10 of the Best Animation Youtube Channels - Start An Animation Studio with StartAStudio.com

Advice from industry professionals can be hard to come by as a self-taught animator. Animation Youtube channels are great places to start building your skills. Here are our favourites...

YouTube is an invaluable resource for aspiring animators. In fact, many animators began their journey on YouTube. We’ve compiled our top 10 of the best favourite animation YouTube channels to help you grow your knowledge. As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher, so pair these tutorials with some practice.

If you want to learn more about the animation programs you need to know, check out our article here.

Best AI Animation YouTube channels

1. AI Animation

With over 47k subscribers (at the time of writing) this new channel is quikcly rising the ranks in proiving original and useful tutorials combining the latest AI tools with traditional digital animation techniques.

Yes, it's also run by the founder of the startastudio.com site.... but either way... it's good!

2. Mickmumpitz

Mickmumpitz channel has a great selection of tutorials covering 3D and AI techniques to create great looking animation with new techniques.

Blender Guru is one of the best-known animation channels on the platform. His famous donut beginner tutorial has reached nearly 9 million views, and it’s easy to see why. Blender Guru’s animation tutorials are clear and easy to understand, making them perfect for beginners.

Best 3D Animation YouTube channels

1. Blender Guru

Blender Guru is one of the best-known YouTube animation channels on the platform. His famous donut beginner tutorial has reached nearly 9 million views, and it’s easy to see why. Blender Guru’s animation tutorials are clear and easy to understand, making them perfect for beginners.

2. Flipped Normals

Flipped Normals is another great place to learn Blender and brush up on your 3D modelling skills. The channel is run by Henning Sanden and Morten Jaeger, senior character artists on movies such as Pacific Rim and Guardians of the Galaxy. You'll find detailed tutorials of programs such as ZBrush, Blender and Substance Painter. If you're still finding your feet, there are insightful playlists on the basics of character design.

2D animation YouTube channels

4. Okay Samuri

As a Senior Experience Designer Lead for Adobe Character Animator, Okay Samuri’s Dave Werner is a seasoned expert. If you’ve decided to invest in Adobe Creative Suite, Okay Samuri will give you a thorough understanding of Adobe Character Animator. For those learning the basics, the channel features a beginner-friendly playlist. Okay Samuri also offers videos on more advanced techniques, such as rigging.

5. Jon Taylor

Want to learn Toon Boom Harmony? Jon Taylor’s comprehensive channel is a great place to start. Jon’s ‘Toon Boom Harmony Basics’ series will help you get to grips with Toon Boon Harmony. Learning Toon Boon could help you out in the future, as the program is an industry standard for most animation studios. As you progress, Jon offers more advanced tutorials, such as in-depth rigging tutorials.

Want to learn Toon Boom Harmony? Jon Taylor’s comprehensive animation YouTube channel is a great place to start. Jon’s ‘Toon Boom Harmony Basics’ series will help you get to grips with Toon Boon Harmony. Learning Toon Boon could help you out in the future, as the program is an industry standard for most animation studios. As you progress, Jon offers more advanced tutorials, such as in-depth rigging tutorials.

6. Stylus Rumble

With more than ten years in the industry, Stylus Rumble is a seriously well-informed channel for learning Toon Boom Harmony. Stylus Rumble offers detailed animation tutorials covering everything from drawing to rigging. He also offers great videos for animators wanting to learn more about the industry. These include an interview series picking the brains of other animators, and a series reviewing art books to help you learn more.

7. Onion Skin

Onion Skin offers tutorials for animators who are seeking to learn Toon Boom as an alternative to the popular Adobe Animate program. Adobe Animate is a popular choice for animators who don't want to splash out on Toon Boom. However, Toon Boom is commonly used in studios. Onion Skin is a great place to go if you've joined a new studio and are making the switch. The channel also hosts a weekly animation podcast, and a Patreon to support the channel and access more resources.

Onion Skin offers tutorials for animators who are seeking to learn Toon Boom as an alternative to the popular Adobe Animate program. Adobe Animate is a popular choice for animators who don't want to splash out on Toon Boom. However, Toon Boom is commonly used in studios. Onion Skin is a great place to go if you've joined a new studio and are making the switch. Onion Skin also hosts a weekly animation podcast, and a Patreon to support the channel and access more resources.

8. Jake in Motion

The mantra for Jake’s animation channel is ‘work smarter, not harder’, and this is certainly shown in his Adobe AfterEffect tutorials. JakeinMotion doesn’t have a huge selection of videos up on YouTube, but head to his page on SkillShare and you’ll find a whole lot more. Jake also offers ‘School of Motion Course’. School of Motion offers tutorials to help you get to grips with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and learn how to create animated explainer videos.

9. Nine Between

Nine Between is a brilliant animation YouTube channel for animators trying to learn to model in Houdini. Founded by two brothers with extensive industry experience, Nine Between offers tips, tutorials and challenges. It also features a great ‘Houdini isn’t scary’ playlist for animators who are just getting started. There are also some excellent videos for using other modelling software, such as Blender and ZBrush.

10. Cartoon Brew

Cartoon Brew is an excellent animation YouTube channel for general industry tips. It regularly uploads interviews with professional animators. If you want to learn more about what’s popular in the industry right now, look now further. Cartoon Brew also features reviews and tutorials on different animation products. A personal favourite is this tutorial for animators who want to use the professional storyboard builder, Boords.

And for the business side of animation...

Check our animation YouTube channel for our very own Start A Studio course! Here you’ll find tried-and-tested tips from animation studio founder Jon Draper. If you’re interested in starting your own studio, or just want to know more about how the industry works, this channel will tell you all you need to know.

Interested in an animation career or starting a studio?

Checkout these resources

Studio Startup Pro Course - £149

Animation Career Kickstarter - FREE

Creative Animators Business Notebook

FREE - Mini Video Course

Ultimate animation studio startup checklist

FREE - Studio Startup Checklist

FREE - Animation Career Quiz

FREE - Animation Jobs Board

FREE - Animators Facebook Group

YouTube Channel - Animation Careers

Business Animation Ideas

Stormy Studio - UK Animation Studio - Business Animation Production - Find an animator

Jon Drapers Animation Studio

AI Animation Creative Directory

4. Keep your training relevant

Keeping documents and live demonstrations up-to-date can be time consuming. On the other hand, making sure a training animation is in line with your latest policies couldn’t be easier. Many animation studios will offer the option to update your training animation in the future. Take advantage of this and create a high-quality training animation which can be used to upskill your employees into the future.

As well as keeping your training up-to-date, training animations can easily be adjusted to overcome language barriers within your workforce. Subtitles and a relevant voiceover are both techniques which can quickly and cheaply globalise your training.