2d Animation & Digital Art

Centre for arts and technology’s 2d animation & digital art diploma is your direct route to working in the exciting and growing field of animation! In only 15 months, you will get the animation skills and industry connections to make your mark in this rewarding and creative industry. 

Not just for the big screen, animated characters and scenes now dominate social media, streaming, television, apps, and more! There is no shortage of animation career options for you.  

This hands-on program covers the key skills you’ll need to get noticed and hired, including: 

• Foundational skills in traditional drawing and animation 
• Digital painting and digital character animation 
• Prop, location and character design
• Studio workflow etiquette
• History and cultural significance of the animation industry 
• Life Drawing (Including human and animal mechanics) 
• Character animation processes and principles
• Storyboarding 
• Rigging
• Digital editing and compositing
• Demo reel creation 
• Industry standard software including Toon Boom Harmony

Start Your 2d Animation Career Animate Your Future

You want the best animation education. Here’s what our program will do for you: 

01
Industry Connections
Animation industry professionals as your Instructors and mentors. 

02
Let’s Get You Working!
Well-rounded, focused curriculum to get you successfully working as quickly as possible.

03
Degree Pathway Options
Established pathways with BCIT and University of Gloucestershire to further your education after graduation. 

04
Top Tech
Latest technology, facilities and equipment in a dedicated animation lab classroom. 

When you’re backed by exceptional curriculum and an education team focused on your success and individuality, the future of employment is bright. Here are just a few studios and organizations where you’ll find our award-winning animation alumni thriving.

We understand that choosing a post-secondary school is a big decision that usually involves input from some of the most important people in your life. Tuition considerations, support after graduation and key industry connections – these are all part of choosing the best animation school for you.

Here are a few reasons why you’ll be happy you chose Centre for Arts and Technology:

Hands-on, employment-focused education.

Employment-focused programs delivering the soft skills you need for lasting career success and hands-on experience with the latest, industry-standard technology. Your career starts here!

More one-on-one time with your Instructors and mentors.
Small class sizes mean you get more facetime and critical feedback from your education team, to achieve real growth and success.

Personalized support from start to finish.

Financial guidance? We’ve got you covered. Career advice after graduation? We wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re more than a student number to us. We create a personalized experience that you won’t get anywhere else.

Quality you can fact-check.

Centre for Arts and Technology holds a full designation through Education Quality Assurance and the Private Training Institutions Branch. You’ll only get the best at Centre for Arts and Technology.

Here’s How You’ll Build Your 2D Animation Skills

Quarter 1

In this introductory quarter, you will learn the practical skills and knowledge that form the foundation of visual art in animation. In your initial Character Animation course, you will be introduced to the principles of animation and the application of traditional drawing in 2D animation. You will get an Introduction to the Animation Industry which covers the history of animation, its changing cultural significance, major past and current players/influencers, types of animation (2D, 3D, stop-motion, motion capture).  In your first Life Drawing course, weekly life drawing sessions will train you to render the human form accurately – a skill essential to 2D Animation. 

Quarter 2

In your second quarter, you will build upon the fundamental principles of animation acquired in your first quarter with further traditional study of human and animal mechanics and acting. You will concentrate on fine-tuning your life drawing skills such as shading, perspective, anatomy, proportions, and other elements essential to artistically represent the human form. The principles and rules of linear and organic perspective are covered alongside other drawing elements. Digital painting and design for animation will be introduced to complement and broaden your artistic palette.

Quarter 3

In your third quarter, you will transition from traditional animation into Digital Character Animation where, in addition to animating with studio-quality assets, you will be introduced to the tools and techniques of working in this digital medium.

You will continue with more advanced life drawing training in which you will gain further knowledge of anatomy, structure, composition, line weight and rendering for portraying the human and animal form alongside developing the techniques and principles for strong character design.

You will also become familiar with Storyboarding, where you will practice creating sequential art to convey story and character in visual media. 

Quarter 4

In your fourth quarter, you will continue honing the process and techniques of 2D Digital Character Animation through the application of industry-standard methods and software tools. You will add essential breadth to your 2D art portfolio through traditional mixed media study in life drawing with watercolour painting, marker and ink rendering, pencil and pastel as well as design principles and elements as it relates to design in animation. You will begin the pre-production process of pitching and developing an idea for your final project which allows you to explore the creative freedom of realizing your own idea while putting into practise everything you have learned about the process of an animated show pipeline. 

Quarter 5

In this crucial final quarter, you will benefit from the guidance and mentoring of your professional instructors and success coaches designed to aid you in securing employment after graduation. Digital Character Animation will continue to teach and reinforce more advanced techniques, allowing you to hone your animation skills to the level of employability. Your final project will enter the key production phase and you will learn to use digital editing and post-production processes in the delivery of this final project and professional demo reel and portfolio site.