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Since you're starting from scratch and aiming to reach a professional level in
animation without spending money, here's a step-by-step roadmap tailored
exactly for your situation. This roadmap will cover:
● Foundations
● 2D Animation
● 3D Animation
● Motion Graphics
● Portfolio Building
● Job/Client Readiness
STAGE 1: FOUNDATION (1-2 months)
Goal: Understand the basics of drawing, storytelling, and animation principles.
Learn the 12 Principles of Animation
● Free Course: Alan Becker's YouTube Series on Animation Principles
● Read: “The Animator’s Survival Kit” by Richard Williams (check
Archive.org for a free borrow)
Basic Drawing Skills
● Tool: Krita (100% free, powerful for 2D art)
● Learn From:
○ Drawabox (Free structured drawing course)
○ Proko YouTube Channel
STAGE 2: 2D ANIMATION (3-5 months)
Goal: Create short 2D animated clips and understand timing, movement, and
character animation.
Software
● Krita (2D frame-by-frame)
● Pencil2D (Simple, beginner-friendly)
● Synfig Studio (More complex 2D animation)
Learn From
● Krita Animation Tutorial Series (YouTube)
● Animator Guild (Free videos)
● Bloop Animation YouTube
Projects to Try
● Bouncing Ball
● Walk Cycle
● Lip Sync to Voice Clip
● Character Jump or Reaction
STAGE 3: 3D ANIMATION (6–9 months)
Goal: Create animated 3D scenes, characters, and actions.
Software
● Blender (free, industry-grade for 3D modeling, animation, and VFX)
Learn From
● Blender Beginner Tutorial (YouTube - Blender Guru)
● Dikko's Animation Tutorials
● CG Cookie (Free YouTube tutorials)
Focus Areas
● Object Animation (bounce, squash/stretch)
● Rigging and Posing
● Character Animation (walk cycles, idle loop, dialogue)
● Camera movement and storytelling
STAGE 4: MOTION GRAPHICS & VFX (Optional but Powerful)
Goal: Add dynamic text, particles, and effects.
Software
● Blender (VFX, compositing)
● DaVinci Resolve (Free professional video editing and compositing)
Learn From
● Dope Motions (YouTube)
● Surfaced Studio
STAGE 5: BUILDING YOUR PORTFOLIO (Ongoing)
Goal: Create a showreel and put your work online.
Portfolio Checklist
● 2D animation clips (walk, talk, emotion)
● 3D animation (character scene, lip sync, action)
● Motion graphics or title sequence
● Original short film (1–2 mins)
Platforms
● ArtStation (Free portfolio site)
● YouTube (For sharing)
● LinkedIn & Instagram (For networking and visibility)
STAGE 6: GETTING WORK
Goal: Freelance, internships, or remote jobs.
Start Small
● Platforms: Fiverr, Upwork (create profile and pitch animation gigs)
● Communities:
○ Reddit r/animation
○ [Discord Animation Servers](search for: Krita, Blender, Animator
communities)
○ Animation Jobs Discord
Contribute to Indie Projects
● Look for “collab” tags on forums or Discord.
● Offer your animation skills to small game developers or YouTubers.
FREE TOOLS AND RESOURCES SUMMARY
Purpose Tool / Platform
2D Animation Krita, Pencil2D, Synfig
3D Animation Blender
Drawing Drawabox, Proko, Krita
Video Editing DaVinci Resolve (Free version)
Learning Platform YouTube, Bloop Animation, Alan
Becker
Portfolio ArtStation, YouTube, Instagram
Suggested Timeline Overview
Month(s) Focus Area
1–2 Drawing + Animation Basics
3–5 2D Animation (Krita, Pencil2D)
6–9 3D Animation (Blender)
10+ Motion Graphics + Portfolio
Ongoing Projects + Freelance
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
● Consistency > Speed: Practice a little every day.
● Feedback: Post work online and seek critique.
● Community: Join Discord groups, Reddit threads, and collab forums.
● Document: Record your journey—others love seeing progress!
