Beginners

If you are a beginner, or have a child and want to know where to start, then here you will find a host of useful stuff! Have a look at this page to find the collections of posts that will be most useful to you. You can also use the ‘Animating for beginners‘ category tag to find relevant posts.

What is animation and where do I start?

Here are some posts that are worth reading at the very start to get an understanding of just how wide the application of animation is and all the different forms of it.

What is animation, what types of animation are there?

Animation is an optical illusion This optical illusion is called Persistence of Vision. The simplest explanation is that it is: ...
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11 Types of Stop Motion Animation

People often use the term 'Stop Motion' to describe a form of animation, but they are probably only referring to ...
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Make your own animation – where should you start?

If you are looking to make your own animation then this website is for you. I've been making animation for ...
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Animation activities for kids

If you have kids and you’re looking for activities that will get them doing something creative with their devices, and encourage more drawing, model making, acting, story-making, and collaborative fun, then animation is the perfect solution. It’s really easy to get started with, and it’s even a great way for adults and kids to work together. Not only that but it can lead to a lifelong love of art, a fun hobby, or even a career.

How to get kids making games instead of just playing them – for free!

How many kids love playing video games? Kids seem to really take to playing digital games, they offer a world ...
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Clay Animation made easy – for kids and beginners

Did you know that Plasticine was originally developed to help children to learn to read? Well now it's used to ...
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Stop Motion Animation Puppets – for beginners

So you want to give stop motion a try (you may have seen my beginners guide). You have a smart ...
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Stop Motion Animation Kits for Kids – Creative Ideas for Kids

If you are looking for creative ideas for kids gifts these stop motion animation kits are just the thing. There ...
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How to Make Stop Motion Animation – 3 step guide for beginners

Have you ever wandered if it would be possible to do your own bit of stop motion animation? Well this ...
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Make Stop Motion Movies – on your phone!

Not so many years ago there were no apps for this at all. In fact you had to 'animate blind', ...
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Best Stick Figure Animation Software – Free Stick Figure Animator

Who thought stick figure animation was dead? With all the capability and software out there, guess what, stick figure animation ...
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Free and cheap software for beginners

Software for animation can be anything from free, to several thousands of pounds. If you are just starting out it’s a good idea to learn with some free or cheap software. New software is constantly being developed for animation, so it’s a good idea to get used to learning new software every now and again. Here you can find various software for beginners that is either free or cheap.

Make Stop Motion Movies – on your phone!

Not so many years ago there were no apps for this at all. In fact you had to 'animate blind', ...
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Best free 3D animation software

Free software comes and goes, often a new product is launched as free, then when a community is using and ...
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2D Animation Software for Free – 5 of the Best

There is some great 2D animation software that you can get completely free. Here are 5 of the best free ...
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Essential kit

There are some items that are just essential. Professionals can spend a lot of money on gear, but as a beginner, there are cheaper options that will give you great results. I’ve started reviewing all the essential kit you need to get going.

Phone and tablet holders

Not so long ago, people like myself were DIYing our own iPad holders and clamping them to tripods, to take ...
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Stop Motion Animation Puppets – for beginners

So you want to give stop motion a try (you may have seen my beginners guide). You have a smart ...
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