#ToonChat: Rigging for 2D Animation

#ToonChat is an online event where animators and artists gather to discuss topics on Twitter on the last Friday of the month from 6-7PM EDT.

The topic of this month’s #ToonChat discussion is rigging for 2D animation. Joining us as this session’s guest expert is Oli Putland, an experienced directing animator who publishes Cat Class POP! tutorials on YouTube.

The conversation will include the following discussion topics:

• Considerations for designing character rigs for cutout animation.
• Advice for students interested in careers in 2D rigging.
• Productions that use 2D rigs effectively.

About the chat:

If this is your first time participating in a Twitter chat, here is how the format works: Users meet on Twitter on Friday September 27 at 6PM EDT using the #ToonChat hashtag. Over the course of an hour, our account (@ToonBoom) will pose six questions (numbered Q1, Q2, Q3 …) to prompt responses from our chat participants. Be sure to include the #ToonChat hashtag in all your posts to make it easy for other participants to discover your comments. Respectful discussion between participants and our guest experts is always encouraged.

Well... Here's a finished bit of animation of @HappyHarryToons ' Killgar character made with @ToonBoom 's Master Controllers. There are a couple of things that if I were making it properly, I would do differently, but for the purposes of a tutorial.... Meh! Tutorial coming soon. pic.twitter.com/X31h2GQ3Oo

— Oli (@OliPutland) July 16, 2019

About our guest:

Oli Putland is a directing animator based out of Bristol, with over 20 years of experience across film, television and online video. His industry credits include work for Aardman Animations, Cosgrove Hall Films, Beano, and Sun & Moon Studios. Oli also publishes Cat Class POP! tutorials for his YouTube channel, which cover techniques for digital art and animation. We recently came across a rig he made for his channel, based on a character design from Harry Partridge’s STARBARIANS webseries, and invited Oli to talk about how he combines hand-drawn animation with modern rigging techniques. You can find our full interview here.

Be sure to follow @ToonBoom on Twitter along with this month's guest expert, @OliPutland, and join in on the discussion using the #ToonChat hashtag.