Advanced 2D Digital Animation at Kwantlen Polytechnic University at Langley

KPU's entertainment arts programs are designed to deliver students the in-demand skills and practical knowledge studios are looking for or prepare them for potential further education. KPU's programs are built in partnership with the Centre for Entertainment Arts. This ensures students get the foundational training or advanced education they need that's respected around the entertainment arts industry.

Advanced 2D Digital Animation Production is a full-time, two-year, cohort program focused on the fundamentals of 2D animation creation and production. Students will study various departmental specializations, such as 2D character animation, 2D FX animation, character design, background design, storyboarding, digital painting, digital cut out style rigging and animation, and 2D lighting and compositing. The program includes a foundation in visual storytelling, composition, and cinematography. The program also teaches students the fundamentals of pre- and postproduction, critical analysis and review, realistic production schedules, team work, soft skills and how to interact with other departments within the post production pipeline.

A wide range of industry standard software and tools, processes, and workflows are taught to the students. Students will create and compile a portfolio of shots or still life images in the form of a demo reel. Demo reel shots may solely be the student’s own creations, or the result of a collaborative group project(s).

The 2D pre-production courses focus on design and planning shots for production (cinematography), as well as supporting classes such as figure drawing, sculpting and perspective drawing.

The 2D animation courses focus on animation principles, acting and body mechanics for characters, while integrating rigging techniques for creating digital cut-out style characters used widely in most studio productions. In addition to character animation, student will learn the fundamentals of 2D FX animation to create FX like water, smoke, and fire for their animation.

In the 2D post-production courses, students will learn the fundamentals of colour design, and industry standard techniques for 2D compositing and lighting.

While starting with the observation of traditional drawing and sculpting techniques, students will take these skills into their 2D models, environments, and 2D animations. The integration of look development, shading and compositing fundamentals helps bring both 2D models and animations together for polished, final compositions.

The Advanced 2D Digital Animation Production program is best suited for students that display an artistic or creative background. A strong foundation in traditional art techniques such as drawing, painting, or sculpting is highly recommended. Having technical ability and software skills is also beneficial since this program uses the latest industry standard digital production techniques. These artistic, creative, and technical skills serve as a foundation for the challenging roles in the 2D Animation industry.