The Art of Movement: Learn Classical 2D Animation

Want to understand what actually makes animation feel alive rather than simply moving objects across a screen? Learn to Animate! Classical 2D Animation for Beginners provides a structured introduction to traditional frame-by-frame animation using Adobe Animate.

Designed for beginners, the class moves from the fundamentals of animation into practical exercises, covering keyframes, breakdowns, in-betweens, timing, spacing, easing, squash and stretch, anticipation, and more. Rather than focusing only on software tools, it emphasizes the principles behind convincing movement.

The class contains 19 lessons totaling roughly 1 hour and 41 minutes, with three hands-on projects designed to progressively build animation skills.

• Complete beginners — Ideal if terms such as keyframes, in-betweens, or timing charts are completely new to you.
• Aspiring 2D animators — A practical introduction to the principles used in traditional frame-by-frame animation.
• Illustrators and artists — Useful for artists who want to bring their drawings to life through movement.
• Motion designers — Helpful for developing fundamental animation principles that can transfer to other areas of animation.
• Existing beginners — Suitable for learners who have experimented with animation but want a stronger understanding of its fundamentals.

• Understand the 12 principles of animation.
• Work with keyframes, breakdowns, and in-betweens.
• Control timing and spacing for convincing movement.
• Animate along arcs and create smoother motion.
• Apply easing to keyframes effectively.
• Use squash and stretch to enhance movement.
• Create anticipation, overshoot, and settle.
• Plan animation using timing charts.
• Create a bouncing-ball animation.
• Animate a character performing a jump.
• Export completed animations from Adobe Animate.

Animation can initially seem intimidating because there are so many technical terms, drawing techniques, and timing decisions to understand. This class takes a sensible approach by introducing those concepts gradually and immediately connecting them to practical animation exercises.

The course begins with an introduction to Adobe Animate, including the interface, workspace, drawing tools, timeline, stage, and frame rates. This makes the software less overwhelming for someone opening it for the first time. From there, the lessons shift toward the underlying mechanics of classical animation.

One of the strongest aspects of the class is its focus on the 12 principles of animation. Rather than simply showing learners which buttons to press, Siobhan Twomey explains concepts such as timing, spacing, arcs, easing, squash and stretch, and anticipation. These principles form the foundation of believable and expressive movement and can remain useful even if learners eventually move beyond Adobe Animate.

The hands-on projects give the lessons a particularly practical structure. The first project involves animating a swinging pendulum, introducing keyframes, breakdowns, in-betweens, and spacing. The second focuses on a bouncing ball, where learners apply timing, spacing, squash, and stretch. Finally, the character jump combines anticipation, overshoot, settle, and timing charts into a more complex animation exercise.

This progression is valuable because each project builds upon skills introduced earlier. Instead of trying to animate an elaborate character immediately, learners first gain control over simpler movements before applying the same principles to a character.

Another useful feature is the inclusion of resources for the projects. The instructor explains that downloadable materials are provided through the Projects and Resources section, allowing students to follow along with the exercises. The class also concludes with instruction on rendering and exporting the finished animation.

The class is relatively compact at around 1 hour and 41 minutes, so it does not attempt to overwhelm beginners with an enormous curriculum. At the same time, it covers a surprisingly broad selection of fundamental concepts. The main limitation is that learners looking for advanced character animation, walk cycles, lip-sync, acting, or professional production workflows will need more advanced training afterward.

Overall, this is best viewed as a foundation-building course rather than a complete professional animation program. Its greatest strength is the combination of fundamental theory and small practical projects. By the end, learners have not simply watched demonstrations; they have worked through three progressively more challenging animation exercises.

Learn to Animate! Classical 2D Animation for Beginners is a strong starting point for anyone who wants to understand the fundamentals of classical 2D animation. Its clear progression from software setup and animation terminology to practical projects makes the subject approachable without stripping away the important principles.

The three projects — the pendulum, bouncing ball, and character jump — are especially useful because they give beginners an opportunity to put the concepts into practice and build a small collection of finished work.

I would recommend this course most strongly to complete beginners, aspiring 2D animators, and artists who want to learn how movement works. More experienced animators may find the material too introductory, but for someone starting from scratch, it provides a solid foundation on which to continue developing.