2danimator,sketchhope Details
Intro
Bring Your Creatures to Life!
This class begins with a focus on understanding characters in 3D space, teaching you how to design and animate them convincingly from every angle. Based on SketchHope's motto, "animation is only learned when animating", you’ll build a strong foundation through practical exercises in animal locomotion, gradually progressing into more complex movement and performance.
As you move beyond the fundamentals, you’ll learn how to apply them to dynamic action, scene building, and storyboarding. The class focuses on three key ideas: intentionality, critical observation, and character performance, helping you create movement that feels both believable and expressive.
Using only the 2D animation tools in Clip Studio Paint, you’ll also learn how to create dynamic camera movement and compose action without relying on 3D background modeling. By breaking complex movement and scenes into understandable pieces, you’ll gain the confidence to bring your own ideas to life, from fundamental animation exercises to ambitious, story-driven scenes.
Using only the 2D animation tools in Clip Studio Paint, you’ll also learn how to create dynamic camera movement and compose action without relying on 3D background modeling. By breaking complex movement and scenes into understandable pieces, you’ll gain the confidence to bring your own ideas to life, from fundamental animation exercises to ambitious, story-driven scenes.
Class Perks
Special Gift from SketchHope
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5 Animal Movement Cycle Guides -
Keyframes & Storyboards for Practice -
2 Animation-Ready Character Designs -
Animation & Clip Studio Cheat Sheet
Class Material Details
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Reference Guides for Animal Movement CyclesPractice with 5 detailed cycle guides covering quadruped walk, trot, run, jump, and winged creature flight. Available as CSP files, PNG sequences, and MP4 videos -
Keyframed Shots & Storyboard TemplatesPractice in-betweening and animation polishing with 4 provided CSP keyframe files and PNG storyboards -
Practice-Friendly Character DesignsExplore 2 easy-to-understand character designs built for 3D form and animation, complete with reference sheets, animated turnarounds, and movement cycles -
Animation Terminology & Clip Studio Shortcuts Cheat SheetGet a PDF guide covering essential animation terminology and alternate terms, plus a Clip Studio Paint shortcut guide with setup tips, recommended changes, and Auto Action tricks
Recommendation
Who should take this class?
Aspiring Animators who want to create dynamic, expressive scenes
Animators who want to master animal locomotion and acting
Digital Artists who want to stand out on social media
Expert 2D Animator SketchHope's Portfolio
* This Portfolio includes fanart.
Why Take This Class?
This course offers a clear and practical pipeline for learning 2D animal animation, helping you learn quickly without feeling stuck or intimidated. Instead of spending hours on theory without knowing how to apply it, you’ll learn to implement each concept right away through directly relevant exercises. Every fundamental locomotion exercise can later be used as reference for your projects, building your own collection of movement references alongside the provided guides.
You’ll learn the core elements of animal action scenes, including how to manipulate mood to make every animation impactful. Unlike a typical animal locomotion course, this class goes beyond realism. Realistic animal movement becomes the foundation for exaggerating, personifying, and redesigning natural animal movement. After all, animation is about bringing the impossibilities of your imagination to life.
By the end of the course, you’ll have character designs, turnarounds, walk/run cycles, and a final animated scene to use in your demo reel, portfolio, or social media. Taught by SketchHope, a YouTube animator with over 7 years of experience animating animals in dynamic action sequences, this class equips you with skills to keep growing beyond the course, push past your limits, and bring your wildest ideas to life.
Get Ready for the Real-World
19 Class Exercises
Part 1. Foundational Animation Warm-Up
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Basic Animation Exercises
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In-Betweening a Provided Shot
Part 2. Creature Form & Character Construction
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Character Turnaround
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Original Character Creation -
Original Character Turnaround
Part 3. Quadruped Locomotion & Flight Mechanics
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Quadruped Walk Cycle
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Quadruped Run Cycle
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Quadruped Jump Cycle
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Flight Cycle
Part 4. Complex Motion & Action Choreography
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Moving Cubes -
Spinning Run Cycle -
Cat Lunge & Strike
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Character Antic
Part 5. Animation Polishing & Shot Completion
Complete an Animation from Keys
Part 6. Final Creature Animation Project
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Final Project Storyboard
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Final Project Layout
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Final Project Rough Animation
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Final Project Clean-Up & Color
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Final Animation
Final Product Examples
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Creature Character SheetA complete character sheet for an original creature, including character design, turnaround, proportions, and key visual references.
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Creature Animation ReelA collection of finished animation exercises showcasing quadruped locomotion, flight, dynamic movement, and creature acting.
Final Creature Action Animation
An original creature animation developed from storyboard and layout through rough animation, clean-up, colour, compositing, and final export.
*The above images are sample images for a better understanding.
Highlights
Class Highlights
Master Quadruped Motion
Build convincing four-legged movement by understanding weight, balance, body mechanics, and locomotion. Learn to translate these principles into dynamic, stylized performances that go beyond simply replicating realistic animal movement.
Make Wings Come Alive
Bring winged creatures to life by studying flight mechanics, wing movement, weight shifts, and full-body coordination. Combine these fundamentals with expressive posing and stylized motion to create creatures that feel both believable and full of personality.
Create Cinematic Action
Elevate creature animation with dynamic camera movement, thoughtful composition, and purposeful staging. Learn how to use camera angles, movement, and framing to enhance action, guide the viewer’s eye, and create a stronger sense of energy and cinematic storytelling.
