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Short course

Animation for 16 to 18 Year Olds Short Course

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<p>Animation for 16 to 18 Year Olds Short Course | On campus</p><p>Image: Animation for 16 to 18 Year Olds Short Course, Kate Sullivan | UAL</p>
Learn hand-drawn character animation! Beginner's course for 16-18 year olds. Build a solid foundation for a career in animation.
Next start months
June 2026
July 2026
August 2026
Tutor(s)
Kate Sullivan
Price
From £730.00

Course description

Course overview

It's never too early to start a career in animation, and strong drawing skills are one of the best ways to begin. This course will introduce you to the basic tools, technical skills and fundamental principles needed to succeed in the animation industry. It covers everything from design and production to portfolio building for animation.

By developing these core skills, you'll build a solid foundation that supports high-quality character animation and prepares you to adapt as technology in the industry continues to evolve, helping you preserve the quality of good character animation.

Please note: Although we will be using paper, the animation skills taught are transferable and can be used with any software or method of animation. Video clip examples given in class will cover a wide range of animation methods including stop-motion and CGI. All topics will be backed up with handouts. Students may also take home .mp4 files of their work.

Who this course is for

This course is for all abilities, a high standard of drawing skills are not required. We will be working roughly, having fun and experimenting! More advanced students will be supplied with additional exercises, meaning that all levels of experience are catered for. Students are given the option of opting out of exercises and carrying on with a project which has captured their imagination.

For practical information about our kids and teens courses, take a look at our kids and teens information hub. This includes details of our policies on safeguarding, food allergies, learning requirements and online study.

Key information

Learning outcomes

  • Gain an understanding of the principles of marketing as well as character and background design
  • Gain exposure to a wide range of animation methods including stop-motion and CGI.
  • Learn how to work on a light box and shoot your animation on a ‘line-tester’.
  • Build an animated portfolio demonstrating industry-recognised animation skills.
  • Equip you with the analytical skills and techniques to continuously improve on your work and bring your drawings to life
  • Meet classmates who you may wish to collaborate with on your future animation projects
  • Receive a digital badge and certificate of attendance
  • Develop an open-minded approach to art and design
  • Experience art school teaching

Topics covered

  • An in depth look at the 12 Principles of Animation, including film-clip analysis and practical exercises. All students will receive 1-1 feedback and advice on every task.
  • Working on a light box using professional animation pencils and paper. The teacher will then help you film your drawings using professional ‘Dragonframe’ software and a DSLR.
  • An insight into the professional character design and background design process, including drawing and design tips.
  • Animation is performance! How to act and sketch out ideas and then bring your animation to life!
  • An insight into the 2D (including 2D digital) animation production process including turnarounds, rigs, storyboarding, and animatics.
  • Advice on building a portfolio to show to animation course leaders and companies.

Materials

  • USB stick or equivalent to save your work
  • If possible, please bring a camera or camera phone to record the process of making the work, and the outcomes.

All other materials needed to complete the course will be provided, but please feel free to bring any current sketchbooks or materials you enjoy using.

Tutor

Kate Sullivan

Kate Sullivan is an award-winning animator/designer/director and documentary filmmaker. Since graduating from the Character Animation PG Cert (now MA) at CSM, she's worked on a wide variety of high-profile content. Clients include Cartoon Network, BBC, Ch4, Zeekay Junior, CITV CBeebies, CBBC, Google and NBC. Recent work includes designing and animating titles, credits and establishers for BBC2's Upstart Crow, character animation for Doctor Who and films for renowned journalist, Misha Glenny. As an independent documentary filmmaker, she has won many awards and gained much critical acclaim. Her work has been displayed in galleries and film festivals around the world. Kate is currently creating an animated documentary project about the creator world's first computer generated cartoon character.

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