Narmada College of Fine Arts, Music & Design

Affiliated to Raja Mansingh Tomar Music & Arts University, Gwalior

Bachelor of Design (Animation)

Duration: 4 Years | Program Structure: Foundation, Core Animation Skills, Pre-Production, Digital Tools

Step into the world where art meets technology. This 4-year immersive program shapes you into a visual storyteller—guiding you through foundations of design, core animation skills, and the magic of pre-production. With hands-on training in the latest digital tools, you’ll learn to craft characters, worlds, and experiences that captivate audiences.

From films and gaming to advertising and VR, this program opens doors to diverse creative careers in the global media & entertainment industry.

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B. Design (Animation) Curriculum

Practical Learning Areas

 

Sketching & Visualization

Object & drapery studies, mannequin proportions, human gestures, life drawing.

Perspective (1, 2 & 3-point), room interiors, landscapes, and colour studies.

Submissions include: still life, nature study, animated still life, mannequins, gestures, life drawings, perspective sketches, compositions, and landscapes.

 

Principles of Animation

Twelve Principles of Animation (timing, squash & stretch, anticipation, arcs, staging, appeal, etc.).

Exposure sheets, arcs of motion, key frames, in-betweens, walk cycles, weight lift, bouncing ball, pendulum, water drop, and drag animations.

Submissions compiled as a bound portfolio.

 

Pre-Production 

Character Design: Shapes, balance, silhouette, expressions, rotation, gesture drawing, proportions, cleanup.

Background & Layout: Composition, staging, perspective, camera angles, shot framing, continuity, storyboarding, lighting & mood.

 

Digital Tools (Introduction)

Basics of digital vs analogue, hardware & software.

Adobe Photoshop: layers, raster vs vector, RGB vs CMYK, alpha channels, masks, output formats.

 

Suggested Reading

The Animator’s Survival Kit – Richard Williams

Cartoon Animation – Preston Blair

Creating Characters with Personality – Tom Bancroft

Perspective Drawing Handbook – Joseph D’ Amelio

Setting the Scene: The Art & Evolution of Animation Layout – Fraser MacLean

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Bible – Lina Danae Dayley

 

This program builds strong foundations in sketching, animation principles, pre-production, and digital tools, preparing students for advanced specializations in the animation industry.

 

Theory

 

Fundamentals of Art (Paper I)

Study of line, form, colour, tone, texture & space as the building blocks of art.

Principles of composition, unity, harmony, balance, dominance, rhythm, proportion & perspective.

Mediums, methods, drawing and rendering techniques for 2D & 3D visualization.

 

Suggested Reading:

Art Fundamentals (3DTotal Publishing)

 

Principles of Animation (Paper II)

The Twelve Principles of Animation: timing, anticipation, exaggeration, squash & stretch, arcs, staging, appeal, personality, etc.

Walk cycles, weight & balance, motion arcs, in-betweens, and types of animation (pose-to-pose & straight ahead).

Study of proportion, silhouette, and anthropomorphic walk cycles.

 

Suggested Reading:

The Animator’s Survival Kit (Richard Williams), Cartoon Animation (Preston Blair), Timing for Animation (Harold Whitaker).

 

History of Animation (Paper III)

Origins of Animation (1888–1929): Magic lanterns, flipbooks, Reynaud’s Praxinoscope, early pioneers like Winsor McCay & Disney.

1930s Golden Age: Warner Bros., MGM, Fleischer Studios, George Pal, Norman McLaren.

1940–1970: UPA, Chuck Jones, Canadian animation, Asian & Latin American contributions.

1970–1980 New Wave: Independent artists, avant-garde, Osamu Tezuka in Japan, Richard Williams in the UK.

Modern Era: Global expansion, digital technologies, and the rise of computer animation.

 

Suggested Reading:

Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation (Giannalberto Bendazzi), Cartoon Capers (Karen Mazukewich).

 

This first-year theory framework gives students a strong artistic foundation, an understanding of animation principles, and a historical perspective on the evolution of animation worldwide.

 

 

Practical

 

Advanced Principles of Animation

Master head turns, lip sync, walks, runs, and body mechanics. Explore character performance, gestures, expressions, and anthropomorphic design. Learn staging, timing, arcs, and in-betweens through creative assignments like flour sack animation.

 

Storytelling

Understand the art of visual storytelling and storyboarding. Learn framing, staging, posing, and camera principles. Explore narrative flow, film analysis, and the essentials of acting in animation.

 

Pre-Production II

Advanced BG & Layout – Create cinematic layouts, digital backgrounds, tonal structures, and perspectives. Learn Photoshop painting, story integration, continuity, and multiplane techniques.

Advanced Character Design – Develop dynamic gestures, superheroes, villains, caricatures, and expressive figures with style and personality.

 

Digital 2D Animation

Learn paperless workflows using Adobe Flash and other tools. Practice rough animation, cleanup, coloring, rigging, and cutout animation. Explore compositing, camera moves, multi-layered scenes, and symbol-based animation with professional digital workflows.

 

Theory

 

Cinematography

Learn the language of cinema — from framing, lenses, light, and texture to shooting methods, continuity, and camera movements. Understand aspect ratios, film formats, and professional techniques that bring animation to life.

 

Suggested Reading:

Blain Brown – Cinematography, Joseph V. Mascelli – The Five C’s of Cinematography

 

Art Direction

Discover the aesthetics of animation across short films, series, and features. Explore style guides, production design, visual development, composition, staging, color scripts, and audience research — blending creativity with market insight.

 

Suggested Reading:

Hans Bacher – Dream Worlds, Maureen Furniss – Art in Motion

 

Storytelling

Master the craft of stories that captivate. Learn the art of storyboarding, character development, drama, comedy, and editing. Study structures like the Hero’s Journey, dramatic irony, and how to engage audiences through powerful narratives.

 

Suggested Reading:

Francis Glebas – Directing the Story, Liz Blazer – Animated Storytelling, Dean Movshovitz – Pixar Storytelling, Jean Ann Wright – Animation Writing & Development

 

 

Practical

 

Dynamic Anatomy

Master figure drawing and anatomy for animation. Study human and animal forms, skeletal and muscular structures, facial expressions, gestures, and walk cycles. Learn observational drawing, perspective, costume, drapery, and environment to create characters full of rhythm, proportion, and life.

 

Suggested Reading:

Fritz Schider – An Atlas of Anatomy for Artists, Victor Perad – Anatomy & Drawing, Walt Stanchfield – Drawn to Life (Vol. 1 & 2)

 

Stop-Motion Animation

Explore the art of clay and puppet animation. Learn armature building, framing, staging, dope sheets, timing, lighting, rigging, and production planning. Create expressive stop-motion projects blending craft and cinematic storytelling.

 

Suggested Reading:

Ken Priebe – The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation, Peter Lord & Nick Park – Cracking Animation

 

3D Modeling & Texturing

Hands-on training in Maya — from basic shapes to complex character and environment modeling. Projects include hard-surface models, character design, interior spaces, and texturing. Learn fur, hair, cloth simulation, lighting, and rendering with Arnold, Mental Ray, and V-Ray.

 

Suggested Reading:

William Vaughan – Digital Modeling, Chris Maraffi – Maya Character Creation, Lee Lanier – Aesthetic 3D Lighting

 

3D Rigging & Animation

Build advanced rigs and animate characters in Maya. Study FK/IK systems, skinning, squash & stretch, lip-sync, and performance animation. Projects cover walk cycles, quadrupeds, acting, dialogue, camera rigging, and polished character performances.

 

Suggested Reading:

Tina O’Hailey – Rig It Right!, Kenny Roy – How to Cheat in Maya, Isaac V. Kerlow – The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects

 

 

Theory

 

Digital Modeling (Paper I)

Explore the art and science of 3D modeling. Learn model anatomy, styles (hard surface & organic), and industry methods like box modeling, digital sculpting, and 3D scanning. Build realistic characters, prepare models for 3D printing, and understand how design transforms into manufactured products.

 

Suggested Reading:

William Vaughan – Digital Modeling

 

Virtual Reality (Paper II)

Step into immersive worlds. Understand VR hardware and software, motion tracking, and stereoscopic displays. Learn the difference between VR and AR, animation in VR spaces, and practical applications such as 360° panoramas. Explore leading VR tools like Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and Google Cardboard.

 

Suggested Reading:

Tony Parisi – Learning Virtual Reality

 

Lighting & Rendering (Paper III)

Master the craft of cinematic lighting and rendering. Study types of lights, shadows, occlusion, and lighting challenges in animation. Learn about cameras, exposure, composition, and staging. Dive into shaders, raytracing, global illumination, and rendering workflows used in professional pipelines.

 

Suggested Reading:

Jeremy Birn – Digital Lighting & Rendering, Lee Lanier – Aesthetic 3D Lighting

 

 

Practical

 

Digital Sculpting (ZBrush)

Learn the art of digital sculpting by blending traditional techniques with advanced ZBrush workflows. Practice anatomy, proportions, UV mapping, texturing, and character detailing. From human skulls to expressive characters, students build realistic and stylized 3D models ready for games, films, and 3D printing.

 

Suggested Reading:

3DTotal Publishing – Sculpting from the Imagination: ZBrush, Eric Keller – Introducing ZBrush

 

Visual Effects I

Dive into VFX production with particles, dynamics, fluids, soft/rigid bodies, and motion graphics. Master After Effects for compositing, color correction, chroma removal, and advanced tracking. Explore industry tools like PFTrack, Nuke, Fusion, Mocha, and RealFlow to create professional effects such as fire, water, explosions, and wire removal.

 

Suggested Reading:

Ron Ganbar – Nuke 101, Chris Meyer – Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects

 

Visual Effects II

Apply VFX skills in live-action integration. Learn chroma shoot, camera & face tracking, advanced lighting, matte painting, and 3D compositing. Final project: shoot and edit a live-action short (30 sec) with professional VFX.

 

3D Short Film

Capstone project of the program. Students write, design, and produce a 3D animated short film from concept to final render. Training includes storyboarding, character design, sound design, lighting, rendering, and compositing. The course emphasizes teamwork, production pipelines, and delivering a polished, industry-standard film.

 

Theory

 

Visual Effects

Understand the VFX pipeline from concept to screen. Learn the principles, origins, and applications of VFX including rotoscoping, motion tracking, 2D/3D match moving, and CGI integration to create stunning movie visuals.

 

Suggested Reading:

Visual Effects and Compositing – John Gress

 

Digital Compositing

Master the art of combining live-action with CGI. Explore layer & node-based compositing, image formats, resolutions, color systems, chroma keying (blue/green screens), warping & morphing for seamless visual storytelling.

 

Suggested Reading:

Compositing Visual Effects – Steven Wright

 

Motion Capture

Step into the world of performance-driven animation. Learn the history and systems of motion capture (optical, magnetic, mechanical) and practice complete workflows: skeleton setup, calibration, capture, cleaning, editing, and applying motion to 3D characters. Study mocap data, math, and advanced transformations for lifelike results.

 

Suggested Reading:

MoCap for Artists – Midori Kitagawa