test text

 

427 E Colorado Ave
Colorado Springs, CO, 80903
United States

719-520-1899

DIGITAL ANIMATION LEVEL TWO LIVE ONLINE

ani102-sample3.jpg
2013.jpg

Check out this amazing student work!

LIVE ONLINE ANIMATION | LEVEL TWO
INSTRUCTOR: NATHAN FISHER

PREREQUISITE: This class is invitation only to students who qualify and have completed the entire Fall or Winter/Spring Semester of the Animation Production Fundamentals Class, including weekly assignments.
The Advanced Class will take students who are already established in the fundamentals of animation production, and give them higher challenges to apply those fundamentals. We will also go further into student collaboration on projects and creative opportunities.

• LEARN to create digital cartoons
• DESIGN your own characters
• ACT as the voice of your characters
• WRITE your own scripts
• COLLABORATE with other students

INCLUDES:

• Weekly Live Online classes
• Contribute to student projects as an animator, character designer, background artist, script writer, or voice actor
• Participate in live online voiceover performance sessions
• Interact with other students in our online community
• Get support during the week when needed

WHERE:

ONLINE (live zoom classes, live voiceover sessions, and bonus recorded lessons)

CLASS SCHEDULE (Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays):

September 2 – November 25, 2025* (12 weeks)
*no class on Oct 14 for fall break
• TUESDAYS Weekly Class – Animation Production Advanced
4:00pm – 5:30pm Mountain Time
(3pm Pacific / 5pm Central / 6pm Eastern)

• Intro to Animation Online Class*
*Students who have already completed all 16 Intro to Animation lessons will be placed in the Mastering Animation Class.
Weekly Recorded Video Class released each Friday –
Hands on, step-by-step animator training to complement and support skill development together with our animation production classes.

• Six Live Q&As (question and answer sessions)
Meets on a Wednesday or a Friday depending on the schedule that week
4:00-5:30PM Mountain Time
(3pm Pacific / 5pm Central / 6pm Eastern)
DATES: 9/10, 9/19, 10/3, 10/17, 11/5, 11/14

• Online Voiceover Sessions:
Live Online Class on six Saturdays –
Join other students and perform character roles together in a live recording session.
9:30-11:00 AM Mountain Time
(8:30am Pacific / 10:30am Central / 11:30am Eastern)
DATES: 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22

• DAILY Online Community Interaction and Support
Connect with other students, build friendships, and work together on projects. Receive help and support any day of the week through our safe, private online community.

MATERIALS

  • BLANK PAPER (a sketchbook is recommended), PENCILS, SHARPENER, and an ERASER.

  • A DIGITAL DEVICE TO DRAW, DESIGN, AND ANIMATE WITH – ONE of the following:

    • Desktop or laptop computer (Windows or Mac) – with a drawing tablet*.
    8MB RAM minimum is recommended for the apps to work well.

    • iPad Pro – with an Apple Pencil.
    Apple Pencil ONLY works with the iPad Pro

    • Touchscreen Chromebook – with a drawing stylus.
    8MB RAM minimum is recommended for the apps to work well

    • Touchscreen Mobile Device – with a drawing stylus.
    Smart phone or tablet (older iPad, iPhone, Android, or Kindle Fire) with a drawing stylus: We recommend the Adonit Pro drawing stylus available on their website for $30 Also, right now the Adonit Droid is available on clearance for $15. Test the RoughAnimator App on your mobile device to make sure that your device can support it. If RoughAnimator will not work well, other animation apps probably will not work on that device either.

  • ANIMATION APP – RoughAnimator ($8). 

    We recommend every student have RoughAnimator installed on your device to follow along with live in-class demonstrations. We work primarily with RoughAnimator in our classes for many of our lessons and we will teach you how to use it.

    In additional to RoughAnimator, you are welcome to use other animation apps for your assignments and projects if you already know how to use those apps. An optional student subscription to the industry standard animation software, Toon Boom Harmony will be available for a student materials fee. This software will ONLY work on a Windows or Mac computer, not on other electronic devices. We also have tutorials available to teach you how to use it.

    OpenToonz is a free industry standard alternative for Mac or Windows computers. We have a list of easy-to-follow video tutorials to help students get started using OpenToonz for any enrolled student who requests it.

    We do not teach how to use the following apps but you are welcome to use them for your assignments and projects –
    Other recommendable industry standard 2D animation apps include: TV Paint, Clip Studio Paint EX, and Blender.
    Other recommendable iPad animation apps include: Procreate Dreams, Toon Squid, Callipeg, and Clip Studio Paint EX.

    The following animation apps are fun to use, but their features are too limited for many of our lessons: Krita, FireAlpaca, FlipaClip, Flipbook, and Pencil2D.

  • A SKETCHING APP FOR DRAWING, PAINTING, AND CONCEPTING IDEAS

    The following apps will work for this purpose: Sketchbook app, Clip Studio Paint Pro or EX, Photoshop, ProCreate, or any of the following FREE apps: Krita, Ibis Paint, Medibang Paint, or Jump Paint.

  • A DIGITAL DEVICE WITH INTERNET ACCESS AND THE ZOOM APP installed to connect to and participate in our live online classes – it can be the same device used for #2 above, but it is often easier to follow along if these devices are separate.

NATHAN’S STORY + THE CREATION OF THIS PROGRAM:

When I was teenager, I dreamed of having a place where I could grow in the art and creative expressions that were inside of me. I loved movies, cartoons, Hollywood and artistic media. I loved to draw and experiment with cartoon animation. I wanted someone to show me how I could get really good at it. I wanted a community I could be a part of that would affirm and encourage who I am as a creative person. The problem was that none existed that was either affordable or accessible to me. Eventually, I enrolled in an expensive art school that failed to provide any lasting community to support me on my journey.

Today, creative youth are experiencing that same frustration. I discovered this first hand as a public school art teacher. Many of our in-school art programs are restrictive and limited to academic requirements that do not allow artistic students to truly explore their creative interests and ambitions. Today’s students are inspired by their heroes and the pop-culture stories that they have come to love and respect. This is why I have created the Animation Production Group After School classes.

This is a place where students who love animation, digital media, or pop-culture art can grow in the skills and expressions that they dream of mastering. Students in this program have told me that not only do they love what they learn in these classes, but also that they love to come because it is a safe place from the stresses and pressures of life, and that it provides a peaceful atmosphere where they can relax and enjoy their creative gifts, and enjoy the company of others who share that same passion. They tell me it’s the best 120 minutes of their week!

Artists need mentors and friends who share their passion and will walk with them as they pursue their creative passions. We invite you to register below and join us for this purpose.

____________________________
Nathan Fisher
Animation Group Teacher