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1-2-3

Hand-Drawn 2D Animation

Hand-drawn animation is where creativity meets motion, bringing drawings to life frame by frame. This project invites you to tell a short story or express an idea through a sequence of hand-drawn images. Whether you choose key-framed animation—planning major poses first—or straight-ahead animation—drawing frame after frame spontaneously—you’ll explore the fundamentals of timing, movement, and storytelling in 2D.

Your Mission is to create a short hand-drawn 2D animation based on your own storyboard. You will plan, design, and animate a sequence that communicates a clear story or concept using traditional animation principles and digital tools.

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​Project Goals 

  • Develop storyboarding skills to plan your animation

  • Understand key animation techniques: key-framing and straight-ahead

  • Practice timing, spacing, and smooth motion through frame-by-frame drawing

  • Communicate ideas effectively through visual storytelling and movement

FIRST: make sure your KRITA is set up correctly for animating

Level 1

You MUST do all of the animation exercises below:

If you have already completed an Animation Cycle (this semester)

you may either:

- repeat one or more of the exercises to see if you can do better / faster.

- skip ahead to the assignments for this project.

1

Rolling Ball
(Timing)

Animate a ball rolling along a roller coaster. 

2

Bouncing Ball
(Stretch & Squish)

Animate a ball rolling off the abrupt end of a rollercoaster and bouncing on the ground. 

3

The Potato Sack
(Path of Action)

Animate a little potato sack hopping (flopping?) from one side of the canvas to the other

4

Jumping and Falling
(Follow Through) 

Animate a simple character jumping up and falling back down â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

All four exercises should be completed within ONE 5-day week.

LVL1 CHECKPOINT

AFTER completing ALL 4 exercises,
but BEFORE moving on:​
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1) Name your files correctly:

  • Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level-ExerciseNumberName

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-Rotoscope-1-1RollingBall

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-Rotoscope-1-2BouncingBall

  • Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.

  • Use hyphens in image or file names --- no spaces.

    • Even though Windows and Mac computers allow spaces, the web is built on systems that do not handle spaces well. When a file name has a space, web browsers often change it to %20, which can cause broken links or make files not load correctly.

    • Using hyphens (-) instead of spaces helps your files work properly online.

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2) Do the level 1 reflection

  • Download the template.

  • Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.

  • RENAME IT

    • Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-1

  • Answer the questions. You can focus on one exercise or answer for both.

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3) Hand in all 5 files

Click here.

Level 2

​BEFORE YOU BEGIN

​1) GET the level 2 DESIGN BOOKLET

  • Download the template.

  • Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.

  • RENAME IT

    • Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-2

    • Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.

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2) Choose your level 2 assignment (below)​

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3) Start the booklet before starting your assignment

  • Answer the questions in the following sections:

    1. The Assignment-ID and timeline questions.

    2. KNOW WHAT YOU’RE PRACTICING​

    3. FEEDBACK

    4. PLAN YOUR APPROACH

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4) do your assignment​

Pick and Do 1 Assignment:

A

Walk Cycle

Create a looping walk cycle using a simple hand-drawn character, focusing on timing, weight, and smooth motion.

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focus on:

  • clear key poses (contact, passing, up, down)

  • consistent timing and spacing

  • a sense of weight and balance

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Choose this if you want to build strong animation fundamentals and practice making movement feel natural and believable.

B

Reverse Storyboard

Break down a short animated clip into a sequence of key poses that show how the motion unfolds over time.​

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focus on:

  • identifying key poses that sell the action

  • showing changes in timing and rhythm

  • clarity of movement over drawing detail

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Choose this if you want to understand how professional animators plan movement before animating.

C

2-Second Transformation

Create a short looping animation where one shape or object smoothly transforms into another.​

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focus on:

  • clear start and end shapes

  • smooth in-between motion

  • a loop that resets cleanly

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Choose this if you enjoy experimenting with transformation and creative transitions.

LVL2 CHECKPOINT

AFTER completing your assignment,
but BEFORE moving on:​
​

1) Name your file(s) correctly:

  • Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level-WhichOneYouPicked​

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-2DAnimation-2-AWalkCycleKrita

  • Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.

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2) FINISH the level 2 reflection​

  • aka the last section in the Design Booklet.

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3) Hand in BOTH (2) files

Click here.

Level 3

The Project

It's time to shine! In this project, you will create a short hand-drawn 2D animation from start to finish, using everything you’ve learned about timing, motion, and clarity.

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Your goal is to animate a clear action or moment that feels intentional and readable.


This is about strong movement, clean timing, and smart planning, not over-complicated ideas.

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Why Short Animations Matter:

Short animations aren’t easier — they’re stronger.

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When you only have a few seconds, every frame has to count. You have to think carefully about timing, movement, and storytelling instead of filling time with extra motion. Professional animators often work in short clips for this exact reason: short animations force clear ideas, strong planning, and clean execution.

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A well-made 5–10 second animation can show emotion, action, or a full story moment more effectively than a longer animation that’s rushed or unfinished. In this project, your goal isn’t to make more frames — it’s to make better ones.

Think of it like a visual sentence instead of a paragraph: concise, intentional, and powerful.

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​​​​​​BEFORE YOU BEGIN

​1) GET the level 3 DESIGN BOOKLET

  • Download the template.

  • Move it to your Media Design folder in your OneDrive.

  • RENAME IT

    • Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-ActionFigure-3​

​

​2) fill out the booklet as you do the project.

Your Animation must include:

  • A hand-drawn animation

    • You may use a static photo base such as the example to the right.

    • All moving elements must be hand-drawn.

    • No rotoscoping.

  • a storyboard

  • A clear beginning, middle, and end or a strong looped action

  • Consistent character or object design throughout

  • Smooth playback at the correct frame rate

  • A finished animation that is 8–15 seconds long

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Focus on:

  • Strong poses and clear silhouettes

  • Believable timing and spacing

  • Following the path of action

  • Finishing cleanly and confidently

 

Ready to Make?

  • Software: Krita

  • Canvas size: 1920 × 1080 pixels

  • Frame rate: 12 FPS

  • Length: 8–15 seconds

  • Animation may be done with keyframing, or straight-ahead. Or a mix of both.

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Post-Production: Adding Sound

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To Help You Get Started:

 

1) Choose a Simple, Animatable Idea
Good ideas are small but clear:

  • A character jumping, slipping, or reacting

  • A short physical action (throw, turn, stretch, fall)

  • A brief emotional moment shown through movement

Avoid long stories or multiple characters.

 

2) Plan Before You Animate
In your Design Booklet's Prototype section:

  • Write a 1–2 sentence description of your action

  • Sketch your key poses (start, extreme, end)

    • you may use the storyboard template page for this, just make sure it gets handed in too.

  • Decide where the action speeds up and slows down

 

3) Animate in Passes

  • Block in key poses first

  • Add breakdowns to define the motion

  • Fill in in-betweens only where needed

  • Check your timing often.

 

4) Keep It Clean and Consistent

  • Use simple shapes

  • Stay consistent with proportions

  • Don’t redraw more than necessary

  • A finished animation is better than an over-ambitious one.

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a REMINDER:

Professional animators work in short shots.
A strong 10-second animation that’s well planned and finished will always beat a longer one that’s rushed or incomplete.

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This project brings together everything you practiced in Levels 1 and 2:
you've got this!​​​

LVL3 CHECKPOINT

AFTER completing your project:​
​

1) Name your file(s) correctly:

  • Firstname-Lastname-CycleNumber-Project-Level​

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-Rotoscope-3Krita

    • ex) Laura-Ulrich-1-Rotoscope-3Final

  • Failure to follow this naming protocol will lead to a missing mark.

​

2) FINISH the level 3 reflection​

  • aka the last section in the Design Booklet.

​

3) Hand in aLL 3 files

Click here.

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4) Return to the Media Design page and repeat the 1-2-3 cycle with a new project!​​

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