Toonboom Harmony is Back on 7 October

Harmony animators at Escape Studios

Our popular 2D Animation evening class in Toonboom Harmony is returning on Wednesday 7 October 2020.

The class runs for 10 weeks, one evening a week (Tuesdays), and is an introduction to animating in Toonboom Harmony, one of the leading software packages for the creation of 2D animation.

Harmony animators are much in demand, as 2D animation experiences a significant revival, both in the UK and overseas.

Artwork by Blue Zoo

Toonboom Harmony
2D Animation is experiencing a big comeback, with many 2D productions being animated in the UK.

In particular, Blue Zoo, Aardman Animation, and Brown Bag Films in Manchester all use Toonboom Harmony as their principal 2D animation platform.

Flexible software
Toonboom Harmony is a very flexible software package, that allows the user to combined 2D rigged puppet-style animation with the ability to add hand-draw elements in the traditional way. Users praise the flexibility and intuitive nature of the interface.

Animation basics

Toonboom Harmony Class at Escape Studios

The 8 week course will cover the basics of locomotion and mechanics in animation, and also 2D rigging, and aims to get students familiar with the software, to enable them to apply for the many studios in the UK and overseas that are embracing this software package. 

The course is aimed at animators wanting to acquire 2D software skills. This course will enable students to learn the basics of 2D animation using Toonboom Harmony; no prior knowledge of the software is required.

Evening Class
You will be expected to attend an evening class one night a week, and will be set simple projects to do in-class, as well as project work to do between classes. You will also have the opportunity to develop your portfolio or demo reel.

Toonboom Harmony licenses
Toonboom have agreed an exclusive arrangement for Escape students - an extended period over and above the usual trial period for a Harmony license.

This means that our students can download the software and practice at home what they have learned in class over the full period of the course. 

Tutor - Jessie Ilham

Jessie Ilham

We're delighted to welcome our animation tutor and Blue Zoo animator Jessie Ilham to teach this class. Jessie was educated at Sheridan College in Canada, one of the world's leading animation schools, and was a Lead Breakdown Artist at BrownBag Films before moving to Blue Zoo animation in London. Her many credits include the Disney feature film "Princess and the Frog".
Jessie is an experienced animator and rigger in ToonBoom Harmony, and has also trained teams of rigging artists, scene setup and layout artists.

Jobs for 2D Animators
2D Animation is experiencing a big revival, with many productions  being animated right here in London. Blue Zoo in particular has been looking recently for junior animators with Harmony experience.  We also have had invaluable support from London's Karrot Animation, who have helpfully provided us with character rigs for use in the course.

Course outline
Week 1 - User interface & setup
Week 2 - Animation basics – the Bouncing Ball
Week 3 - Rigging basics 1
Week 4 - Rigging basics 2
Week 5 - Locomotion cycles
Week 6 - Advanced locomotion
Week 7 - Final project – planning
Week 8 - Develop final project
Week 9 - Submit final project
(industry brief)
Week 10 - Demo Reel

Where and When
Location: Midtown campus, 190 High Holborn
Start date: Wednesday 7 October 2020
Tuition fee: £1,295
Mode of study: Part time (Wednesday evenings: 7pm - 10pm)
Programme duration: 10 weeks

Free Toonboom Harmony License and Online resources
In the meantime, check out some of the online Harmony resources available here.  Toonboom have recently (March 15th 2020) released a free home version of their software for student use, initially for 30 days, but this has now been extended for the duration of the pandemic.

Birds Connect Our World
Finally, to see what kind of animation can be done in Harmony, watch the short film "Birds Connect Our World" created by Escapee Lilian Fu.





The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To find out more about our new BA/MArt, now recruiting for September 2020, follow this link.   To apply, visit the offical page here.