Do you enjoy cartoons? Have you ever been interested in how they are created? If so, animation may be a class for you.

Animation is a level up from graphic design class and covers a variety of techniques and history behind the curriculum. Over the course of the year, the class includes traditional, 2D and 3D animation.

The class is project based, with an occasional quiz. Half of the grade is following directions, and the rest is based on creativity. Some projects include flipbooks and walk cycles.

To go in more in depth on the topics covered in Animation 1, next year an Animation II class will be offered. The specific curriculum is still being created, but teacher Laurel Taylor is excited about the opportunity to take her students a step further.

“I enjoy coming up with assignments I think students will like, because I love animation, and I love being creative,” Taylor said. “I love thinking about what they are going to do with each assignment, and what creative solutions I will get.”

Each animation begins with hand drawn work. For example, students create storyboards, then move to stop motion, and then to flash and frame-by-frame animation. Students learn how to use programs such as Adobe Animation to create finished projects.

“I like that we get to have our own creative freedom with projects and can do whatever we want, as long as it is within the guidelines Ms. Taylor gives us,” junior Will Moody said. “We can draw whatever we want, giving us a unique way to express ourselves.”