Best 2D Animation Books: The Ultimate Collection

conceptartempire.com/best-2d-animation-books

January 28,
2017

Disney animator photo from HarshLight

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Classic 2D animation has dipped from mainstream films in recent years with some claiming
it’s dead.

But there are tons of viewers who still prefer 2D and it’s an art form with only a century’s
worth of history. Some companies like Disney have officially stopped 2D films and will only
use 2D for television animation.

With that said there’s still plenty of room to develop a 2D skillset and thrive in the animation
industry.

The toughest part is learning to animate well, and in this post I’ve curated the largest
collection of books teaching classic 2D animation principles. If you’ve ever wanted to learn
then here’s a treasure trove of resources to get started.

The Animator’s Survival Kit

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If there’s any book that every animator should
own it’s The Animator’s Survival Kit.

This is a no question must-have resource

covering basically every single subject about
animation. You’ll learn about timing, pacing,
motion, weight, posing, and all the 12 basic
principles of animation.

Even professional animators keep a copy of

this book nearby. It’s an incredible resource
and it should be a staple in your animation
journey.

It is fairly dense so you might not find much

use for it right away. But in time as your skills
improve you’ll be able to reference this guide
over and over again with consistent success.

Timing for Animation

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As a follow-up to the survival kit I also
recommend nabbing a copy of Timing for
Animation.

This book is a lot shorter and smaller with only

174 pages. But it dives right into the content
about timing for animated films, TV shows, and
more general open-ended questions about
timing for any animated work.

You’ll learn how to map exposure sheets which

are incredibly common in 2D animation. Later
chapters cover specific details about animating
slow objects, heavy people/objects, walk cycles,
lip syncs, and pretty much everything you’d need
to know.

This is another must-have resource but it’s

primarily aimed at skilled professionals.

If you’re just starting out with 2D animation then skip this for now. But remember this book
for later because it’ll help you understand timing to apply it accurately to your work!

Sketching for Animation

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Sketching for Animation is one of the newest
books in this list and it’s such a cool resource.
Over 350 pages you’ll learn exercises and tips to
apply into your sketching workflow.

Animators need to be fast yet accurate. This

requires incredible discipline and a deep study of
how the natural laws of physics operate(weight,
movement, force, etc).

Author Peter Parr cites many examples from his

animation classes along with resources from
other professional animators. You’ll learn proper
form design and exercises to improve the quality
of your sketches in a very short timeframe.

Featured animators interviewed for this book

include the legendary Glen Keane, Tori Davis, and
John Canemaker. They share tips for creating realistic three-dimensional shapes with just a
simple pencil.

While this is still a very new book it’s also one of the better resources for beginners. It
doesn’t cover the act of animating but it does teach you how to think and draw like an
animator.

The Illusion of Life

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No list could be complete without
mentioning The Illusion of Life. This
massive compendium of 580 pages offers
the deepest look into Disney’s animation
history.

The authors Ollie and Frank are two of

Disney’s nine old men that shaped the
face of the studio’s animation style.
There’s even a documentary about these
guys covering their life and their
contributions to many of Disney’s classic
feature films.

The Illusion of Life shares sketches,

layouts, character designs and lots of
production artwork. But it also features
prominent advice for aspiring animators about recording audio and capturing personality in
the work.

No other animation studio has been able to do what Disney can do. And this book covers
many of Disney’s oldest animation secrets, all of which come from the 2D animation boom
in the mid 20th century.

If you’re a Disney fan then you’ll definitely love this book. If you want to study the works of
animation masters then this book is worth reading many times over.

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Character Animation Crash Course

Eric Goldberg is a more recent Disney animator

working on films like Aladdin and Pocahontas.
His book Character Animation Crash Course
teaches everything you need to know about
animating lifelike characters.

It’s just over 200 pages long and the contents

are extremely technical. Eric defines all the
major animation terms teaching readers about
models and x-sheets along with 2D animation
setups using animation desks.

This book isn’t a complete replacement for a

college degree—but it’s damn close!

If you follow Eric’s advice and keep practicing life

drawing on your own then you will see
improvement in your animations.

Eric teaches you how to think like your character and animate them accurately. You have to
get into their head and really become the character. This is the deepest truth behind all the
greatest modern animators in history.

How to Make Animated Films

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How to Make Animated Films should be a primary
resource in your journey to master 2D animation.
The author Tony White has over thirty years of
experience working in the animation industry.

This book really is a complete masterclass on the

fundamentals of animation. It comes with lots of
free samples and DVDs with movies you can
watch and replicate on your own.

But each chapter moves through the

fundamentals at a slow pace covering every step
along the way. You’ll learn how to mark key
positions and how to structure inbetweening for
each major position.

Each chapter works like its own masterclass

where you’ll get a bunch of exercises and a final
working project. The first couple chapters touch on the basics of movement and use the
example of a bouncing ball, a common animation exercise.

The great thing about Tony’s book is that it’s dense and easy to read. If you can make it
through all 500+ pages you will see a huge jump in your animation capabilities.

Producing Independent 2D Character Animation

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If you can’t find a paying job in 2D you can always
animate your own stuff for practice. Producing
Independent 2D Character Animation is a
goldmine of information to learn cel animation
from scratch.

The author Mark Simon has over two decades of

experience working under top animators in
character design and storyboarding roles. This
book teaches how to plan, coordinate, and
animate individual shots.

You’ll learn how to map out a sequence of events

and sketch every movement as part of the motion.
Mark even shares tips along the way to help
aspiring animators stand out from the crowd.

As if that wasn’t enough, this book also has tons of

interviews with industry veterans like Craig McCracken(Powerpuff Girls creator) and Cartoon
Network’s Senior VP of animation Linda Simensky.

With this book you can learn 2D animation, gain insight into how the industry works, and dig
into the journey of skilled animators. If this doesn’t make your mouth water then I don’t
know what will.

Acting for Animators

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It may seem strange but animators have to think like
actors on stage. 2D animation requires perfect flow and
motion that feels lifelike.

Acting for Animators uses basic acting theory to teach

animators how to accurately animate their characters.
This includes motion, balance, posture, and facial
expressions that match a character’s tone.

The process of acting varies depending on the medium.

Animation differs greatly from theatre but the concepts
still apply.

This book includes tons of illustrations and

breakdowns of animated features examining the
animation process. It’s a fantastic resource for skilled
animators who want to up their game to the next level.

The Animator’s Eye

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At first glance The Animator’s Eye
might seem a bit redundant with other
books in this list. However it offers a
very unique glimpse into animation
from the perspective of a 2D animator.

This book places emphasis on visual

storytelling with volume, shape, light,
and perspective. The goal is to train
your eye to see properly and to build
ideas from imagination.

Author Francis Glebas is also a skilled

animator with decades of industry
experience. He shares his personal insights with detailed topics including “cartoon” physics
compared to real physics. His tips are easy to digest and made for aspiring animators.

Later in the book he also breaks down popular animated features to demonstrate why they
work so well. This offers a deeper look into the animation process with the analysis of an
expert.

Animation: 2D and Beyond

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Animation: 2D and Beyond is not your ordinary
animation book. It’s a compilation of 15
talented animators from all walks of life who
share their knowledge about 2D animation.

You’ll get to read about very unique animation

techniques with materials outside the usual cel
animation. But you’ll also learn some fun
techniques that you can replicate in your own
work.

Thankfully this book is a bit dated so you can

find copies for pretty cheap. However it is
pretty large with about 175 pages and many
different sections covering advice for aspiring
animators.

These techniques can apply to hobbyist

animators too. There are lots of tips for breaking into the industry but you can learn just as
much about traditional animation through this guide.

Animated Performance

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If you’re looking for a solid mix of tips + exercises
then check out Animated Performance by Nancy
Beiman. It’s currently in its 2nd edition spanning
250+ pages full of interviews, illustrations, and
guided exercises.

Early chapters talk about the basics of character

movement and how this works on the page. From
there you’ll learn how to apply common
techniques into your work like the line of action,
consistent movements, and simultaneous actions
which happen onscreen.

This really is a solid practical guide for 2D

animators who want real exercises they can
practice. Nancy offers her own take on the
bouncing ball and flour sack animation exercises
common to new 2D animators.

Many chapters include custom illustrations from Disney animators who share their process
creating lifelike characters from scratch. This book has so much info that you’ll have to re-
read it many times just to absorb everything.

Definitely a handy resource to keep on hand while animating.

Animation from Pencils to Pixels

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There’s no denying the benefits of modern digital
animation over cels and ink. But you can still practice
2D animation digitally, it’s just different from the
classic methods.

In the book Animation from Pencils to Pixels you’ll

learn all the modern digital techniques for creating
2D animation on your computer. This naturally
requires a graphics tablet and plenty of experience
constructing objects from imagination.

But you don’t necessarily need to have animation

skills to read through these lessons. Author Tony
White covers all the basics of animation starting with
foundational knowledge and moving through
classical techniques showing how they work in a
digital environment.

This book also comes with a free DVD of classic animation sequences and White’s take on
these animations. The disc also has a few clips of White explaining the differences and
techniques of pencil-drawn animation compared to digital 2D animation.

All-in-all a really cool book that can help traditional artists move their 2D animation work to
the computer screen.

Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation

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Great animation can always be simplified and
reduced down to smaller parts. The goal of
Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation is to
cover how “simple” animation can really help you
visualize the big picture.

Author Wayne Gilbert has years of experience

animating including commercials, video games,
and even the Star Wars films. In this book he
shares tips for designing with simplicity. These
ideas apply to animation but carry over to
character designers, illustrators, and comic artists.

Every animation can be studied to break down the

fundamentals like balance, pose, composition,
and structure. It’s a fairly older title but it’s a must-
read for any serious animator.

The newest version of this book has info on character design and planning out the structure
of a custom animated sequence.

This is a fantastic read for complete beginners who want to start animating fast.

Character Animation Fundamentals

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Human animation is some of the toughest work
but also the most rewarding. Character
Animation Fundamentals is a massive tome
with 450 pages full of exercises, tips, and
techniques for animating realistic characters.

This book is written for both 2D and 3D

animation so it works well for anyone. Early
chapters introduce the concept of animation
explaining how it works and how you should
think about sequential movement.

As you work through the book you’ll learn

about weight & balance and how this differs
between characters. Many of the later chapters
delve into 3D rigging and animation software
which is fairly pointless for someone who only
wants to do 2D.

But there’s a booming market for 3D so it doesn’t hurt to learn both. And the tips in this
guide still apply to all forms of animation so you can learn a lot about movement and
motion just by reading through these chapters.

Note you will need solid drawing fundamentals before you even pick up this book. If your
drawing skills need improvement then pick up some beginner books first and get your
fundamentals down.

Layout and Composition for Animation

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Most animation books focus on movement which
involve characters and creatures moving between
frames. But backgrounds and layouts play a huge
role in every animated scene.

Layout and Composition for Animation is a

detailed book focusing solely on background
designs and compositions. You’ll study from the
masters at Disney and get to peek behind the
curtain with hundreds of illustrations.

I do not think this book is the perfect guide to

background painting(there is no such guide). But I
do think this book offers clarity for animators who
want to learn more about the background design
process.

If you want to get deeper into layouts &

backgrounds then skim through our recommended books made specifically for animators
and layout designers.

The Nine Old Men

Walt Disney’s team of nine old men

were influential animators who made
tremendous strides for the studio. The
Nine Old Men is a book spotlighting all
nine animators, their history, and their
unique skills in the field.

This book is not a how-to book nor will

it cover specific features of animation.
Instead it offers a deeper look into
these nine incredible animators that
radically improved a growing art form.

Each chapter includes tons of illustrations and tips/techniques from each of the nine old
men. These aren’t specific techniques that’ll apply to every animator so this book may not
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be of much use, especially if you’re just starting out.

But if you want to learn more about animation history and how these guys made an impact
then this is the book to get. It’s full of incredible historical accounts with plenty of inspiring
illustrations.

Designing with Pixar

This might seem like a weird book to suggest

since Pixar is a 3D-only studio. But Designing
with Pixar gazes into the character design work
and methodologies that typically start with 2D
sketching and brainstorming.

Each chapter covers a different principle of

design including shape, form, and color(among
others). Overall these chapters blend together to
create a guide for aspiring character designers
and animators.

The sketches are not very detailed but they do

provide enough to help you capture the vision of
a character. And that’s usually what you want in
the early stages of a visual development cycle.

I only recommend this book to animators who

want to delve further into character design. It offers limited value for animators and it’s a
lower-level book so it’ll only appeal to character designers in the early stages of their career.

Animation Unleashed

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The last book I’ll cover is Animation
Unleashed by Ellen Besen. This is both
a philosophical book along with a
more book discussing animation cels,
frames, keys, and poses.

However much of the book is focused

on the art of animation itself. This isn’t
exactly a history book, but more like a
deep dive into this new and growing
art form. It uses plenty of examples
from film history to demonstrate what
makes a great animated scene and what grabs attention from viewers.

There is no perfect solution to animation. Most of it is about testing and trying new ideas to
see what works.

But thankfully many animators in recent history have already tried this and made it work.
Upcoming animators can now study the classics and learn from the old masters.

I know this list is huge and it can be overwhelming. But I don’t think it’s worthwhile to grab
every book in this list! Start small by organizing your current goals.

Do you want to learn more about animation from the classic masters? Then a book like The
Illusion of Life is a great read.

Or maybe you want to dive right in and start animating. In that case The Animator’s Survival
Kit and the newer Sketching for Animation should both be on your desk.

Learning 2D animation by yourself is tough but completely possible. If you put in the work,
follow these resources, and just keep practicing then you will make steady progress.

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