Creating animated characters for beginners

Animation breathes life into imagination, transforming static ideas into living, moving stories that captivate audiences worldwide. Behind every beloved animated film or game stands a cast of characters that began as mere concepts in a creator’s mind. For those taking their first steps into this magical world, the process of creating animated characters might seem daunting—a complex maze of artistic skills, technical knowledge, and storytelling expertise.

"Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world," Walt Disney once said, highlighting the universal appeal of this art form. Whether you dream of developing characters for films, video games, or web content, understanding the fundamentals of character creation forms the cornerstone of your animation journey.

This guide will walk you through the essential steps of creating animated characters, from initial concept to final execution, using approaches and tools accessible to beginners. With patience, practice, and passion, you’ll discover that bringing characters to life is not just a technical skill but a deeply rewarding creative endeavor.

Understanding Character Design Fundamentals

Character design stands at the intersection of art and psychology. Before diving into software and animation techniques, you must understand what makes a character resonate with audiences. Successful animated characters possess visual appeal, distinct personality, and functionality within their animated environment.

Visual Appeal

Visual appeal doesn’t necessarily mean creating conventionally attractive characters. Rather, it refers to designs that draw the viewer’s eye and hold their attention. This often involves:

• Silhouette Recognition: Can your character be identified by its outline alone? Distinctive silhouettes make characters immediately recognizable.
• Color Theory: Thoughtful color palettes can communicate personality traits and emotional states while ensuring your character stands out in various environments.
• Proportions: Exaggerated or stylized proportions can emphasize character traits—large heads suggest youth or innocence, while broad shoulders might indicate strength.

Personality Development

"Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn," said Norman McLaren, emphasizing how animation brings personality to life. Before animating, consider:

• Character Backstory: What experiences shaped your character? Even if audiences never learn the full backstory, this knowledge will inform how your character moves and reacts.
• Goals and Motivations: What drives your character? Understanding their desires helps create consistent behavior.
• Flaws and Strengths: Perfect characters rarely engage audiences. Giving your character both weaknesses and strengths creates depth and relatability.

Functionality in Animation

Not every visually stunning design translates well to animation. Consider:

• Simplicity: Complex designs with numerous details become labor-intensive to animate and may lose clarity in motion.
• Modular Thinking: Breaking characters into clearly defined parts (limbs, facial features) makes animation more manageable.
• Range of Motion: Will your character’s design allow for the movements they need to perform? Overly restrictive clothing or impractical appendages might limit expression.

Starting with Character Conceptualization

Every great character begins with a concept—a seed of an idea that gradually develops into a fully realized design. For beginners, this conceptualization stage is crucial and shouldn’t be rushed.

Finding Inspiration

Inspiration for character designs can come from countless sources:

• Observation: Study people and animals around you, noting distinctive movements and expressions.
• Cultural Influences: Explore folklore, mythology, and cultural symbols from around the world.
• Nature and Science: Biological structures, plants, and natural phenomena offer rich design elements.
• Existing Media: While avoiding direct copying, analyze what makes successful animated characters work.

Award-winning character designer Stephen Silver advises: "Don’t just look at other animation—look at life. The more you observe real people, the more authentic your characters will feel, even when stylized."

Creating Character Profiles

Before drawing, create a written profile for your character that addresses:

• Basic Demographics: Age, background, occupation
• Personality Traits: Temperament, fears, desires
• Role in Story: Protagonist, antagonist, supporting character
• Character Arc: How might they change throughout a story?

This profile serves as a reference point for visual design choices, ensuring your character’s appearance aligns with their personality and role.

Sketching Initial Concepts

With your profile in hand, begin sketching multiple variations of your character:

• Start with loose, gestural drawings that capture the essence and energy
• Experiment with different body types, facial features, and proportions
• Create expression sheets showing how your character displays various emotions
• Develop turnarounds (front, side, back views) to understand your character in three dimensions

Don’t aim for perfection in these early sketches. Instead, focus on exploration and variety, allowing yourself the freedom to discover unexpected design elements that might enhance your character.

Essential Tools and Software for Beginners

The tools for character animation have evolved dramatically over the years, with options ranging from traditional hand-drawn methods to sophisticated digital platforms. For beginners, the key is finding accessible tools that don’t overwhelm while still providing room to grow.

Traditional Tools

Despite technological advances, traditional drawing supplies remain valuable for character development:

• Sketchbooks and Pencils: Ideal for rough concepts and practicing drawing fundamentals
• Light Tables: Help with creating consistent drawings for frame-by-frame animation
• Flip Books: Simple but effective tools for understanding basic animation principles

Digital Drawing Tools

For those entering the digital realm:

• Drawing Tablets: Devices like Wacom tablets connect to computers, allowing natural drawing input
• Tablet Computers: iPads with Apple Pencil or Android tablets with stylus support offer all-in-one solutions
• Scanners: Useful for digitizing traditional drawings for further digital processing

2D Animation Software for Beginners

Several 2D animation programs offer beginner-friendly experiences:

• Adobe Animate: Industry-standard software with a range of animation tools
• Toon Boom Harmony: Powerful software with versions scaling from beginner to professional
• Procreate: iPad app that recently added animation capabilities
• Rough Animator: Mobile app designed specifically for hand-drawn animation
• Krita: Free, open-source painting program with animation features

3D Animation Software for Beginners

If you’re interested in 3D character creation:

• Blender: Free, open-source 3D software with comprehensive modeling and animation tools
• Autodesk Maya or 3ds Max: Industry-standard programs (educational versions available)
• Cinema 4D: Known for its relatively smooth learning curve among 3D programs
• SculptGL: Free browser-based 3D sculpting tool
• MakeHuman: Open-source software specifically for creating human 3D characters

Learning Resources

Complement your software with learning materials:

• Online courses through platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, or LinkedIn Learning
• YouTube tutorials specific to your chosen software
• Animation forums and communities where beginners can share work and receive feedback
• Digital books and PDF guides focusing on animation principles

Animation director Tom Bancroft suggests: "Don’t get too caught up in having the ‘perfect’ tools when starting out. The principles of animation and character design are far more important than the specific software you use. You can create amazing animation with even the most basic tools if you understand the fundamentals."

Mastering Basic Drawing Techniques

Before diving into animation, developing fundamental drawing skills will significantly improve your character designs and animations. These core skills form the foundation upon which all other animation techniques build.

Understanding Form and Volume

Characters exist in three-dimensional space, even in 2D animation:

• Practice drawing basic shapes (spheres, cubes, cylinders) from different angles
• Learn to use shading to create the illusion of volume
• Study how light interacts with different surfaces and materials
• Develop the ability to visualize and rotate forms mentally

Gesture Drawing for Dynamic Characters

Gesture drawing captures the energy and movement of a pose in a few quick lines:

• Practice rapid sketching (30 seconds to 2 minutes per pose)
• Focus on the flow and weight of the figure rather than details
• Use curved lines to suggest movement and straight lines to indicate structure
• Study how weight shifts through different poses

Legendary animator Glen Keane emphasizes: "A good gesture drawing feels alive—it captures not just what the figure looks like, but what it feels like to be in that pose. That feeling is what will make your animation connect with viewers."

Anatomy Basics for Animators

While cartoon characters often distort anatomy, understanding the rules helps you break them effectively:

• Study simplified anatomical structures rather than medical-level detail
• Learn major muscle groups and how they affect surface forms
• Understand skeletal landmarks and proportions
• Practice drawing hands, faces, and other challenging areas repeatedly

Using Reference Materials

Even professional animators regularly use references:

• Create personal reference libraries of poses and expressions
• Practice drawing from photo references while adapting to your style
• Use mirrors or take photos of yourself in poses for authentic reference
• Study videos of movements similar to what you want to animate

Developing Your Style

As you practice these fundamentals, your personal style will begin to emerge:

• Experiment with different levels of stylization and abstraction
• Analyze styles you admire and identify their key components
• Practice adapting the same character design to different style approaches
• Develop style sheets to maintain consistency across your character designs

Remember that style should serve your character and story, not the other way around. As animation pioneer Chuck Jones noted: "Style is what you can’t help doing, not what you deliberately set out to accomplish."

Character Design Principles for Animation

Designing characters specifically for animation requires considering how they will move and perform. Certain design principles can make your characters both visually appealing and animation-friendly.

Shape Language

Shapes communicate personality subconsciously:

• Circles and Curves: Suggest friendliness, innocence, and approachability—often used for protagonists and younger characters
• Squares and Rectangles: Convey stability, strength, and trustworthiness—common in heroic or authoritative characters
• Triangles and Sharp Angles: Indicate danger, villainy, or mischief—frequently seen in antagonists

Disney’s character designs masterfully employ this shape language—consider the rounded Mickey Mouse versus the angular Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

Contrast and Variety

Creating visual interest through contrast:

• Vary line weights to emphasize important features
• Balance large shapes with smaller details
• Create readable silhouettes through contrasting elements
• Use contrasting proportions (large head/small body or vice versa)

Line of Action

The line of action is an imaginary line running through your character that defines the pose’s energy:

• Use S-curves for dynamic, energetic poses
• Employ C-curves for more relaxed or contemplative positions
• Practice creating clear, strong lines of action in your character sketches
• Ensure the line of action supports the emotion or action being portrayed

Design Hierarchy

Guide the viewer’s eye through your character design:

• Determine the most important features for your character’s identity
• Create focal points through color, contrast, or unique shapes
• Establish clear visual relationships between different parts of your design
• Consider how the hierarchy might change during different emotional states

Character designer Stephen Silver advises: "Every element in your character design should have a purpose. If you can’t explain why a design choice is there, it probably shouldn’t be."

Designing for Expression

Characters must communicate emotions clearly:

• Create facial designs with flexibility for various expressions
• Consider how eyes and mouth will transform when expressing different feelings
• Design facial features that read well at different distances and angles
• Test your designs with expression sheets showing a range of emotions

Maintaining Consistency

Characters must remain recognizable across different poses and scenes:

• Create model sheets with character turnarounds and size comparisons
• Establish clear rules for proportions and features
• Develop character bibles detailing design specifications
• Practice drawing your character consistently from memory

Introduction to Character Rigging

Before animation begins, characters need a control system—a rig that allows animators to pose and move them efficiently. Understanding basic rigging concepts helps beginners create more animation-ready designs.

2D Character Rigging Basics

In 2D animation, rigging typically involves:

• Puppet Rigging: Breaking characters into pieces (head, torso, limbs) connected by pivot points
• Bone Systems: Creating digital "skeletons" that control character movement
• Deformation Tools: Systems that allow stretching and squashing of character parts
• Controllers: User interface elements that simplify animating complex movements

Popular 2D animation programs like Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate, and Moho offer built-in rigging tools designed for beginners.

3D Character Rigging Fundamentals

3D rigging is more complex but follows similar principles:

• Skeleton Creation: Building a digital bone structure inside the character mesh
• Skinning: Binding the character’s surface to the skeleton with appropriate weights
• Control Systems: Creating intuitive handles for animators to manipulate the character
• Constraints: Rules that limit movement to prevent unrealistic deformations

For beginners, Blender offers accessible 3D rigging tools with extensive free tutorials available online.

Auto-Rigging Solutions

Several tools can help beginners bypass complex rigging processes:

• Character Creator: Software that generates ready-to-animate 3D characters
• Mixamo: Adobe’s service that automatically rigs uploaded 3D character models
• CelAction2D: 2D animation software with automated rigging features
• Spine: 2D animation software popular for game character animation with simplified rigging

"Rigging is like building a puppet," explains rigging artist Jeff Gabor. "You want controls that are intuitive enough that the animator can focus on performance rather than fighting with the rig itself."

Testing Your Rig

Before full animation begins:

• Perform range-of-motion tests to ensure all needed poses are achievable
• Check for unnatural deformations or stretching
• Verify that facial expressions work as intended
• Test extreme poses to identify potential breaking points in the rig

Understanding Animation Principles

Regardless of your chosen animation style or software, certain fundamental principles apply universally. Developed and refined by Disney animators in the 1930s, these 12 principles of animation remain essential knowledge for beginners.

Squash and Stretch

This principle gives characters a sense of weight and flexibility:

• Objects compress (squash) when they hit a surface and extend (stretch) during movement
• The volume of an object should remain consistent even when deformed
• More cartoony styles use more extreme squash and stretch
• Even realistic animation employs subtle squash and stretch for natural movement

Anticipation

Preparing the audience for an action:

• Characters wind up before jumping or throwing
• Eyes look before the head turns
• Bodies lower slightly before rising
• Anticipation helps make actions readable and gives a sense of physical reality

Staging

Presenting ideas clearly to the audience:

• Position characters to clearly show important actions
• Use silhouettes that read well
• Avoid unnecessary movements that distract from the main action
• Consider camera angle and composition to highlight key elements

Straight Ahead vs. Pose-to-Pose Animation

Two complementary approaches to creating movement:

• Straight Ahead: Drawing frames sequentially from start to finish, good for fluid, unpredictable movements
• Pose-to-Pose: Creating key poses first, then filling intermediary frames, better for planned, structural movements
• Most animators combine both methods depending on the scene requirements

Follow Through and Overlapping Action

Different parts of a character move at different rates:

• After a main action stops, secondary elements continue moving (hair, clothing, etc.)
• Heavier parts move slower than lighter parts
• Some elements drag behind the main movement and then catch up
• These principles add realism and personality to movement

Animation legend Richard Williams explained: "Follow through isn’t just a technical trick—it’s about understanding that nothing in life starts or stops at the same time. There’s always a cascade of movement."

Slow In and Slow Out (Easing)

Natural movements don’t maintain constant speed:

• Actions accelerate at the beginning and decelerate at the end
• More frames near the start and end of an action create this effect
• This principle creates more natural, less mechanical movement
• Digital software often has automatic easing functions

Arcs

Natural movement follows curved paths:

• Almost no living creatures move in perfectly straight lines
• Limbs rotate around joints, creating arc-shaped movements
• Even head movements and eye gazes tend to follow arcs
• Straight lines are generally reserved for mechanical objects or specific emotional states

Secondary Action

Supplementary movements that support the main action:

• A character whistles while walking
• Hands fidget while a character is thinking
• Tail wagging while a dog character is excited
• These actions add dimension without distracting from primary movements

Timing and Spacing

The technical heart of animation:

• Timing: How many frames an action takes (speed)
• Spacing: How positions change between frames (acceleration and character)
• Fast actions may use fewer frames with wider spacing
• Subtle emotions often require more frames with closer spacing

Exaggeration

Emphasizing the essence of an idea:

• Not necessarily making everything bigger but making movements clearer
• Can apply to expressions, actions, or designs
• The level of exaggeration should match your animation style
• Even realistic animation uses subtle exaggeration to enhance readability

Solid Drawing

Understanding form in three-dimensional space:

• Characters should have weight, depth, and balance
• Avoid "twinning" (identical poses on both sides of the body)
• Consider how forms relate to each other in space
• Strong draftsmanship underlies successful animation

Appeal

Creating designs and movements that engage viewers:

• Not limited to cute or beautiful characters
• Villains need appeal as much as heroes
• Clarity, simplicity, and magnetism in design
• Dynamic, interesting poses and expressions

Pixar animator Bret Parker notes: "These principles aren’t rules to be followed blindly—they’re tools that help us create animation that connects with audiences. The magic happens when you understand why these principles work, not just how to apply them."

Creating Your First Character Animation

With an understanding of principles and a designed character, you’re ready to bring your creation to life through animation. Starting with simple exercises builds confidence and skills.

Planning Your Animation

Before touching your software or pencil:

• Decide on a simple action suitable for beginners (a walk cycle, jump, or emotional reaction)
• Create thumbnail sketches of key poses
• Record video reference of yourself performing the action
• Determine timing using a stopwatch or frame counter
• Create an exposure sheet or timeline plan if needed

Starting with a Walk Cycle

The walk cycle is the animation equivalent of a musician’s scales—fundamental practice:

• Begin with the four main poses: contact, down, passing, and up positions
• Focus on weight shift and balance
• Add secondary motion like arm swings and head movements
• Ensure your character maintains volume throughout the cycle

Animation director Richard Williams suggests: "If you can master a convincing walk, you’ve conquered one of animation’s biggest challenges. A character’s personality should be evident just from how they walk across the screen."

Facial Animation for Beginners

Bringing facial expressions to life:

• Start with the eyes—they communicate emotion most directly
• Practice mouth shapes for dialogue (known as phonemes)
• Create an expression library covering basic emotions
• Remember that natural expressions involve the entire face, not just the mouth

Using Reference Effectively

Reference isn’t cheating—it’s a professional practice:

• Film yourself performing actions for timing and natural movement
• Study how similar body types move in real life or existing animations
• Use reference selectively—understand it, don’t just copy it
• Analyze what makes the reference effective and apply those principles

Working with Timing and Spacing

Refine the rhythm of your animation:

• Test timing with playblasts or flipbook previews
• Use fewer frames for quick actions and more for slower, deliberate movements
• Experiment with different framerates (12fps for stylized, 24fps for smoother motion)
• Create contrast between fast and slow movements for dynamic animation

Adding Appeal Through Polish

Once basic motion works, enhance it:

• Add secondary animation elements (clothing, hair, props)
• Refine arcs and trajectories
• Ensure silhouettes read clearly at each key frame
• Add subtle overlapping actions for natural movement

Animation supervisor James Baxter advises beginners: "Don’t be afraid to throw away work and start over. Sometimes the second or third attempt at an animation breaks through to something special because you’ve worked through the obvious solutions."

Common Beginner Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Learning from common pitfalls can accelerate your progress. Here are frequent challenges beginners face when creating animated characters:

Design Issues

• Overcomplicated Designs: Too many details make animation tedious and can become inconsistent. Solution: Simplify designs and focus on silhouette.
• Static Characters: Designs that look good still but don’t accommodate movement. Solution: Test designs in multiple poses during development.
• Derivative Designs: Characters that too closely resemble existing properties. Solution: Combine influences from diverse sources and add personal elements.
• Disproportionate Focus: Spending too much time on details that won’t matter in animation. Solution: Prioritize elements that affect performance and readability.

Animation Problems

• Floaty Movement: Characters that don’t convey weight or physics. Solution: Study real physics and add appropriate impact poses.
• Twinning: Symmetrical poses that look unnatural and stiff. Solution: Create asymmetry in poses, even subtle differences.
• Unmotivated Movement: Actions without clear purpose. Solution: Ensure every movement serves story or character development.
• Robotic Timing: Even, mechanical timing that lacks personality. Solution: Vary timing and add pauses for emphasis.

Technical Issues

• Poor File Management: Losing work or creating version confusion. Solution: Develop consistent naming conventions and backup regularly.
• Inappropriate Tools: Using software ill-suited to your project. Solution: Begin with simpler tools that match your current skill level.
• Rig Limitations: Discovering too late that your rig can’t perform needed actions. Solution: Test rig thoroughly with extreme poses before animation.
• Performance Problems: Software lagging due to inefficient setups. Solution: Learn optimization techniques specific to your software.

Workflow Challenges

• Perfection Paralysis: Never finishing projects due to endless tweaking. Solution: Set clear deadlines and accept that improvement comes through completion.
• Skipping Planning: Diving into animation without thumbnails or reference. Solution: Develop disciplined pre-production habits.
• Isolated Development: Working without feedback. Solution: Share works-in-progress with online communities or local animation groups.
• Inconsistent Practice: Making progress difficult through irregular work habits. Solution: Schedule consistent, manageable animation sessions.

Animation director Don Bluth offers perspective: "Every animator has created terrible animation on their journey to creating good animation. The difference between professionals and amateurs is that professionals didn’t quit when their work wasn’t yet good."

Building a Character Animation Portfolio

As your skills develop, creating a focused portfolio showcases your abilities to potential clients, employers, or collaborators. For character animation, specific portfolio elements prove particularly valuable.

Essential Portfolio Components

• Character Design Sheets: Turnarounds, expression sheets, and pose studies
• Animation Tests: Short loops demonstrating fundamental skills like walks, runs, and emotional reactions
• Character Performance Pieces: Brief scenes showing personality and acting ability
• Process Documentation: Development sketches and progression reels showing problem-solving
• Personal Projects: Self-directed work demonstrating your unique style and interests

Quality Over Quantity

"It’s literally true that your portfolio is only as good as its weakest piece," says Pixar’s Andrew Gordon. Focus on:

• Presenting only your strongest work, even if that means fewer pieces
• Completing pieces rather than showing numerous works-in-progress
• Demonstrating range while maintaining consistent quality
• Regularly replacing older work as your skills improve

Specialization vs. Versatility

Consider your career goals when building your portfolio:

• Studios often hire specialists with exceptional skills in particular areas
• Freelancers may benefit from demonstrating versatility across styles
• Finding a balance between focused expertise and adaptability
• Highlighting transferable skills relevant to your target field

Presentation Matters

How you present your work affects perception:

• Create a simple, professional website or use portfolio platforms like Behance or ArtStation
• Include clear descriptions of your role in each project
• Provide context about challenges overcome or techniques employed
• Consider both video reels and breakdown formats to show your animation

Seeking Constructive Feedback

Refine your portfolio through critique:

• Share work with working professionals when possible
• Participate in online animation communities and forums
• Consider peer reviews from fellow animation students
• Be specific about the feedback you’re seeking

Continuing Your Character Animation Journey

Animation is a lifelong learning process. As you master the basics, consider these pathways for continued growth:

Advanced Education Opportunities

• Specialized online courses through platforms like Animation Mentor, iAnimate, or CGMA
• Targeted workshops with industry professionals
• Animation-focused conferences and events like CTN Animation Expo or Lightbox Expo
• Community college or continuing education courses in specific techniques

Expanding Your Character Creation Skills

• Learn additional animation styles (stop motion, traditional, motion graphics)
• Develop complementary skills like storyboarding or background design
• Experiment with character rigging or technical animation
• Study specialized areas like creature animation or facial performance

Building Professional Connections

• Join animation organizations like ASIFA or Women in Animation
• Attend industry meetups and drawing groups
• Participate actively in online animation communities
• Offer to assist established animators on projects

Personal Projects and Collaboration

• Create short films showcasing your character animation
• Participate in animation jams and challenges
• Collaborate with writers, musicians, or other artists
• Consider animated content for platforms like YouTube or TikTok

Finding Inspiration and Avoiding Burnout

• Study animation from different eras and cultures
• Take breaks to refill your creative well with museums, nature, or travel
• Document interesting movements and expressions you observe in daily life
• Balance technical practice with experimental, playful animation

Animation director Sergio Pablos reminds beginners: "Animation is a marathon, not a sprint. The artists who succeed are those who fall in love with the process of improvement itself, not just the end result."

Conclusion

The journey of creating animated characters combines technical skill, artistic vision, and storytelling passion. As you progress from basic designs to fully realized animated performances, remember that every professional animator began exactly where you are now—with curiosity and determination.

By mastering fundamentals, embracing the principles of animation, and consistently practicing your craft, you’ll develop the ability to breathe life into characters that connect with audiences emotionally. The magic of animation lies in this connection—the moment when audiences forget they’re watching drawings or digital models and instead see living, breathing characters with thoughts, feelings, and stories to tell.

As you continue developing your skills, maintain the beginner’s mindset of openness and experimentation that brought you to animation initially. In the words of animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, "You must see with eyes unclouded by hate or like. See the shape of things beyond memory. Create worlds that never were."

Your animated characters await their chance to step onto the screen, move, express, and tell their stories. With patience, practice, and the foundation provided in this guide, you’re ready to begin bringing them to life, one frame at a time.