Recommended Animation Resources Beginner Animators Should Bookmark
- Mar 6
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 28
TL;DR
Getting started with animation can feel overwhelming, but the right resources can make the learning process more manageable.
Master the fundamentals early: Free resources on the 12 principles of animation (timing, spacing, squash and stretch, etc.) give you a foundation that pays off no matter what software or style you use later.
Use references to improve your work: Pose libraries, movement references, and other artists’ portfolios all help you animate more naturally while sparking new creative ideas.
Stay organised from the start: Managing files, revisions, and feedback efficiently makes animation projects more manageable.
Learning animation as a beginner can feel like staring at a blank page with no idea where to start. Should you focus on drawing first? Master the twelve principles? Dive into software tutorials? With so many resources scattered across the internet, figuring out where to start can feel just as hard as learning animation itself.
Here's the good news: you don’t need a formal course to begin. Animation is one of the few crafts where working professionals, hobbyists, and studios share tutorials, breakdowns, and feedback for free. You just need to know where to look.
Here are five animation resources every beginner animator should bookmark.
Table of Contents
1. Learn Animation Fundamentals
Before creating your first animation project, it’s important to understand the principles that make movement feel believable and engaging. One concept you’ll encounter repeatedly is the 12 Principles of Animation, developed by Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. These principles form the foundation of animation and influence everything from character movement to timing and emotion.
Some excellent free resources to learn these fundamentals include:
Alan Becker
Best known for his Animator vs. Animation series, Alan Becker also runs a dedicated tutorial channel (Alan Becker on YouTube) where he breaks down his own animation process step-by-step, from Flash/Animate basics to stick-figure movement and fight choreography. His teaching style is casual and visual, making complex timing and spacing concepts easy to follow even if you’re new to animation. It’s a great starting point for 2D character animation.
TipTut
TipTut offers beginner-friendly lessons that explain animation principles through practical, hands-on examples rather than just theory. Each tutorial walks through a complete project in software like Adobe Animate or After Effects, so you see the whole process from start to finish. This makes it easier to understand why each step matters and how it affects what you're drawing or keyframing.
Ben Marriott
If you’re interested in motion design or After Effects-style animation, Ben Marriott’s YouTube channel is one of the most popular free resources around, with tutorials covering everything from frame-by-frame animation to motion graphics techniques used in professional studio work. His breakdowns are detailed and practical, often showing his full workflow so you can see exactly how the final results come together.
Pixar in a Box
Created by Pixar in partnership with Khan Academy (khanacademy.org), Pixar in a Box is a completely free course that shows how real Pixar artists apply core concepts, including animation principles, staging, and storytelling, to their actual filmmaking process. Lessons combine short videos with interactive exercises, so you’re not just watching but also practising (like animating a bouncing ball or building simple character rigs). It’s available directly on Khan Academy’s website.
2. Learn from Industry Professionals
One of the best ways to improve is by learning from experienced animators who have worked in the industry. Industry professionals bring a level of insight into workflow, problem-solving, and craft that's hard to get from tutorials alone, and many now share that knowledge directly with beginners online.
Aaron Blaise
If you're a fan of classic Disney animation, Aaron Blaise is a fantastic resource. An Oscar-nominated Disney director and animator who worked on beloved films like The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Brother Bear, and more, he trained directly under legendary animator Glen Keane and later mentored Byron Howard, who now directs films like Zootopia and Encanto.
On his YouTube channel, The Art of Aaron Blaise, he shares free lessons, live drawing and animation sessions, and behind-the-scenes stories from his Disney career. For those who want to go deeper, his site, Creature Art Teacher, also offers paid courses covering the 12 Principles of Animation, character design, and animal/creature movement. Still, there's more than enough free content to learn from before considering that step.
Sir Wade Neistadt
A former production trainer at DreamWorks, Sir Wade Neistadt now creates free animation education content on YouTube covering topics like animation workflows in Maya and Blender, blocking and posing techniques, character performance, and industry advice for people trying to break into the field. For aspiring 3D animators, he is known for making animation education approachable and practical.
His videos are practical for beginners because he often explains not just how to do something, but why professional animators make the choices they do. He also runs in-depth paid workshops on his website for those who want structured, guided training beyond his free YouTube content.
3. Find Pose and Movement References
Poses and angles can be tricky to get right. Even seasoned animators lean on reference materials; here are the best options to check out:
Contains clear human poses, including costume and outfit references, making it especially useful for character designers working on anatomy or designing outfits. Many images are free to use for personal use under the site’s Creative Commons licence, as long as you credit the source.
A freemium, browser-based tool that generates timed pose sessions from a large photo library, covering full figures, hands and feet, faces and expressions, and animals. You choose how long each pose stays on screen, from 30 seconds to half an hour, which makes it great for building drawing speed and confidence. It's helpful for practising the 'line of action', the core movement running through a pose that animators rely on during blocking.
Built by artist and anatomy educator Scott Eaton, this is a professional-grade library of over thousands of high-resolution photo sequences of athletes, dancers, and performers in motion, alongside full 3D scans and a facial expression reference set. It’s used by animators at studios like Netflix Animation, Pixar, and Industrial Light & Magic and is especially strong for studying dynamic movement and weight shift across a sequence, rather than just single static poses. Unlike the other tools on this list, this one comes at a cost, reflecting its professional-grade depth and studio-level use.
For artists who need a specific pose and camera angle rather than what a reference photo offers, JustSketchMe provides a fully posable 3D mannequin you can rotate, adjust, and light however you like. This makes it handy when you’re animating an original pose or action that doesn’t exist in any photo library; you can essentially build the exact reference you need from scratch.
4. Keep Your Animation Projects Organised
Learning animation is only half the challenge. Once you begin working on projects, you'll quickly discover another obstacle: managing files, revisions, feedback, and progress. Even short animation projects can involve multiple scene revisions and review rounds, so without a clear system, tracking everything becomes difficult.
You don't need expensive production software to stay organised. A few free tools and habits can go a long way:
Set Up a Proper Folder Structure from the Start
Decide on a consistent way to organise your scenes, assets, and versions before you start creating, not after your desktop is already a mess. Free tools like File Architect let you generate a ready-made folder structure (for scenes, references, renders, exports, and more) in a couple of clicks, so you're not manually recreating the same folders for every new project. Even a simple, consistent naming convention, like numbering scene versions instead of using "final", "final_v2", or "final_REAL", will save you a lot of headaches down the line.
Tools Worth Knowing: TESSR
Animation projects involve many moving parts. From scene files and revisions to approvals and feedback, having everything stored in separate tools can create unnecessary friction.
Having a centralised workspace helps you stay focused and keeps important information accessible when you need it. For example, TESSR's Scene Hub allows teams to upload multiple scene versions. Progress tracking, comments, and reviews stay connected to each scene. Tools such as TESSR Review enable users to annotate scenes, draw directly on frames, and leave precise comments, helping feedback become clearer and easier to action.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I learn animation on my own?
Yes. Formal education isn't required; there are plenty of free, accessible resources online for anyone willing to try. To start, you'll need a computer or tablet, free software like Blender, OpenToonz, or Krita, and consistent practice. Begin with the fundamentals, timing, spacing, and the 12 principles of animation, then build up through simple exercises like bouncing balls and walk cycles. YouTube tutorials, animation communities, and beginner courses (Domestika and Skillshare) can guide you the rest of the way.
Is it too late for me to learn animation now that I’m no longer in school?
It is not too late at all. Learning does not have an age limit; what's needed is a willingness to learn and to practise. Take that time to build the fundamentals before venturing into a personal animation project of your own.
How long does it take to learn animation?
There's no fixed timeline, since it depends on how much time you can dedicate, the style of animation you're pursuing, and your starting skill level. Some people pick up the basics of movement and timing within a few months of consistent practice, while becoming proficient enough for professional work can take a few years. The key is steady, regular practice rather than rushing. Even short, consistent sessions each week will get you further than occasional bursts of effort.
Author Bio
The TESSR Editorial Team is a collective of creatives and project management practitioners who enjoy sharing real-life experience on project management, creative workflows, and well-being in the creative industries. The team wants to help creative leaders, project managers, and individuals in animation, design, and creative studios understand the benefits of project management. So creatives can all create with more freedom and, together, build a more sustainable creative culture.
Check out their LinkedIn page here.
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