Rotoscoping: Draw an Animation Frame by Frame

A course by Gonzalo Cordero de Ciria , Painter, Illustrator, Animator, Motion Designer, and Storyboard Artist

Painter, Illustrator, Animator, Motion Designer, and Storyboard Artist. Madrid, Spain.
Joined June 2014

Learn to draw over a real image with Photoshop, Art Rage, and After Effects

97% positive reviews (219)
4,022 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish

Learn to draw over a real image with Photoshop, Art Rage, and After Effects

Gonzalo Cordero—illustrator, animator, and motion designer— teaches you to create a rotoscope. This animation technique consists of redrawing or tracing a video clip, which serves as a reference, frame by frame. The process allows the illustrator to transmit a greater level of naturalness and more realistic movement sequences, expressions, lighting and shadow, and proportions in their drawings.

In this online course, learn how to use a video clip as a foundation to generate your own artistic video creation, in your own style and with a moving paint-and-draw look.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

50 lessons & 14 downloads

History of Rotoscopia
11 minutes, 48 seconds
The creative Rotoscopia
22 minutes, 5 seconds
Created or downloaded?
17 minutes, 24 seconds
Rotoscopy technique in Photoshop
21 minutes, 36 seconds
  • 97% positive reviews (219)
  • 4,022 students
  • 50 lessons (8h 5m)
  • 14 additional resources (6 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish
  • Spanish
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Carry out two projects. First, a personal one, based on a video clip of your choice or created by you, in which you use rotoscoping methods, and, secondly, a collaborative rotoscoping piece created over time between all the course students of an "exquisite corpse," starting from a common clip.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Animators, illustrators, designers, and all those interested in the world of animation who like to draw and are curious about moving images. Also, any artists wanting to do something personalized and who are not afraid to dedicate time and patience.

Requirements and materials

No advanced knowledge of any software is required, as the course consists of very manual techniques. However, you do need a basic working knowledge of Photoshop and Art Rage, a very simple drawing and painting program, and know how to edit in After Effects, even if just to a basic level.

Regarding the materials, a graphics tablet highly recommended.

New to Adobe After Effects? In that case, we recommend taking Domestika Basics courses to learn how to use the software: Introduction to After Effects.


Reviews

4,022 Students
219 Reviews
97% Positive ratings

Gonzalo Cordero de Ciria

Teacher Plus
Painter, Illustrator, Animator, Motion Designer, and Storyboard Artist

Gonzalo Cordero studied fine art and has always maintained a close relationship with art, drawing, and painting. Later, he worked in television—Televisión Española, the Olympics, Canal+, Canal Satélite Digital, Cuatro, etc.—where he became passionate about motion graphics and animation. From there, he began to experiment with his animations to give them a very pictorial-inspired plastic and manual feel, a very laborious but fascinating process. He is currently working as a freelancer, focused on animation and rotoscoping projects.

Throughout his career, he has received a Golden Laus, a Silver Laus, five awards in New York, and a Bronze Sun. His animations have been screened at festivals such as Sitges and Annecy, as well as at a number of museums. In addition, he is a curator for animation exhibitions and a teacher of children's workshops.


Content

  • U1

    About me and the Rotoscopia

    • Presentation
    • Influences and contemporary drawing
    • History of Rotoscopia
    • The creative Rotoscopia
  • U2

    Create your video clip for a Rotoscopy

    • Created or downloaded?
    • Editing the clip and things to keep in mind
    • Preparation of material for Rotoscopia
  • U3

    Draw the movement

    • Rotoscopy technique in Photoshop
    • Basic operation of the Art Rage
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 1
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 1
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 2
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 2
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 3
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 3
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 4
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 4
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 5
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 5
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 6
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 7
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 7
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 8
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Annex 8
    • Rotoscoping in drawing in Art Rage - Part 9
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 1
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 1
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 2
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 2
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 3
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 3
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 4
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 4.1
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 4.2
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 5
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 5
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 6
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 6
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 7
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 7
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 8
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 8
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage. Part 9
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 9
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 10
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Annex 10
    • Color and paint in a rotoscoping with Art Rage - Part 11
  • U4

    Reorder and edit the final clip

    • Retrieving the material and editing it in After Effects
    • Delivery of work to the client (if any) and promotion of work
    • Other ways, collaborative rotoscopy
  • FP

    Final project

    • Rotoscopia: draw an animation frame by frame

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Rotoscoping: Draw an Animation Frame by Frame. 3D, and Animation course by Gonzalo Cordero de Ciria

Rotoscoping: Draw an Animation Frame by Frame

A course by Gonzalo Cordero de Ciria
Painter, Illustrator, Animator, Motion Designer, and Storyboard Artist. Madrid, Spain.
Joined June 2014
  • 97% positive reviews (219)
  • 4,022 students