Animation Mentor

AJ Jefferies has been making animation since he was a kid, starting with hand-drawn Looney Tunes-style shorts before moving into 3D. After working as a CG generalist, he came to Animation Mentor to focus on character animation, which helped him push his work further and start creating his own films. Today, AJ produces original shorts like “DUCKS” alongside com...

In this lesson, Animation Mentor mentor Zachary Rahman shows how to use a green screen to shoot clear acting reference and then bring that reference into Maya in a way that supports staging, clarity, and efficient blocking. He walks through why green screen helps, how to process the footage in DaVinci Resolve, and how to drive an image sequence across cuts inside a Maya...

In this lesson, Animation Mentor mentor and Rant Senior 3D Animator Gleb Sitnichenko walks through how to animate a character opening a door in a way that feels physical, clear, and story‑driven. He focuses on planning with reference, unde...

Step inside the director’s chair with Megan Ferguson as she walks you through how a real animated episode gets made from pre‑production to final post. In this recorded workshop, she shares her experience directing episodes of the animated series Hilda, highlighting the importance of planning, leadership, problem‑solving, and collaboration across departments. You’ll see ...

In this tutorial, Animation Mentor alum and game animator Marta Perez Garcia breaks down how to plan and animate first person and POV shots that feel immersive, readable, and comfortable to watch. She covers what first person really means, where it shows up in games and film, practical tips for cameras and acting, and a simple Maya setup for POV animation.