Drawing into Animation

This hands-on workshop will strengthen your drawing practice and introduce you to the magic of analogue animation methods. You’ll explore dynamic mark-making, gestural drawing, and develop strategies for capturing movement. Learn how to transform sketches into sequences of motion inspired by the techniques of early Disney animators of the 1950s-90s. Todd Fuller introduces time-honoured animation approaches such as squash and stretch, anticipation, and expressive gesture to show how simple drawings can come alive on the page.

With everyday drawing materials you’ll build confidence in both observational and expressive drawing skills, learning how rhythm, timing, and transformation underpin the moving image. With accessible technologies and apps on your smart phone, you’ll complete a short animation with the tactile, playful spirit of the hand-drawn animation pioneers.

* Images courtesy of Todd Fuller. Details of works including: Boxer I, Boxer II and King Hit.

* NAS Short Courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over. The NAS Art Club is open to students between 15 - 17 years of age. 

* Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact us at short.courses@nas.edu.au 

* What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below. 

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

• Basic A4 sketchbook with cartridge paper
• Willow charcoal – 2 boxes, thin and medium size multiple sticks
• 4 Graphite pencils – HB, 2B, 4B or 6B
• 2 white pastels
• 5 large bulldog clips
• 3 plastic erasers
• 2 rolls of masking tape
• Pencil sharpener
• A2 drawing pad – basic paper
• 3 A1 cartridge sheets
• 2 thicker quality, higher GSM watercolour sheets, will be discussed in class
• Smart phone OR an iPad
• Phone or iPad charger
• Enclosed footwear is essential in all studios on campus.

Todd Fuller is known for hand-drawn animations, and his practice integrates sculpture, moving image, curatorship, performance, and painting. Above all else, Fuller is a drawer with a love of storytelling, utilizing research and empirical experiences to elevate queer and regional experiences. Since graduating from the National Art School (2010), Fuller has exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally, including the US, Great Britain, Italy, and France. He was the winner of the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize (2024), the Fisher’s Ghost contemporary prize (2023), and the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Prize (2018). His pieces are held in notable public and private collections including the State Library of New South Wales, National Maritime Museum, Museum of Brisbane, Parliament House Collection, Artbank, and numerous Regional Galleries. Fuller also teaches Masterclasses across the Regional Gallery sector to artists and teachers regularly.