Animation for 15 - 17 Year Olds
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£545
- Start Date(s): 27 July 2026, 3 August 2026
- Duration: Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, one week
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Course dates:
27 - 31 July 2026, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
3 - 7 August 2026, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
This course will provide you with an introduction to digital animation using Adobe Animate CC and Wacom Cintiq tablets.
You can have little or no previous animation knowledge to attend and still achieve great results.
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You’ll be part of a design community in our creative studio culture; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas. -
With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your portfolio. -
Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in varied practices. -
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance.
Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award?
This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential Award and is an amazing opportunity to make new friends and memories. It will be fun and gently challenging, allowing you to follow your passion and discover talents you never knew you had.
DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.
You must also attend the social events that are planned on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and you must plan and attend your own social activities with other participants on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Here’s what our previous attendees said:
'I really liked the content of the course - we studied a range of animation principles. The quality of the finished work is good enough to put on my future uni applications. It’s been amazing, thank you so much!'
'I enjoyed being able to use professional hardware and software, and the chance to bond with others on the course.'
'After doing this course I have decided that I want to pursue a career in Animation'
'It was a really enjoyable course and I would definitely do a more advanced course in the future'
'The course has allowed me to use Adobe Animate with confidence. I particularly enjoyed the character design aspect of the course'
'I know more about the principles of animation and animation workflow, and I have gained a lot of independence from living on my own for a week.'
'I feel a lot more confident in my digital art skills and I’ve learned the animation skills I need for any future programming projects of mine.'
What you’ll study
During this course, you will:
- learn the fundamentals of animation including timing and spacing
- create animated ball bounces and other hand-drawn exercises
- create character turnarounds
- use that character turnaround to create a 2D rig
- build your own short animation using your rig with your own creative touch!
By the end of the course, you will have a good understanding of ToonBoom Harmony and its capabilities, and you will have produced a series of short projects that demonstrate your new skills in making crazy animated characters.
Social events
We appoint NTU Student Ambassadors who host social events on Monday and Wednesday evening to help you make friends across the whole of our summer school programme for 15 – 17 year olds, which are free to attend.
Session 1
Digital animation basics
Familiarising yourself with the software
Ball bounce
Session 2
Rig demonstration
Animating with a pre-made rig
Session 3
Character design for 2D Rigging
Cinema visit to see latest animated movie
Session 4
Creating the rig
Session 5
Audio
Animating to a piece of music/audio
Exporting out
Student Work
How you’re taught
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.
96% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.
Contact hours
You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
Careers and employability
The course is designed to give you a real experience of university life, make new friends who share similar interests and develop your portfolio so that ultimately, you can make an informed decision about your future.
On successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.
Campus and facilities
You will be based in the School of Art and Design on the City Campus.
You’ll find collaborative working spaces where you develop your sketches and concepts, and Mac suites equipped with industry standard software and hardware including ToonBoom Harmony, Wacom Cintiq Touch Tablets and Pro Creative Pens.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
Entry requirements
Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for animation and an interest in developing your creative and technical skills.
You must be 15, 16 or 17 years old at the time of the course in order to attend.
Fees and funding
The fee for this course is £545.
Payment is due at the time of booking.
Please bring with you on the first day:
- notepad and pen
- sketchbook
- drawing pens and pencils
Read our booking terms and conditions.
Need accommodation?
Accommodation can be booked separately to the course; the rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms, and cost £266 per week, which is ideal if you're looking to be based in Nottingham's lively city centre and want an economical place to stay.
These are single rooms with a private bathroom in shared apartments in Nottingham Trent University’s city campus accommodation.
If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian (to support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence and there is a dedicated Warden available).
If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian (you must book two separate rooms and let us know so we can place you in rooms next to each other).
This option is particularly popular with students completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award.
Find out more and book your accommodation here.
How to apply
You can book this course via the NTU online store:
27 - 31 July 2026, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
3 - 7 August 2026, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Browse all our summer courses for 15 – 17 year olds.
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813
