Cel-by-cel notes · The craft of animation and anime explained

A practical guide to the art and craft of animation.

Thirty clear guides to the medium — the principles of motion, the production pipeline, the many formats, anime genres, and how to watch with an informed eye — each in seven short sections.

01Animation Principles

The core techniques of movement: squash and stretch, anticipation, timing, arcs, and how motion feels alive.

001 Squash and Stretch Beginner 002 Anticipation in Animation Beginner 003 Timing and Spacing Intermediate 016 Arcs of Motion Beginner 017 Follow Through and Overlap Intermediate 018 Secondary Action Intermediate

02Production & Pipeline

How animation is planned and built: storyboards, character design, key frames, and the steps in between.

004 Storyboarding for Animation Beginner 005 Character Design Beginner 006 Key Animation Intermediate 019 Inbetweening Beginner 020 Background Art Beginner 021 Compositing in Animation Intermediate

03Formats & Mediums

The many ways to animate: cels, hand-drawn pencil, CGI, stop motion, cutout, and motion graphics.

007 Cel Animation Explained Beginner 008 Hand-Drawn Animation Beginner 009 CGI and 3D Animation Intermediate 022 Stop Motion Animation Beginner 023 Cutout Animation Beginner 024 Motion Graphics Intermediate

04Anime Genres & Demographics

The main anime audiences and genres: shonen, shojo, seinen, josei, mecha, and slice of life.

010 Shonen: Action for a Young Audience Beginner 011 Shojo: Stories of Relationships Beginner 012 The Mecha Genre Beginner 025 Seinen: Mature Storytelling Intermediate 026 Josei: Realistic Adult Life Intermediate 027 Slice of Life Anime Beginner

05Watching & Appreciating

How to watch with an informed eye: sakuga, subs versus dubs, direction, and the history of the medium.

013 Appreciating Sakuga Intermediate 014 Subs vs. Dubs Beginner 015 A Short History of Animation Beginner 028 Understanding Direction Intermediate 029 How an Anime Studio Works Intermediate 030 Anime Film Techniques Intermediate