5 Beginner Tips to Turn Your Ideas into 2D Animation

About Anita Bell

Anita Bell is an award-winning writer with a diverse portfolio that includes science fiction, fantasy, children’s adventure, and crime comedy. Her exceptional talent in the business and investing genre has led to her authoring three of the top 10 best-selling business books in the past decade in Australia and New Zealand. Currently, Anita is focused on pitching for grants with the assistance of Cartoon Animator and iClone. She brings a unique perspective to the art of presentation with her ability to incorporate stunning 3D/2D animations and motion graphics, resulting in a “WOW” factor that captivates audiences. She has the following to say about visual storytelling and Reallusion products:

“At first I wanted to produce some of my short stories visually, but after a decade as a guest speaker at schools, uni’s, and libraries; after meeting so many amazing and inspiring people, I’m enjoying the fresh energy in helping others to share their stories as well.”

With the help of Cartoon Animator and iClone, I was able to achieve professional and efficient results in 2D animation, despite having no prior studies in film or animation. After breaking my hip in an accident involving a neighbor’s bull on our farm, I spent several months learning animation techniques with free tools and tutorials. To build my portfolio, I offered one-minute talking animations to local businesses and charities, which helped me kick-start my sample reels for funding applications. Now, I’m excited to have a full schedule of corporate and educational projects booked up to two years in advance!

5 Crucial Advice for Beginners

Tip #1: Use KISS principle (Keep it short and simple)

When submitting your 2D animation pitches and written support documents to fund providers, keep in mind that they are often very busy. Avoid wasting their time and potentially insulting their intelligence with unnecessary repetition.

Tip #2: Have impression points

Have a clear understanding of the amount of funding you require and make sure your pitch is concise, engaging, and full of energy. Be strategic with your words, leaving your audience captivated and eager to invest in your vision.

Tip #3: Set up your keywords

On this tip, Anita says “You know why. So do it. And don’t skimp”. After watching her video, the interviewer requested her to provide 3 to 5 keywords that would help readers discover this article, suggesting relevant terms like “vector animation”, “secondary animation”, “lip sync animation”, or “face animation”. To which Anita laughed and candidly replied:

“Oh dear, perhaps I should respectfully decline to use such keyword terms as; vector animation, secondary animation, lip sync animation or face animation in any of my replies here, because;

a) I’m still having a bad hair day, as shown by the naughty little sub-title character in the video, and…

b) I already SHOW everything I needed to mention about those terms INSIDE the video.

And one of the Top Rules as a Writer is “Show, don’t Tell”. So you won’t see me mention any such terms as; vector animation, secondary animation, lip sync animation or face animation ANYWHERE in my replies to your questions for this article.

Just tie your readers to a chair and make them watch the dang video.”

The interviewer was amused and lacked a witty comeback.

Tip #4: Brainstorm your ideas

Anita says “Most folks make the big mistake of brainstorming why THEY want grant funding for their 2D Animations.” Spoiler alert: by just one minor — or major — detail, they are wrong!

Instead, she suggests researching why the grant providers are offering such significant funding and brainstorming what they may want to see based on the themes and “intellectual flavors” of projects they have previously supported. That is, she puts the emphasis on the needs of the grant providers rather than the seekers.

“Refocus on brainstorming how you can help THEM to achieve THEIR goals for THEIR money, and benefitting the widest numbers of THEIR target viewers and communities, by using your skills and networking contacts.”

Tip #5: Enhance with 3 key features

On adding “punch” and “WOW factor” to your pitches, Anita recommends using subtle professional touches like spring dynamics, free-form deformations, and scalable vector graphics. In keeping with her jovial deposition, she ends by saying “Oh, and maybe also some healthy helpings of vector animation, secondary action animation, lip sync animation, and face animation, if that wasn’t already obvious. LOL.”