Stopmotion Animation · Getting Started
Your toys can move. Let's make them.
Learn stop-motion from zero with a Laika and Blizzard animator. 8 hands-on modules, from a simple bouncing ball to full pantomime acting, using gear you already own.
How is this course is going to help you get started?
Take this short quiz to understand where you are and how this course is going to help you get your animations to another level.
Stopmotion Animation – Getting Started
Bring your characters to life with Stopmotion Animation – Getting Started! Across 8 modules, you’ll explore camera and lighting setup, Dragonframe basics, and the principles of timing, spacing, and expressive movement. Through hands-on animation exercises, you’ll practice everything from bouncing balls to character walks, jumps, and physical interactions. You’ll also discover pantomime, green screen techniques, and wire removal, with a bonus introduction to dialogue, lip sync, and acting.
What you'll unlock with this course.
01
The core principles.
Arcs, anticipation, timing, spacing, squash and stretch. The foundation of every great shot, learned with a simple ball.
02
Characters with weight.
Posing, emotion, jumps, throws and props. Make a figure feel heavy, alive and connected to its world.
03
Acting that reads.
Two-character scenes and pantomime so your animation tells a story, with a bonus on dialogue and lipsync.
Hi, I'm Justin.
I've been animating professionally for over 30 years. I animated at Laika on ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings, contributed to Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning Pinocchio, and worked on CG cinematics at Blizzard for Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Hearthstone.
Today I run Stunt Puppet Pictures, making the stop-motion shorts you may have seen online. This course is everything I wish someone had shown me on day one.
Got any questions?
If you have any questions about the course or are interested in joining, reach
out using the form bellow I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
