Seven weeks ago I chose to begin exploring how to create digital animation. With almost no experience, I wanted to get a feel for what applications I might use and dip my toes into the ocean of digital design.

I achieved some solid goals that I’d made and I’ve started to get a sense of the applications and tools out there that one can use for digital drawing and animation. Most importantly though – I’ve pushed through that uncomfortable, awkward, and cumbersome process of penetrating the language barrier that had kept me separate from this creative form.

Photo by severyanka on Pixabay

What I’ve learned is that with each slow and challenging step towards understanding this digital terrain, it’s opened up a perspective on what the landscape of applications, tools, and creative possibilities exist.

The first few weeks were HARD. Everything I did felt like it took forever and I spent a lot of time in that frustrating place where you don’t know what to do so you keep doing the same thing (and continue to fail and feel frustrated). There is a re-wiring of the brain that has to happen when you learn to work within a new form like this (and my aging brain is clearly not as agile as it once was).

Photo by Pexels on Pixabay

But through the uphill of the learning curve, I eventually built either some skills or maybe it was just endurance, and by the end of this seven weeks I was feeling more at ease.

Here’s a breakdown of what these past seven weeks have looked like:

Week 1 – Where to Start?

Photo by Mohamed_hassan on Pixabay

I began by researching what applications could provide me with the design and animation abilities that I was looking to accomplish.  I asked these questions:

• What beginner-friendly programs exist. 
• What do they offer?
• Will it align with the technology I currently have access to?
• What is the cost involved?

I used video reviews to introduce me to tools like Adobe Animate which led me to doing further research into how these applications work and which would be most accessible to me.

Accomplishment: Getting the lay of the land.

Week 2 – Talking the Talk

I set some goals around what I wanted to be able to create in order to help direct which application I would choose. These goals were:

1. Collage separate digital images into one image
2. Draw and save a digital drawing at a resolution to be used for projection.
3. Learn how to use basic ‘tweening’ to animate from a few drawings (if I get time).

 As I tried to do research about the applications from the first week, I quickly realized that part of my learning involved building language skills before building any digital studio skills. (What is a vector file vs a raster file? How many ppi do I need for the job I’m doing?) 

Long hours trying to get my bearings, watching videos and doing a lot of googling of terms, and I just wanted to get learning. I felt stuck because of my own ignorance around the topic. So I decided to choose a GIMP because my partner had it on our computer and he knew the program, so I could defer to him if I needed in-person support along the way. 

Accomplishment: I’ve settled on the digital editing application that is right for me (at this moment).

Which led me to ….

Week 2.5 – Tech Support

Learning the basics of GIMP. I watched several videos, which got me started but none of the videos I watched was giving enough detail for my beginner level skill set.

My big learning for week 2 was that it can take more time searching for learning videos that will offer you what you need to know, than it takes to actually do the learning itself.

I had to call in my in-house tech support for a half hour consult, which helped explain some of the problems I was facing and fill the gaps that the videos had skimmed over.

Accomplishment: I’ve finally got some very basic skills that will allow me to work on my first goal of collaging separate digital images together.

BONUS

During this same week, we were asked to try out a new-to-me application. I chose videoscribe. This app was a great confidence boost for my learning project because it offered a very accessible way to create digital whiteboard animations. It still took time to walk through the how-tos, but it felt much easier than what I’d been trying to do with my learning project. I animated a whiteboard video and felt I could fall back on this in the future if I needed to slot it into my learning project process. 

Week 3 – Digital Image Collage

Photo by JoshuaWoroniecki on Pixabay

I finally got to begin creating a digital image. Again, I mostly relied on video tutorials so I could walk through the process step by step alongside the videos.

I found that I’d watch some videos several times for just one action, as I jumped back and forth between the video and the task I was trying to learn. This was really useful. 

Along the way I’d use other sites or google to help build my vocabulary around the digital tools within the application.

Accomplishment: I finally was able to upload my scanned drawings and add text and collaged images into them. It looked like a small step, but considering all the time that had gone into getting me here – it felt HUGE!

Week 4 – Animation 

After watching a few videos, it looked like creating a GIF was the right option for the application I was using. This wasn’t too hard, but included both video tutorials and some personal trial and error. But I was able to create a simple GIF. I just used text to keep the process simple and focused on the skill, not the creative component (which can become more time consuming).

Accomplishment: A short GIF! (which I couldn’t make work when I downloaded it…but that came next week).

Week 5 – Animation onward

This week required another call in to my personal tech support, which helped explain how to activate the GIF I’d downloaded by bringing it into my browser.

I then moved on to watching videos on onionskinning and created a very simple animation of rain. At this point I’ve become aware of just how much time the smallest, shortest animations take me…but also how involved the process can be. 

I also FINALLY found a really good video tutorial for GIMP that was so thorough I wished I’d found it earlier. 

Accomplishment: Creating a simple animation that is the correct resolution for sharing through projection!

Riffel High School, That’s Possible (credit: Amaya Ander, 2025)

Additionally, I then went on to create a powerpoint of images and a couple GIFs that were used for a theatre project with Riffel Highschool’s Integrated Theatre Program.

Week 6 – Moving On

I wanted to know what else I could do outside of the limits of GIMP.  So this week I sought out other ‘quick’ animation tools based on recommendations from ChatGPT.

Screenshot, Flipanim, 2025

I used FlipAnim , which was an accessible, easy web-based tool for creating simple animations. I loved it! And it was the first tool I’d found that students could easily use within the classroom.

Accomplishment: Another tool in my toolbox!

Week 7 – AI 

One thing I didn’t get to in my learning journey was using an application that did ‘tweening’. But this week I was introduced to using AI to generate videos by trying out Sora. 

I’m really curious to explore what I could do with AI to generate stories and videos. I tried out Animated Drawings with my kids and quickly dabbled with Sora’s Vidfly.

Videos like this one offer as a guide to creating full animated videos step by step: through story generation, image generation, animation from images, and voice over tools. I’m keen to dig deeper into exploring this potential.

So where did I get?   Well, maybe I haven’t created a more complex animation over this short project, but I feel I have a grasp of some foundational knowledge that has me curious to learn more.

Accomplishment: Most importantly, after these past 7 weeks of learning I have developed the comfort to expand on my learning in this area. And really, that is the beginning…

After reading Grace Kelln’s post about using AI as a tool to learn crochet, I realized that AI might be able to help me on my journey to creating animations. Here’s my journey into using AI to help me source a new option :

I first asked ChatGPT for suggestions on beginner friendly animation apps. 

These were the top 3: 

1. Canva 

2. FlipAnim

3. Animaker 

What I liked about using ChatGPT is that it didn’t just make suggestions, it offered details about what I could do with each without having to read through the websites or do more googling. 

(Why didn’t I start with ChatGPT for my research in the first place?!)

I furthered my search by asking which ones were free, specifying that I was using a laptop with only a track pad, that I wanted an app that would tween for me, and that I wanted the option to import my own drawings. 

And the winner was:  (Drum Roll)……CANVA

However….the definition of ‘animate’ on Canva was more about adding movement features (like flip, slide, and bounce), rather than drawing animations.

screenshot, S. Dunn, 2025

Next up, Animaker.

I tried Animaker out, and it wasn’t an animation program like I’d hoped. I tried it out by generating an “AI” a video birthday card using some text and an uploaded image. It was basically a slide show with a robot voice that read the text I’d put in.  

and, Finally: FlipAnim 

FlipAnim is set up as a kid-friendly, simple, ‘flip book style’ animation tool.

It is not fancy, but it does give you the ability to create onion skin (frame-by-frame) animations.  It wasn’t easy to do on my laptop with a trackpad.. but I gave it a shot.

What I really liked about this tool is that it was self explanatory. I didn’t actually need to do any training, find an online video, or even read instructions. The layout of the tool was visually intuitive. 

That said… I did end up watching this very short video that shared how to use the app and download your file to a GIF. (aannnnddd…ya, I probably wouldn’t have figured this out on my own). I loved how short the video was and how quickly a kid could learn how to use this animation app.

And here’s what I created:

The process of creating a short animation was by far the easiest I’ve encountered. Maybe I’m slightly more literate in using these tools since I began six weeks ago?

SO – does this count towards my learning how to do animation?  At this point, I feel like the learning is sometimes in the process of finding the tool that offers you what you need.  If I wasn’t going to create more professional or high resolution animations this tool might do the job.

And..I’m keen about this new app. It could be a great tool for the classroom. Kids could easily use this to generate a moving picture as a demonstration of learning.

I’m behind on posting my progress because after Week Four I was deeply immersed in the Artist in Schools Project with Riffel HighSchool. 

Working with this Integrated Theatre Program was part of my motivation for learning some basic animation skills, with the goal of incorporating some animated elements into the projection-based set design.

One of the key scenes I wanted to include animation in was set in a rainstorm. The aesthetic of the whole show is centred around a ‘hand drawn’ (middle-schooler) comic /doodle style.

(Here’s the GIF I create – see the end of the post for a final production shot)

After learning how to create a GIF in week four, I decided that a GIF was the easiest way to pull off the rainstorm animation.  I learned the basics of frame-by-frame in my week four exercises, but for that I’d just used text to keep it really simple…and focus on the technical foundations of frame-by-frame.

This week I’d need to use an onion skinning technique to reproduce my drawn image and shift it slightly in each frame. The goal was to draw a rainstorm, then shift the same drawing slightly from frame to frame in order to make it appear to be moving. 

I used this new video tutorial to further understand how to do this using the onion skin technique I’d see in the week four video.  

This video was one of the best I’ve watched so far.

It went through every step, including ones I’d missed in past videos. She clarified questions I’d had about setting up a new document size, and she moved through each choice with a bit more context and detail than past videos I’d watched. She also gave very specific tools and techniques for more involved animation that I needed. But I’d definitely use this video over the others for future learning.

So, what makes a good video tutorial?

I asked myself why this video tutorial seemed better than others I’d watched? These are things I noticed:

• She had a webcam embedded into her tutorial (does seeing her speak help understand the content…it felt like it did?)
• She moved slowly with her cursor when demonstrating how to use the tools in Gimp.
• She gave context and reasons for all her choices (made no assumptions about prior knowledge).
• She offered specificity within her process (each frame was labelled so I could grasp every change that was being made , she articulated the details of each tool as she used them, even if they were basic tools like colour fill).

I think in the end, it was the specificity that really helped. 

This is something I’ll carry forward when I’m thinking about teaching and learning – and if I ever create my own videos for students. 

But I’m still sitting with the idea that by seeing her face in the webcam somehow made her lesson easier to understand. I don’t know why?  What are your thoughts about whether a webcam narration helps the learning process? I’m curious to know if others have had similar experiences during their online learning journey!

Here are some final images from the use of the rainstorm GIF within the That’s Possible production of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

Riffel High School, That’s Possible (credit: Amaya Ander, 2025)

Riffel High School, That’s Possible (credit: Amaya Ander, 2025)

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free cross-platform image editor. After all my searches for a cost-free application, I ended up choosing the one that I already had on my laptop. I didn’t choose GIMP to begin with because I was looking for an app that could also offer digital animation opportunities. But for the purposes of this first learning goal – GIMP meets the requirements.

This said, GIMP is a raster based editor, and in my last post I noted that I needed to work with vectors. Some IRL chats have me thinking I might be OK using raster files for the purposes of my project. So, I’m going ahead with GIMP and I’ll learn by doing!

I began with this How To Use Gimp (Beginners Guide) video.

I’m going to be working on collaging a few different images together.

These are the images I’m starting with:

I found that the video got me started in creating my project, setting a background, adding layers, and uploading images I wanted to use. 

But that was as far as this video got me. It didn’t offer the steps needed to edit my images in the way I wanted. 

I watched a few more videos. But they only provided simple overviews                       OR went way over my head.

I had questions and searching through videos was taking too long.

Here is where learning a new skill online can be frustrating and time consuming. Searching for the learning tool that is going to help you with the specific path or trouble shooting issue can take a lot longer than just being in the same room as someone to answer direct questions and show you things in real life. 

I asked my partner to sit with me and answer a few questions. In half an hour I was able to get quick and direct instruction on some specific actions I wanted to know how to do, including:

• Transforming an image
• Creating transparency and fill options
• Specifics around how to work with the layers
• How to use a layer I create for other slides I’m building
• Saving my work in progress and specific finished slides

Here’s what I created with the help of someone sitting beside me while I learned. 

It was the fasted part of this whole learning process so far.

Is it because I’m such a beginner at this that searching for the learning tools involves a layer of learning in itself? 

Is it that online learning lacks the ability for immediate and direct questions to be answered along the way?

What have you found in your online learning experiences? 

What does this tell us about the role of teachers in the classroom and where/how we embed technology in our students’ learning journey?

And then there are the things I’m learning BY DOING. Like, the importance of saving your work along the way….which I learned the hard way as I was trying to save my final image and GIMP stalled out. But that also reminded me how much we learn through repetition…and when I had to redo everything I’d just been taught – I realized there were a lot of things I’d already forgotten. Another good take away as an educator! Learning by doing….and then doing AGAIN!

Anyways, I now have some specific questions that even my IRL tech support couldn’t answer – but I have a framework of understanding and some basic tools. I feel I can now search online for answers to some of the specific questions with a bit more ease! 

Setting Goals:   I’ve been feeling overwhelmed about getting started.  So I’ve decided to set specific learning goals:

1. Collage separate digital images into one image
2. Draw and save a digital drawing that is high enough resolution to be used for projection.
3. Learn how to use basic ‘tweening’ to animate from a few drawings (if I get time).

Digital ‘Collage’  I’m working on a project with kids from Riffel HighSchool’s integrated theatre program, That’s Possible.

They have drawn separate images and I want to merge them into one image that will be used as the backdrop projection for the production.

A quick google suggests that if I want to resize my scanned images to collage together without getting pixelation or quality distortion – I need to convert my images to Vectors. 

What is a Vector???   This quick video shed light on the different image files. 

What I learned:                                                                                                            JPG, PNG, GIF  =  Raster Files (pixelate when you resize them).

PDF, EPS, AI  =  Vector Files (maintain their sharpness when enlarged)

This leads me to ask : Can I just use PDF files to create my digital collage?          After quite a bit of googling, I’m not fully confident in the answer I’ve come to…but I think I should stick with a TIFF if I can.

<<< One issue I’m having is that I don’t have the tech language and terminology to research what it is I want to do. I’m spending a lot of time trying to find an application that can teach me what I need…..in part because I’m so graphic design illiterate. >>>>

The search for a cost free application continues…  Because Adobe suites are $$, I spent time looking for a free alternative. Adobe Express came up as a free option, but I spent nearly an hour looking at videos trying to figure out if I could create the 16×9 1080 resolution format I need for this projection project….. I never found the answer I was looking for.

Phone-A-Friend 

Photo by Momentmal on Pixabay

 I’ve decided to call in some NON-digital tech support so I can get things moving! My partner has GIMP on our laptop and I usually defer to him if I need small graphic created for social media or projection. The inter-web is just getting me tangled up, so I’ve decided to use GIMP for this project. This way, I’ve got some real human assistance as I get myself oriented.

What have I learned?   When you are really just getting started with learning a new skill, it can be just as hard to find the online training and information you need as it is to learn the skill.

Photo by klimkin on Pixabay

And in this case – I think having a someone to teach me some foundations (in person) is really important!

Where To Start?

I want to be comfortable with a program that will allow me to digitally manipulate images, draw, and possibly animate. 

I’m pretty illiterate when it comes to using digital design programs. So to begin this learning process I need to begin with some really foundational research.

I started by asking:

• What beginner-friendly programs exist. 
• What do they offer?
• Will it align with the technology I currently have access to?
• What is the cost involved?

Because I’m kinda keen to learn some basic animation, I began my research with beginner-friendly Animation Apps.

After some googling and skimming a few YouTube videos, this video on Brad Colbow’s youtube channel helped direct me. 

It offered a really clear breakdown of what FREE apps work best to replace Adobe Animate, based on these criteria: ability to draw directly in the program, ability to import sound to do voice overs and sound effects, symbol library, and a timeline that allows tweening. I liked these criteria and like now straightforward this video review was.

However, what I took away from this video was that Adobe Animate is a tried and true application that does all of these things AND is a familiar program that is often used by organizations and businesses. As part of the Adobe family – this felt like a safe bet….If I’m going to learn a program, it makes sense to choose one that I might come across within future workplace & education sites. 

Next task…. 

I need to learn a bit about Adobe (because while I’ve heard of it and my pdfs open up in Adobe Acrobat Reader….thats about ALL I know!

Searching Adobe, I quickly realized that I have in fact used photoshop before. Back in 2004, I was given a few key tips on how to scan a transparency/ photo slide (old school – pre digital photography styles). From what I remember, I was scanning, cropping, and adjusting the resolution. This was around the time that arts councils and granting bodies were beginning to accept digital images instead of submitting ACTUAL sheets of transparencies with an application. 

Anyways – the point is, my exposure to Adobe suites is pretty archaic and was limited to digital image sizing. So, I went back to Brad to get his breakdown on the difference between Illustrator and Photoshop to help me understand which of these might offer the program capacity that I’m searching for. 

I really like Brad’s videos because he clearly breaks things down right from the start of the video. You don’t need to listen to him talk for 5 minutes to find out where things are going. The videos are fast paced, animated (and engaging), and quickly identify what he’ll be reviewing and how. Also, he mentioned in an earlier video that he Does Not have an education in design and animation. Being self taught, he brings an awareness of the questions and frustrations he had as a learner and incorporates that experience into his approach to teaching.

My next step is take what I’ve learned, get myself set up with the software I’m going to start out with…and start learning!