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The Parent's Guide to Beginner and 'Next Steps' 2D and 3D Animation Software For Aspiring Younger Animators

A father and daughter work on an animation together in their home office. Image by TET, Vivago.ai & Leonardo.ai.


Younger artists, who enjoy drawing characters and telling stories, may find themselves gravitating towards animated cartoons. While hand-drawn animation was traditionally done with pencil and paper, nowadays it is more commonly created on electronic devices like iPads and pen display monitors. This shift to digital platforms has made animation more accessible to young artists, allowing them to explore and create more ambitious projects than ever before.

However, diving into the world of animation can be overwhelming due to the perceived amount of work and the steep learning curve involved in drawing every frame of an animated cartoon (even though some modern forms of animation don't require every frame to be drawn at all). This can often discourage young artists from pursuing animation.

Supporting Your Child's Interest

If you're a parent looking to support your child's interest in animation, here is a quick guide on where to start, their next steps, common types of digital animation, and recommended software based on my  personal experience as an independent animator.

Beginner Mobile Device Apps

Most young animators today begin their animation journey on mobile devices. These apps provide a user-friendly platform for creating animations, allowing young artists to express their creativity anywhere, anytime. Here are some recommended apps available on both Android and Apple devices:

  • Stop Motion Studio (Apple Store) (Play Store): Ideal for stop motion animation enthusiasts, think Wallace and Gromit or Lego Brick Films. This app utilizes the device's camera, making it a great entry point for non-drawers and those interested in 3D digital animation.
     
  • FlipaClip (Apple Store) (Play Store): A popular app for 2D frame-by-frame animation, perfect for young artists exploring animation on their mobile devices.
     
  • Animation Desk (Apple Store) (Play Store): Offers a more serious approach to hand-drawn animation, resembling a digital version of traditional animator's desk.
     
  • Stick Nodes Animator (Apple Store) (Play Store): Great for stick figure animation enthusiasts, providing an introduction to puppet animation with easy posing key frames.

Desktop Computer Transition

For young artists considering animation as a career, transitioning to a desktop computer (or powerful laptop) is essential. Featuring more powerful software used by professional animators these applications provide advanced features for creating high-quality animation. 

Also, while this article isn't focused on hardware, younger artists who can draw and are leaning toward 2D animation, will get plenty of value from a pen display monitor (basically a screen they can draw directly into the computer on). It's almost an essential tool for professional 2D animators.

If you're looking for affordable options both Huion and XP Pen are the leaders in budget pen display monitors, while Wacom is the Gold Standard and a pioneer in the space.

Desktop Software

Most of the software listed below are all professional level applications best suited to teens used to learning more complex applications through online tutorials. However some of these tools may be suitable for younger artists if you're prepared to supervise and learn along with them to get them started.

Traditional Hand Drawn Animation 2D

For young artists passionate about drawing, traditional hand-drawn animation is a valuable skill to develop. Here are some software options to explore:

  • Krita (Free - Windows/MacOS/Android):  Krita is more of a drawing software designed by artists for artists. It does look complicated at first but there are plenty of free tutorials. Its animation tools are fairly basic compared to other applications but it does have an entire workspace and document templates geared for animation, and you can add sound too. Krita is my go-to drawing app. If I ever decide to try hand drawn animation again it'll be my first stop.
     
  • Animation Paper (Currently Free-prerelease - Windows/MacOS): This software has been in development for literal years at this point. That said, its goal is to be the best software for professional hand drawn animation. It may not be industry standard but it's free and made by professional animators for animators.
     
  • Clip Studio Paint (3 month free trial/Paid - Windows/Mac/Android/iOS): Clip Studio Paint is like Krita on steriods. Designed by artists for artists, it started life as a drawing app for creating Manga Comics and Graphic Novels but has grown to include animation tools as well.
     
  • Open Toonz (Free - Windows/MacOS): Open Toonz is a professional animation studio that has been used in major commercial productions. It's a fairly steep learning curve but worth taking a run at because it is free and may get your foot in the door of studios that use it.

Puppet Animation 2D

Puppet rigged animation is a popular technique that simplifies the animation process by attaching 'bones' to drawings. Here are some software options for puppet animation:

  • Cartoon Animator 5 (Free 30 day trial/Paid - Windows): Cartoon Animator specializes in puppet rigged 2D animation. Note that it does not have any internal drawing tools, instead allowing you to link one of several external, popular drawing apps (including Krita) to it to create your art. If you can't draw there is an entire marketplace of assets you can purchase for your animations. It's also one of the easiest animation tools for younger kids too as it includes pre-animated motions and auto lip sync for those of us less skilled at animating (or just wanting to save time).

    Take my completely Free Beginner Course for Cartoon Animator 5. Make and animate your first character.
     
  • Moho (Free 30 day trial/Paid - Windows/MacOS): Moho comes in two flavors, Pro and Debut. Pro is the full professional version while Debut is a more simplified edition that may be of benefit to younger users and beginners. Moho is a complete studio with vector drawing tools and has been used in professional productions. You can upgrade from Debut at any time so don't be afraid to try that option first.
     
  • Synfig Studio (Free - Windows/MacOS) - Is best described as similar to Moho in its approach to creating 2D animation. It's very capable software that is being used by its developers on some very advanced projects.
     
  • Toon Boom Harmony (Free 21 day trial/Paid - Windows/MacOS) - Make no mistake this is an industry standard for 2D animation. Well worth learning if you child aspires to work at a major studio. It comes in three flavors, each as a monthly subscription that isn't cheap. I'd only recommend it if you can get it at student rates, and your goal is to work for a studio that uses it.
     
  • Blender (Free - Windows/MacOS) - Blender is known for 3D animation but, since version 2.8 it also has tools to create 2D animation as well called Grease Pencil. It's a very powerful addition as you can seamlessly combine 2D and 3D animation effortlessly in the same project. Blender is notoriously difficult to learn with an especially confusing User Interface. If you've found it particularly challenging you may like to try BforArtists, an off shoot of Blender with all the same features but with a more user friendly interface and a rewritten manual.

Computer Game Animation

Software designed for pixel art and 2D game animation allows young artists to create animations suited for various game engines. I will admit these are not my area of expertise. I haven't made any game art since the 1980's. Here are some recommended software options:

  • Piskel (Free - Browser/Windows/MacOS): This is a fairly basic pixel art creator and animator. Probably just the thing for creating your own animated emojis or graphics for eight and sixteen bit style games.
     
  • Spine (Save disabled Free Trial/Paid, Windows/MacOS): Spine uses rigged 2D puppet animation to speed up production.
     
  • Spriter (Free Trial/Paid - Windows): Similar to Spine, Spriter uses rigged 2D puppet animation to create game animation.

Puppet Animation 3D

For artists interested in 3D animation, which is kind of like stop motion animation but in digital space, and the computer can do much of the animation for you, 3D animation software offers a unique approach to creating dynamic animations. Here are some recommended software options:

  • iClone 8 + Character Creator 4 (Free 30 day trial/Paid - Windows): Technically you don't need Character Creator 4 unless you want to make your own characters for iClone, but if you can, it's wise to buy both applications at the same time. iClone is a hugely complex 3D animation studio that is surprisingly easy to get started with. In fact, if you've used it's younger sibling, Cartoon Animator 5, you'll have a head start on the basics of animating with iClone. Pre-made characters and motions, and an entire marketplace, make it easy for anyone to get started with it.

  • Blender (Free - Windows/MacOS): Blender is a powerful animation studio that can pretty much cover all your 3D graphics modelling and animation and then some. If you're at all interested in 3D animation Blender is a great place to start. However, Blender is notoriously difficult to learn with an especially confusing User Interface. If you've found it particularly challenging you may like to try BforArtists, an off shoot of Blender with all the same features but with a more user friendly interface and a rewritten manual.

  • Daz3D (Free/Paid - Windows/MacOS): Daz3D is much like iClone and Blender mixed together, in that it's a complete 3D animation solution with a store filled with thousands of 3D assets, that you can purchase for your own animations, if sculpting your own content is not your strong point.

Exploring these different types of animation and software options can help young artists develop their skills and pursue their passion for animation. Whether they enjoy traditional hand-drawn animation, puppet animation, or computer game animation, there are tools and resources available to support their creative journey.



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