Introduction to 2D animation

So, what is animation? Animation is the faculty to bring to life something that doesn't have it. When we talk about classic 2D animation, we are referring to a series of still images, drawn separately and slightly tweaked from one another; when combined, they produce the illusion of movement.

From prehistoric times, we can find references to animation that are are almost as old as humans. If we go back to 35,000 years ago when humans used to live in caves, we find figures of drawn animals with several legs, which was their way of representing the idea of movement.

Figure 2.1 – Eight legs to show motion

Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used to draw separate images with little tweaked arms or legs to give the impression of moving figures as well. So, we can say animation has been used forever and in every culture.

Figure 2.2 – Representation of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Isis in the columns...