fair enough.  Although I've found that animation is largely the same from medium to medium and differ only by procedure.  The principles are identical, with few exceptions.

Don't know if that's something I'd be interested in... although I suppose a job is a job.

I wasn't suggesting you go into a big studio if you don't want to.  I was merely making the point that the majority of the great animators go through large studios at some time or another.  It's a rough estimation of how good the program is.

[Creepy Doll]

Fair enough.  Although I've found that animation is largely the same from medium to medium and differ only by procedure.  The principles are identical, with few exceptions.

The principles of animation may be the same, but there's things 2D is better at (and some things 3D is better at, I'm sure). I tend more towards the things 2D excels at.

(reading John K's blog is part of my daily routine, just so you know where I'm coming from)

Where are you now, if you don't mind me asking?

It's a small school here in Iceland, The Reykjavík School of Visual Art.
It's just a short, one year introduction of sorts into the visual arts. There's a focus on drawing, but a lot of it is centered on... well, things I'm not too keen on. We had one week of perspective drawing when we started, we've had a total of 5 weeks of life drawing and there were two weeks of colour theory. The life drawing has been amazing with some great teachers, but I feel that there's too little guidance/teaching in everything else.

[Anghenfil]

It's a small school here in Iceland, The Reykjavík School of Visual Art.
It's just a short, one year introduction of sorts into the visual arts. There's a focus on drawing, but a lot of it is centered on... well, things I'm not too keen on. We had one week of perspective drawing when we started, we've had a total of 5 weeks of life drawing and there were two weeks of colour theory. The life drawing has been amazing with some great teachers, but I feel that there's too little guidance/teaching in everything else.

I've been to Iceland before.  You have a beautiful country! 

Five weeks of life drawing out of a year is nowhere near enough for an animator, especially an exclusively 2D animator.  You should be drawing the body every day, even if it's just gesture drawings from youtube videos and copying out of anatomy books.  You're right to be looking onward for continuing education.

[Zwickel]

I know how you feel about 3D, I hate it and suck at it but will have to get to it one time or the other. It is very hard to find a non 3D animation job.

On animators, I think Tony White teaches at Digipen.

[Comlock]

Hey Creepy Doll. I started The Animation Workshop in Denmark 3 years ago. I have Adam Phillips to thank for my interest in animation as well =D
Usually every class has an Icelandic student here ^_^

it's quite affordable compared to many others. The school is having different guest-teachers from the larger animation studios (mostly from US,UK,France and Denmark) who teaches us for a week or two. All student's rate/review the teachers by the end, so the best ones will always return.
(life drawing with different nude models are held every week for free at the school by the evening)

The whole class loves 2D and hate 3D when they start the first year. Everybody would rather draw. I haven't heard someone with an opposite opinion yet.
After 2nd year though everyone say are better 2D animators since you get a lot better with animation principles and character acting during 2nd year.
It's a good year to learn even more about animation instead of spending too much time making nice drawings that are "on model"

on 3rd year it can be either 2D,3D. Depends on what Bachelor project you'll make. You'll will also be placed for 3 months in Copenhagen
to work for the directors at the National film school (usually it's 2D films)

after the 3rd year you go to intern ship.  I haven't checked out too much yet, but one of the 2D animation studios you can find in europe are "Cartoon Saloon" in Ireland (Brendan and the secret of kells) Passion pictures in London (Gorillaz, Beatles rock band)  Django films in Edinburgh (tripplets of belville, The illusionist)


(Don't ask if I prefer 2D or 3D, because I have no idea what I prefer the most any more ^^)

[Zwickel]

We miss your linetests Comlock