Useful Links
Further Reading
For readers who would like to explore motion illustration further, these books cover fundamentals in illustration, animation, motion design, and computer graphics:
History of Illustration by Susan Doyle, Jaleen Grove, and Whitney Sherman
Computer Graphics and Computer Animation: A Retrospective Overview by Wayne E. Carlson
Organizations
Society of Illustrators (SI): Illustration’s most prestigious competition accepts GIFs and animated videos.
American Illustration (AI): The long-running illustration competition has an animation category via its “International Motion Art Awards.”
The Association of Illustrators (AOI): The UK’s leading professional illustration organization, boasting the “World Illustration Awards.”
The Illustration Conference (ICON): Biennial conference with an animation showcase called Motion Commotion. Animation and motion workshops are typically offered.
SIGGRAPH (ACM): Annual conference celebrating the latest in computer graphics. Their film festival and Dailies programming allow independent animators to show their work alongside major studios.
Online Learning Hubs
Youtube is a great starting point for free tips and tricks with digital animation software. However, the subscription services listed here offer comprehensive online training. For beginners, following a complete “essentials” course in the selected software is recommended to avoid frustration before starting larger projects.
LinkedIn Learning: Offers comprehensive, well-produced tutorials for design software, excelling in training for Adobe’s suite of applications.
Pluralsight: Specializes in CGI software and is recommended to new learners interested in visual effects and 3D animation.
Skillshare: A project-based site with a-la-carte tutorials from working illustrators. Search for Jamie Bartlett, Libby VanderPloeg, and Abbey Lossing.
Domestika: Another a-la-carte service with video courses made by industry professionals. Search for Yukai Du and Carlos Alegría.