My 10 favourite blogs by professional animators

It is great to discover new animation blogs and if they are written by professionals in the animaton industry then that is a special treat. Much can be learned from the wisdom imparted by these talented bloggers. Sometimes even a casual remark can shed light on the creative process.

These are my favourites picked from my list of bookmarked websites. Rather than put them in order of merit I am going to give them in alphabetical order.

Angry animator. Written by Dermot O’ Connor who tells us he is “an itinerant animator, making a living through contract work”. He has worked in the animation industry for over 20 years, in features and TV.

Animation Blog. Written by Ian Lumsden, an animation teacher and deputy head of Performing Arts College, in the United Kingdom, it is billed as a critical guide to the animated short: classic, new, and on-line! Ian says he began the blog “to highlight art and suchlike that may be of interest for our animation students”.

Animation Tips & Tricks. This blog has numerous different guest writers from the world of professional animation. It is run by AnimationMentor.com as an add-on to their online animation school.

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. This is a treasure chest of illustrations, cartoons, history, instruction and much more. The blog is indexed under various headings but if you want to view it in date order look for the small “Archive of Past Posts” drop-down box part way down the right-hand column.

BJ and the Blog. BJ Crawford is a freelance animator in the Midwest of the USA. It is subtitled “a character animation blog” and is packed with contemporary illustrations and movie clips. There are also lot of links to other animators and illustrators.

Jamaal Bradley is a character animator in Los Angeles, California, USA. He blogs about his work in the animation studio and uses lots of his own sketches to illustrate the posts. Jamaal also runs the excellent Pencil Test Depot blog.

Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. Joel Brinkerhoff is an animator from Oregon, USA, who also sculpts and paints. His blog has lots of illustrations from stuff he has worked on.

John K Stuff. John Kricfalusi is a cartoonist in LA, California, USA. He worked at Hanna Barbera studios in the 1980s as a layout supervisor. His blog is packed with illustrations and he analyses the cartoon films with great authority.

Michael Sporn Animation, Inc. Michael blogs about the art, animation, work and some of the thoughts of the artists working at his New York animation studio. He has produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.

The Cartoon Cave subtitled “The Blogsite That Time Forgot”. Blogger Pete Emslie is a freelance cartoonist and also teaches character design in the animation program at Sheridan College, Canada. His blog is packed with illustrations plus hint and tips on drawing. He says “I love to draw cute characters”.

If you have favourite that is not on my list please let us know in a comment to this post.