university of Hertfordshire 2D animation

Hi there Hillary!

I am currently in my second year studying 2D Animation & Character Design at the University of Hertfordshire, and I do really love it here.

The lecturers on the course are super friendly and lovely and are always there to help if you're struggling or want feedback on a project. I really feel like a lot of the lessons do a lot to teach you important design and animation skills. The 2D animation lessons I know for me personally have done absolutely bounds in helping me improve.

My rundown of how the year runs may be slightly different as of course it is altered each year, but if you have any further questions on how things work, the programme leader Martin I'm sure would be happy to answer.

Within your first year, the first semester is mostly the same across all four pathways (2D Animation, 3D Animation, Games Design and I believe now VFX has been changed to 2D Concept Art). You do character design work, environment work, life drawing, animation of course, but they also like to have the 2D students try out 3D and have you model some things. They do this because it's very common for 2D students to find out they actually enjoy 3D and switch over to the 3D Animation or Games pathways.

But, if 3D sounds like your idea of hell, after the first semester you don't have to do it anymore (provided that's still the same as my first year). Additionally, that module of the course (providing it is the same), is also graded alongside your 2D work. So, if you're worried that you may not pass or may not get a good grade from your 3D, your 2D is there to help give it a boost.

As a 2D student, I know 3D sounds terrifying (and it was for me), but the lecturers are there to help you through it! And it will really help your knowledge of 2D too, even if it doesn't seem that way.

Second year, the first semester is spent building up more of your 2D skills, leading up to your first animated short film in the second semester.

The course has a mixture between team-based projects and individual project work.

As for negatives, I did personally find in my first year that the amount of modules where you needed to do such vastly different things was really overwhelming for me, and I know other students. My first year was done online too (which hopefully yours won't be!!), so it could be harder to reach lecturers if you needed help with a simple question. It definitely felt like if you stopped running even for a minute, you'd be way behind with no chance of catching up without sacrificing quality.

However, I have heard from current first year students that this is a criticism that they heard and listened to from our year, and they've done the best they can to alter things to make it less overwhelming for upcoming students.

Herts does have more classes than many of the other animation courses in the UK, but it's purely because they are very focused on wanting students to achieve the very best they possibly can, and the students' work really do attest to that.

I think that no matter what way you slice it, you may get overwhelmed in first year due to the absolute different variety of the things you need to in what feels like such a short amount of time. But the lecturers are there to help, and despite what they may say, second year feels so much easier to handle in comparison to the first.

If you have any further questions, feel free to shoot me a message!

Hi there Hillary!

I am currently in my second year studying 2D Animation & Character Design at the University of Hertfordshire, and I do really love it here.

The lecturers on the course are super friendly and lovely and are always there to help if you're struggling or want feedback on a project. I really feel like a lot of the lessons do a lot to teach you important design and animation skills. The 2D animation lessons I know for me personally have done absolutely bounds in helping me improve.

My rundown of how the year runs may be slightly different as of course it is altered each year, but if you have any further questions on how things work, the programme leader Martin I'm sure would be happy to answer.

Within your first year, the first semester is mostly the same across all four pathways (2D Animation, 3D Animation, Games Design and I believe now VFX has been changed to 2D Concept Art). You do character design work, environment work, life drawing, animation of course, but they also like to have the 2D students try out 3D and have you model some things. They do this because it's very common for 2D students to find out they actually enjoy 3D and switch over to the 3D Animation or Games pathways.

But, if 3D sounds like your idea of hell, after the first semester you don't have to do it anymore (provided that's still the same as my first year). Additionally, that module of the course (providing it is the same), is also graded alongside your 2D work. So, if you're worried that you may not pass or may not get a good grade from your 3D, your 2D is there to help give it a boost.

As a 2D student, I know 3D sounds terrifying (and it was for me), but the lecturers are there to help you through it! And it will really help your knowledge of 2D too, even if it doesn't seem that way.

Second year, the first semester is spent building up more of your 2D skills, leading up to your first animated short film in the second semester.

The course has a mixture between team-based projects and individual project work.

As for negatives, I did personally find in my first year that the amount of modules where you needed to do such vastly different things was really overwhelming for me, and I know other students. My first year was done online too (which hopefully yours won't be!!), so it could be harder to reach lecturers if you needed help with a simple question. It definitely felt like if you stopped running even for a minute, you'd be way behind with no chance of catching up without sacrificing quality.

However, I have heard from current first year students that this is a criticism that they heard and listened to from our year, and they've done the best they can to alter things to make it less overwhelming for upcoming students.

Herts does have more classes than many of the other animation courses in the UK, but it's purely because they are very focused on wanting students to achieve the very best they possibly can, and the students' work really do attest to that.

I think that no matter what way you slice it, you may get overwhelmed in first year due to the absolute different variety of the things you need to in what feels like such a short amount of time. But the lecturers are there to help, and despite what they may say, second year feels so much easier to handle in comparison to the first.

If you have any further questions, feel free to shoot me a message!

Good to meet a fellow student from UH...! Hiya!!

I up the recent reply but i strongly disagree with the lecturers being there for you, as i have experienced horrible confidence building to the 3D VFX course not just me but a considerable amount of students. Huge favoritism, with their lack of advanced knowledge in Comp,Simulations,Rigging,Texturing and lookdev. The students who succeed in this course with great portfolio are majority self learnt with little to no support from the lecturers, regarding 1st and 2nd year it has a decent flow of education but you can really sense that the lectureres are lacking advanced kowledge in the field, as the industry has moved on from what they used to know with the software. Though in contrary they have an amazing foundation to the decipline but lacks in the knowledge of the software, though its normal but when you're paying 9k a year and majority of the time the way they teach isnt industry standard but almost a DIY at home made. as we call it now a days they are