A colorful digital illustration of a drawing tablet on a desk, surrounded by floating cartoon character sketches and animation frames. The scene is lively, with stars and arrows suggesting movement and creativity, capturing the playful process of starting animation.

So You Want to Start Animating? Here’s How to Begin (Without the Overwhelm)

Leave a Comment / Getting Started with Animation

Getting into animation can feel a bit like staring at a blank canvas the size of a movie screen. The tools! The principles! The pressure to be amazing from frame one! But if you’re here, you’re already on the right track—you’re curious. And curiosity is the spark that lights the whole animation fire.

Start Small—Think of It Like Doodling in Motion

You don’t need Pixar’s render farm to get started. You just need to let yourself play. Think of your first steps into animation like learning to ride a bike—with training wheels made of sketchy lines and squiggly motion.

Start with something simple like a bouncing ball. It’s animation’s version of a warm-up stretch: basic, rhythmic, and full of hidden lessons. You’ll learn timing, spacing, squash and stretch—all without even needing a character.

  • Download a free app like FlipaClip or Krita
  • Draw a circle across 10–12 frames, adjusting its arc and speed as it “bounces”
  • Play it back and see your first moving creation come to life!

A colorful sketch of seven balls in a row, each a different color, with curved lines showing the bouncing paths of the balls. One ball is in mid-air, illustrating motion and energy. The scene is framed with a simple wooden border.

You don’t have to animate a perfect superhero on day one. Think of it more like flipping through a sketchbook that moves. It’s okay if it’s messy—it means you’re learning.

Choose Tools That Make Learning Feel Fun

When you’re just starting out, your tools should feel like colorful crayons, not heavy machinery. Apps like FlipaClip, Creanime, or RubberHose (for those ready to dip into After Effects) help you draw and animate frame by frame without needing a technical manual.

Find one that feels intuitive and fun. Animation is hard work, but your early experiences should spark joy. If it feels like pulling teeth, it’s the wrong tool (or the wrong timing).

  • Use a tablet if you have one, but don’t be afraid to animate with just your finger
  • Stick with one app until you feel comfortable, then explore more
  • Save your early animations—they’ll be your time capsule of progress

A young person sits at a desk, drawing on a digital tablet with a stylus. Small, joyful cartoon characters appear to come to life and float above the tablet, as if emerging from the drawing. The scene is warmly lit, with a potted plant and notebook on the desk, creating a cozy and creative atmosphere.

A friend once told me her first animation was a flower opening one petal at a time. It was clunky and slow—but it bloomed. Yours will too.

Final Thoughts

Animation is storytelling with patience. You don’t need to have all the answers—you just need to take the first step. Every great animator started with a shaky line, a choppy loop, or a lopsided walk cycle. Keep your early animations lighthearted, imperfect, and experimental. The rest will come.

Sources

  1. 12 Principles of Animation – Squash and Stretch
    Breaks down one of the most essential principles in animation, often learned through bouncing ball exercises.
  2. Bouncing Ball Tutorial – Alan Becker
    A clear, beginner-friendly tutorial demonstrating how to animate a bouncing ball with spacing and timing.
  3. FlipaClip – Official Site
    A mobile animation app that makes it easy to create frame-by-frame animations, perfect for beginners.

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