4 New Ways to Practice Animation!

Instagram- / alexxgrigg Twitter- / alexxgrigg
Want to practice all those animation skills you've been learning? Try out these four animation exercises I've put together.
Credits-
Made and Voiced by Alex Grigg
Music by Skillbard
Logo by Renaud Futterer
Typeface by Laurie Rollitt and Renaud Futterer

[@faramisola]

I first started animating 10 years ago using the magic dot, and it is quite literally the best way to learn timing and spacing. It should be the first thing anyone does way before doing a ball bounce animation

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

I totally agree. It's such a quick way to discover the joy of animating

[@Yah.so.no.]

@@AlexGriggAnimation its really nice

[@itshel2677]

yeah I thought the same thing. with the ball you have to focus on the volume what not while (at least in my opinion) timing and spacing is way more important and harder to get right than making sure the ball behaves realistically

[@mintyprductins9645]

I'm not gonna ruin the amount of likes

[@chaseleswift252]

Whoa

[@michaelbricky]

I had an art teacher who always said "Practice makes permanent" as in if you practice something, you not only get better, you retain that knowledge forever. So if you stop drawing for years, but decide to pick up a pencil one day, you may not be the same, but all those foundations you practiced and learned will come back to you.

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

That's a cool saying :). Definitely rings true

[@pirdotohs4959]

i can confirm, i stopped drawing for about a year and came back and impressed myself.

[@vaangh]

Muscle memory

[@vaangh]

Kinda

[@ur_local_nintendo_ds]

Or even for riding a bike. You ride it, and even if you go back to it after a while, you'll be speeding through after the first few paddles. Bcuz art and riding a bike, both are muscle memory

[@Nerothy]

The "Bwoopr" sound you do when testing out your animation is definitely the most important lesson of all. Joke aside, amazing videos man, keep on the good work. 💪

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Haha yeh I make sounds like that a fair bit while I animate. Cheers!

[@itshel2677]

you have a point though. Mostly animation is accompanied by sound effects, music, dialog or a combination of the three. which supports the animation and makes what's happening on screen more believable

[@Katherine_1235]

I think the sword to a rose is my favorite. Not only is it a beautiful animation but the animation between the two is complex and can impress your audience quite easily.

[@KogawaYuri-ENVtuber]

Same! I found it extremely cool!

[@pinkiepurplez]

So far, these videos are great! They help focus on the lesson without daunting the student with a presentation that exudes mastery. By that, I mean that sometimes instructor's lessons make the student unconfident in their abilities through showing off their own skill in the lesson. And so I think this is a great balance that helps the student grasp, understand, and be excited for trying it out themselves. Thank you for your generous animation video lessons, ciao ciao!

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Hey I'm glad you enjoy that. Keeping things simple and approachable was a big goal for me. Maybe I should do some more fancy animation to get people more inspired at some point...

[@ayu6592]

@@AlexGriggAnimation you are doing great job 😍

[@BunchaSketches]

Love the italian (im italian)

[@Ishidalover]

This kind of video is perfect for someone like me, who is an artist that knows about basic concepts of mass/shape, and terminology like keyframes and follow through, but has limited experience actually creating or finding an appropriate place to begin after a long time not creating. It doesn't seem so scary to pick back up now. Thanks, Alex!

[@lukejournal]

Intro: 00:00 Magic Dot: 0:49 Jelly Jump: 3:34 More Difficult Jelly Jump: 7:28 The Switch: 7:41 The Morph: 12:09 Outro: 14:09 Useful tips at : 3:24 ; 7:15 Don't give up! I'm a hundred percent sure you'll become amazing at animation, just keep practicing! By the way, here's my favorite playlist to keep myself motivated: you're just happy (on yt) Happy Practice guys!

[@shehryarkhan3646]

Did he used 24 frames in jelly jump?

[@Sillygooberdude]

This comment makes me happy

[@AverageHamsterNamedCupcakee]

thx ❤

[@shruthidarshini5361]

What I love about this video is that it is very approachable and motivates me to try it out myself while most of the other channels provides animations which makes me second guess my interest in animation.

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Hey that's so nice to hear shruthi

[@RedBlast172]

I've been animating for almost 3 years now, and I haven't really had much experience from tutorials. But this, THIS is what's gonna make me better. I'll start simple, and then make more complex things. Thanks, Alex Grigg!

[@Celestial_TaterTot]

I’m a teen who’s learning animation, and these are really useful exercises! I’ve done a decent bit of animation before, some MAP parts, walk cycles, etc, but these seem like a great way to work on the fundamentals!

[@giraffedoesabackflip3564]

Me too!

[@mrs.samuel.L.jackson]

Hey same!

[@pamelajoseph8180]

Same😊😊😊

[@zaza-xiii]

whos watching this and is not an animator?

[@mimi_aj]

No one😊

[@goobslmao]

Why did you click on the video

[@SantiValncia]

​@@Altozgvlol

[@m1dn1ghtqt]

Why r u guys so upset lol. People can learn new things and not do it. Take school work for example

[@idonotexist5119]

not professionally

[@BrynnExists]

I'm not in high school yet, but I've been trying to figure out animation since 2nd Grade and I can say that these are awesome practices that I now do all the time. Thank you so much for showing them to me!

[@Pineapplesugr]

Just got a PC and I’ve been absolutely invested in your animation course thank you so much for making these videos💛💛💛

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

You're very welcome!

[@Kat_Line_Art]

I'm about 3 months into a college animation program, and I think the magic dot is going to be a game changer for me. My profs started with bouncing balls and I just couldn't get the spacing through my head. The dots though are a simpler example that I think are really going to help me, thank you so much 😁

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Awesome to hear! Start every day with a magic dot and you'll pick up so much!

[@Butter-Film]

​@@AlexGriggAnimationok, so I start every day with a magic dot. I'll learn how to animate better?

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

@@Butter-Film I think so :)

[@Butter-Film]

@@AlexGriggAnimation OK going to do a dot rn I guess

[@azark2866]

My Summary of the vid :) # 1. Give a dot LIFE - Move it in arcs - Experiment with timing - Move it close and far from the camera? # 2. Jelly jump - Make some jelly bounce, practicing squash and stretch - You don’t have to draw every frame, can just move it - Add a 2nd jello on top to practice the objects’ interaction between each other # 3. The Switch - Hide a switch from two very different keyframes with motion - Jump or slide or something else? - Can also do it with a character to give it pzazz # 4. The Morph - Blend two very different keyframes with some interesting transition - You can get the most creative with this exercise (I personally think) - Use straight ahead mostly What can we do to make it interesting in the transitionary state? - Make it 3d for a moment - Gooey melt and twist transition - Add some effects - Add a different keyframe in the middle while it’s transforming - Add anticipation, timing, that good stuff

[@zoezozo673]

thank you!

[@direktatorz]

been having a hard time making the morph work, thanks for the tips!

[@lararodriguezsaraivacabral3568]

Thanks!

[@Fordw8y]

the image 💀

[@clearlynotkitty]

"no bouncing balls?" 💀💀the thumbnail is wild 💀

[@swagjose1817]

ngl i clicked on this bc the thumbnail was funny but ty this is very useful

[@benjamintheidiot]

same

[@arispacegirl]

what an incredible guide!! I've always found animation pretty intimidating, so I usually keep my animations to motion graphics and keyframing pre-made assets, but this video breaks it down so nicely that I feel like just sitting down and drawing out some pretty loops!

[@funlabsdesignstudio]

This is Fantastic!!! When I studied Traditional and 2D Digital Animation in College through VFS here in Canada we had intense pressure learning which takes so much more time because they push you to say nothing out (goes out) but perfection. Which makes it really hard on you when you're a creator that just wants to delve into it but now, Always Feel like you cannot put out anything but Perfection!!! Thanks for Encouraging that people *CAN* actually, keep it simple to animate for a less stressful positive experience! 🙌🏼🙏🏼

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Hey I'm glad you found it helpful:) sorry that your first experience with learn animation was so stressful

[@funlabsdesignstudio]

@@AlexGriggAnimation 🙏🏼 All Good I still Animate currently but now working on a lot and teaching it on my Channel so yah Not upset now about it but when I was a teenager learning it I sure was haha But we grow as humans and progress over time until the time is right! 👍🏼

[@ep1ks4m]

the thumbnail 💀

[@Nonameidea69]

Fr

[@OreoO0O]

TBH this is one of the best tutorials on the internet. Presentation and the way you bring the information are fantastic Hopefully it won't take too much till we see more of your videos

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Glad it was helpful! Haha yeh these take a lot of work to make so I'm not going to be a daily uploader anytime soon :)

[@OreoO0O]

@@AlexGriggAnimation Weekly :') ?

[@cookieebee]

I am so happy you made this! I couldn’t find many new beginner animation exercises, it was always the same stuff, you really filled a void in the animation community!!

[@dr.pawansharma4359]

You're literally a gift for beginners out there!

[@hope4fur130]

For the jelly jump, I would put another overshoot when the jelly reaches the top to make it more squishy. That would also help add to the jello feel of it

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Yes! If I was to do it again I would add another bounce. Actually I did that for the YT shorts version that I'm yet to release. Cheers :)

[@Gr1m.reaprz]

So nobody at all is going to talk about the thumbnail

[@benniherobrinegamer2012]

no bouncing WHAT.

[@Geosva]

Your videos have been so helpful in developing fundamental animation skills. I have been animating all sorts of things in the past 13 years, but I've learned everything by myself and usually rely on my gut to make things feel right. Thank you for the knowledge boost.

[@littlefox3128]

Your animation videos are great, we definitely need more people like you in the industry, your lessons are non threatening, they put me at ease and give me the confidence that with practice I’ll get better 😊

[@helloemilymills]

Your videos are some of the best animation tutorials I've seen! Concise, interesting, and original. Thank you for making them! 😃

[@lukeskywalker7878]

Thank you so much for making these! Phantom Limb continues to be one of my favorite animated shorts. I still think about. I love your work and, especially, your animation style

[@decklindracul]

Haven't animated and years and I'm already excited after these lessons, keep up the amazing work!

[@blumist4332]

Thank you!! I’m not very good at animation, but I tried the magic dot exercise, with some motion blur and moving it closer or further away and I’m just so proud

[@Lobstrique]

these are amazing explanations and i enjoyed the animations you made :) the flower-dagger pair is stuck in my head, it's beautiful!

[@AlexGriggAnimation]

Thanks Mary :)

[@apeeatape]

Wow! Each video of this course is more mind blowing than the previous one. Thank you very much for doing those! I can't wait to implement all the exercises into my routine.

[@PaperStingRay]

I've watched a lot of beginner animation guides. How is this the fist time I've seen most of these techniques? Thanks Alex, this was really helpful!

[@alexishadfield]

YES! Thank you so much!!!! I have been wanting easy ideas to practice animation that are like this for me and a student of mine for so long!!! Granted I've been busy and haven't hunted around very much to find them but I'm so glad this video popped up!!!!

[@somniatic]

I’m so glad this popped up for me! Love these exercise ideas as someone who is looking to get back into animating small things.

[@jiiyjeiiy]

I just LOVE your animating style and art style, it’s so good.

[@azark2866]

This just made something click for me, made me understand animation in ways I didn't fully put into practice earlier. Thank you very much for doing these tutorials!

[@Joyboy9776]

man for long time i was looking to improve my animation. thank you alexx for showing this exercises, definetly gonna practice it

[@elnuffio]

Enjoyed this a lot-love the progression of each exercise to more advanced/complex animations using the same principles. Thank you!

[@ItWasRevealedToMeInMyDreams]

Im very grateful to have stumbled upon your channel, i only have some animation experience from a class i took in highschool and really never got as far with it as i wouldve liked especially with having ideas for a cartoon of my one one day and i cannot express how much i appreciate the simple approach to each practice you show in this video and i cant wait to watch more and the genuine kindness and love you seem to have for this art. Thank you for this video and your channels existence and i hope youre able to post more soon ❤

[@spacechitts]

I'm so glad to have found your channel, I love the way you present information, it's so digestible!

[@miromurecka]

Thank you! I will use these when I feel stuck! And I might use the morph exercise for my animation portfolio! Great work!

[@TinyWarriorAnimations]

I haven't had any Animation practice aside from a book my friend has gotten me, so this popping into my recommendations made it an immediate watch; with the content being an immediate sub. Thanks for the tips!

[@Khoura]

These are absolutely amazing. I love your videos, and I mean this with absolute sincerity. I never comment on videos, but as someone who has been struggling and has been wanting to learn animation for a very long time, your resources are brilliant. Please please keep up the good work. If you ever make a course, I’d buy it to support in a heartbeat.

[@M4shroom-4rt]

I was just trying to learn animation tips but I was tired and already laying down and your voice is very soothing and I fell asleep whilw watching 💀

[@KyleWoodard]

Love your teaching style! These exercises are fresh & fun✨ can’t wait to try them out with my students!

[@birb263]

The thing on the thumbnail is the epitome of middle school humor

[@DesignDrawDo]

Omg that dot animation is life changing - the possibilities are endless. Can't wait to try it

[@whirlybird6796]

When I was little I used my DSi's flipnote, and used this dot practice so often - I think it was pretty common on there for most kids to start off practicing this way which is really interesting to think about !

[@pixelpura]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make animation accessible to anyone. These are so very helpful. Grateful.

[@nolamo1496]

this is a bunch of stuff that gets used all the time without even being noticed, really amazing exercises!

[@sheidashekarian5903]

Brilliant as always, thank you sooo much for continuing to make these

[@jaykatara5467]

Thank you! I've been teaching myself how to do 2d animation for the last couple years, and though I've gotten far enough to get my first couple freelance jobs, I still feel like I don't have as good of a grasp on it than I could. I couldn't find enough animation exercises that helped me figure out how to actually apply the rules and concepts within animation.

[@Killerboysketch]

I have been confusedfor almost a month that how to start animation from scratch and i have started following your tutorials and have seen improvement a lot. You are a blessing for people like me who can't afford a animation collage. You are my master thanks you so much ♥ ☺

[@xx_rachel.bear_xx6043]

I've haven't animated in a bit and when I watched other classes with animations it makes it look so complicated especially when I don't understand. But I'm so happy you explained this in a more simpler way to where it doesn't look so scary! THANKS!

[@VincentChee001]

Simple and effective tutorial aside. The whole video itself is just so enjoyable to watch even for non-animator!

[@gimpyio]

Its such simple concepts, to learn the basics begin with giving life to a simple dot, and yet youre the first ive ever seen bring it up! Youve taught the literal basics of the basics lol and i hope more people come across your video, even if they themselves dont want to be animators :) sending a link to all my friends

[@rashmisilva5887]

This was wonderful to watch and really inspired and motivated me into getting into animation again. So thank you for posting!

[@banheezone]

These were really fun exercises. It feels like I'm actually going somewhere with my animation for once.

[@chillinwithfrogs9708]

DUDE ! i tried sooo many animation tipps and technikes and this is the only one that works ! THANK YOU

[@markokovacevic3225]

Absolutely love your videos and teaching style! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@lina-theresehuesson]

These are some inspiring technics, thank you for making this video. Can’t wait to try them myself! ♥️

[@bossanova3494]

absolutely top shelf stuff, thank you very much!!❤

[@PrivateLZG]

Honestly, one of the best beginner-animation videos out there!

[@jvazestudio]

I'm blown away and inspired, gonna try a few of this example and blow some dust of the drawing tablet, keep it up

[@shelleyw3780]

So generous with your teaching! Thank you so much!

[@theghosttypegreninja8851]

*sees thumbnail* “Y’now, I should probably check this out.

[@thenumber1procrastinator]

These are incredible! I've just started out as an animator (about 8 months ago) and this has really helped. Thanks for another great upload!

[@marycynthiachisom4837]

Which animation app do you use , I’m just a beginner with zero knowledge 😢

[@thenumber1procrastinator]

@@marycynthiachisom4837 good question! I like to use FlipaClip on my phone (and I bought one of those special pencils that you can digitally draw with)

[@cozycodeyt]

Best animation channel on KZbin by a long shot, keep up the amazing work 👏

[@GaryHCM]

I already watched all your videos more than twice. Thanks for being so educational and fun. 😁

[@teoni8765]

This video was so so so useful, I barely just begun animating a week ago, yet thanks to this video I have been able to make a happy birthday animation for a friend which everybody loved! I haven't even gotten a hang of everything in this video yet, I mainly used the switch and morph techniques and the result looked far more professional than I ever imagined. Thank you so much, I look forward to your content.

[@acd-movies]

Thank you for making this video. Loved these practice exercises.

[@erwinhenkes933]

Thank you so much Alex, wonderfully done! 💪💪

[@connorscortex]

Dude I FREAKING LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, this is making me so excited to spend all my free time practicing this!! Young me would be so proud

[@dixxejell]

Thank you very much for this tutorial. Doing animation is pretty new to me so this kind of videos really help a begginer like me to improve. Kudos to you! ❤

[@Cain532.]

I have learned more from your short video than I have in 5 weeks of my current 2D animation class.

[@shachartzin5405]

i wish this existed when i was first introduced to the craft of animation. these are incredible, and i'm learning a TON. Thank you Alex

[@kami_kuro_]

Today I finally tried the exercises in the video (dots, jelly and switch) and it was mind-blowing for me, I am barely exaggerating. It is so simple yet I see how the motion works, the idea of pacing, how with just one drawing that you copy, paste and transform can move... I always wanted to try animation/animatics but it looks so "big", with the understanding of movement, planning/storyboarding, drawing... These tips showed me that sometimes simple things work best, and it overall made everything less scary. Maybe I will try more things, and I will for sure watch more videos. Thank you :)

[@pinkmoonrabbit2072]

thank you for offering us such great help. ive been trying off and on to learn animation for a decade, but i keep giving up because i dont know what im doing. your teaching method feels really approachable and understandable to me. ill keep trying. would love a tutorial breaking down how to match animation to audio (beats/songs, lipsyncing) if thats something you want to teach.

[@SarkyGacha]

Those exercises really helped me, thank you!

[@WaterWayz08]

The switch one just saved my ass on my newest animation project, thank you!

[@Galanoodle]

Can you please make like many many many more!? Haha thanks a lot for the information I would like to commend you on the style you picked to narrate and also the clarity with which you can explain those concepts. I binge watched the videos and now I can't wait for all the incredible content coming in the future. I would like to wish you the best of luck in this adventure and as you can already tell lots of people are getting drawn (pun intended) to your content. Supporting this one with all my heart!

[@klevercoolwhippy]

"No bouncing balls" 💀

[@pmp3446]

These are great tutorials. Looking forward to what you come up with next.

[@Smartmoneyrisk]

Bro ur a animation god thank u .u got no clue how much this helped us beginner

[@rhubarb222]

i cant tell you how helpful these are. seriously thank you

[@echo5435]

tysmmm ❤ i lost motivation in animating because i was trying really complex stuff and got annoyed when it didn’t work, but this really helps :)

[@skilledharmish]

Morph is definitely my favourite just so many thing to do with that one thank you very much for that

[@kalleidemation]

Thank you so much for this! This definitely validates my hatred of the bouncing ball, and my love for the magic dot, or the magic line, which is what I love to use. It feels so intuitive and free.

[@daniruiz7596]

Thank you so much for your channel, this is my very first time learning animation thanks to your work!

[@nikagold6968]

Wow such cool exercises! Makes me want to get more into animation.

[@_Kamura_]

This tutorial is really really good! And interesting with creative ideas and good exercises!

[@sergiopop]

Thanks again!! It is again a great help for the classes.

[@AchHadda]

this is straight up motion design class :D awesome work

[@fluffybbpeachhun6768]

As an animator need it soo bad sir grig thanks! I hope more for me and people who need more exercises from you!! I dont mind a series! Love you!!!❤❤❤❤

[@trashdumpster2245]

I really liked following some of these exercises, great video!

[@clairenime]

good video. never really learned animation through anyone(like a lot of people) but It was cool to see I did most of these already! This video makes me really want to try out morphing, since i haven't done that yet! :D

[@turtlelearns3d]

These seem like fresh exercises to me! Looking forward to trying them. 😀