6 Tips on starting a 2D animation career in the Philippines

Michael Labos
7 min readDec 2, 2021

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There aren’t many things that can beat the feeling of creating something that can make people laugh or cry. This makes animation such a popular career choice for young people as it satisfies their creative and artistic side. It also allows them to make a lot of money which is good. This article will give you some tips to get you started in the 2D animation career in the Philippines.

1. 2D Animation is booming in the Philippines

The Philippines is a strategic outsourcing destination for animation. Many companies outsource to the Philippines because of the distinct advantage it holds in regard to 2D animation. Although it is undoubtedly a benefit, they aren’t looking so much at cost. Instead, they are searching for the best in terms of quality, and when it comes to 2D animation, no other country can offer more talent than the Philippines.

The Philippines’ big talent pool of skilled animators has led many big-name organizations to outsource their work here — organizations like Blizzard Entertainment. For example, jobs range from animating animations by storyboard or cels to doing group projects. With fellow artists, you come up with your own storyboard and decide on what style will suit your idea best (a flash movie perhaps? A 3D video? Stop motion?). The potential for growth in this industry is limitless.

2. How to get started in 2D Animation

Getting started in 2D animation can be tricky if you don’t know where to begin. One way to get started is by figuring out what you want to animate. Do you want to animate a cartoon character, or are you interested in creating an animated short film? Once you’ve set a goal for yourself, it’s easier to figure out where to go from there. You can use many different programs to animate and create cartoons, but the most professional way to go about it would be by using a program like Flash, Toon Boom, and many others.

The first step to getting started in 2D animation is to enroll in a school that offers hands-on training. Many schools offer online education, but real-world experience is the key to success in animation. You may also want to invest in an art tablet and other production software. But the most important thing is to start animating! Don’t worry if your first efforts aren’t reasonable. You’ll make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from these mistakes and improve your skills.

3. 2D Animation Courses in the Philippines

The Philippines is home to several fine arts and design schools that offer great animation courses. Aspiring animators could learn and hone their craft in subjects that can be applied to 2D animation, such as design and illustration. These courses usually take two to four years to complete. The following are the top animation schools offering 2D animation courses in the Philippines:

ACLC — Caloocan

• Private College, Caloocan City, Metro Manila

• Animation NCII

• Associate in Computer Graphics and Animation

• Professional Assistant Animator NCIII

ACLC — Malolos

• Private College, Malolos City, Bulacan

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde

• Private College, Manila, Metro Manila

• BS in Animation

• Bachelor’s ₱ 180,000–210,000 per year

Ateneo de Naga University

• Private University, Naga City, Camarines Sur

• BS in Digital Illustration and Animation

• Master of Computer Graphics and Animation

• Bachelor’s ₱ 50,000–70,000 per year

Holy Angel University

• Private University, Angeles City, Pampanga

• Apply to this School via Edukasyon.ph

• BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing with specialization in Digital Animation

• Bachelor’s ₱ 100,000–120,000 per year

Bataan Peninsula State University-Main Campus

• State University, Balanga City, Bataan

• BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing with specialization in Digital Animation

Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba

• Private College, Calamba City, Laguna

• BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing with specialization in Digital Animation

• Bachelor’s ₱ 70,000–90,000 per year

ACLC — Taguig

• Private College, Taguig City, Metro Manila

• Animation NCII

• Associate in Computer Graphics and Animation

• Professional Assistant Animator NCIII

ACLC — Gapan

• Private College, Gapan City, Nueva Ecija

• 2D Animation NC III

Asian College — Quezon City

• Private College, Quezon City, Metro Manila

• Apply to this School via Edukasyon.ph

• Animation NC II

• 2D Animation NC III

Tech Pacific College

• Private College, Quezon City, Metro Manila

• Multimedia Animation

CIIT College of Arts and Technology

• Private College, Quezon City, Metro Manila

• Diploma Program in 3D Animation

Gardner College

• Private College, Quezon City, Metro Manila

• Computer Animation 2D NC III

• Computer Animation 3D NC III

Polytechnic College of Botolan

• State College, Botolan, Zambales

• Animation NC II

International Institute of Technology and Management — Cebu, Inc.

• Technical School, Cebu City, Cebu

• Diploma in Gaming and Animation

Josrika Computer Training Center, Inc. — Cebu

• Technical School, Cebu City, Cebu

• 2D Digital Animation NC III

Toon City Academy

• Animation Training School, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila

• Character Animation Workshop

• Layout Workshop

• Fundamentals of Animation Workshop

ACLC — Alaminos

• Private College, Alaminos City, Pangasinan

• Associate in Computer Graphics and Animation

• Professional Assistant Animator NCIII

• Animation NCII

University of Nueva Caceres

• Private University, Naga City, Camarines Sur

• 2D Animation

Universidad de Zamboanga

• Private University, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur

• 2D and 3D Animation NC II

Far Eastern University Institute of Technology

• Private College, Manila, Metro Manila

• Apply to this School via Edukasyon.ph

• BS in Information Technology with specialization in Animation and Game Development

• BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing major in Digital Animation Technology

• Bachelor’s ₱ 120,000–130,000 per year

ICCT Colleges Cainta

• Private College, Cainta, Rizal

• BS in Information Technology with specialization in Animation & Game Technology

• Bachelor’s ₱ 15,000–35,000 per year

International Academy of Film and Television — Cebu

• Private College, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu

• Apply to this School via Edukasyon.ph

• Certificate Program in 3D Animation

• Diploma Program in 3D Animation — NC III

• 10 Weeks Program In 3D Animation

New Era University

• Private University, Quezon City, Metro Manila

• BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing with specialization in Digital Animation

• Bachelor’s ₱ 38,000–40,000 per year

La Consolacion College — Novaliches

• Private College, Caloocan City, Metro Manila

• Professional Assistant Animator NC III

Informatics College Cavite

• Private College, Imus, Cavite

• Apply to this School via Edukasyon.ph

• Diploma in Gaming and Animation

iAcademy

• Private College, Makati, Metro Manila

• BS in Animation

• Bachelor’s ₱ 165,000–225,000 per year

Imus Computer College Imus

• Private College, Imus, Cavite

• Animation Technology Course

• Certificate ₱ 12,000–20,000 per year

Dominican College of Iloilo

• Private College, Iloilo City, Iloilo

• 3D Animation NC III

• 2D Animation NC III

City College of Lucena

• Municipal College, Lucena City, Quezon

• Animation NC II

4. How to practice 2D animation

The first thing you need to do is learn to draw well. The best way to do this is to get hold of an art book and mimic the images you see inside. Don’t stop copying; try to find a way to improve the drawings. The more you do this, the better you’ll get.

Here are some additional ways you can practice 2D animation:

a) Go to YouTube or any video platforms and lookup animations. Watch them. See how they move and act. Try some of the techniques they use to make their characters come alive.

b) Look at the work other animators create. Analyze it with a critical eye and understand why it works so well. Try to incorporate those techniques into your own work.

c) Practice. Practice. Practice. The only way to get better at something is to do it. And to get better, you have to practice.

5. Becoming an Animator in the Philippines

The Philippines has one of the fastest-growing animation industries in the world. If you want to be a part of it, then there are a couple of things you need to do. First, you should be interested in arts and visualization. Next, you have to have or be willing to learn computer graphics, animation, and video editing skills. Working as a freelancer will be the best job for you if you are a beginner. You can get plenty of job offers from different projects as long as you do a great job, you will be in demand. If you want to make a living out of your job, you should be ready to work on smaller projects since the more significant opportunities are limited. There are also some excellent schools and colleges in the Philippines that offer animation and multimedia-related courses. The job may not be high-paying compared to other industries, but this one will provide a promising career.

6. Job Opportunities

There are several job opportunities for animators in the Philippines. A wide variety of different businesses are looking for animators in the country. It is a good idea to network with as many people as possible to be a well-known name in the industry. Most animation jobs in the Philippines are available in Manila and Metro Manila.

Some of the jobs available are Production Assistant, Character Designer, Modeling Artist, Background Artist, Storyboard Artist, Layout Artist, Animation Checker, In-between Artist, Key Animation Artist, Cleanup Artist, Paint Artist, Key Cleanup Artist, Background Cleanup and Animation.

There are also many freelance positions available for animators in the Philippines. If you have created your own animation, it is good to start marketing yourself. You may need to start sending copies of your work to potential clients. Once you can begin to get some work, you will be able to make a living as an animator in the Philippines.

Finally

2D animation is experiencing a renaissance, thanks to the strength of story-driven animation and the global reach of the Internet. The Philippines is a great place to be an animator as the country has a lot of resources and talent to utilize. The Philippines boasts many animation studios, and there are a lot of opportunities for aspiring animators to get their start. Whether you’re an aspiring animator or a current animator who wants to improve, we hope this article post gave you some helpful tips.

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Michael Labos

Co-Founder and Marketing Director @MulaveStudios with an interest in design and marketing