Abstract

2D animation, the creation of movement in a two-dimensional space, remains a foundational part of the entertainment industry, used in film, television, and advertising. A 2D animation production is a “pipeline,” a series of specialized jobs that collaborate to turn an idea into a finished product. This article outlines the key careers in that pipeline, designed for students exploring university programs. The process begins in pre-production, where concept artists establish the visual style for characters, objects, and environments. Storyboard artists then translate the script into a sequence of drawings, planning the camera angles and action. Once the look is set, production begins. Background artists paint the static settings for each scene. The character animator is the role most people associate with animation; they create the performance by drawing the character’s movements frame by frame, or by manipulating a digital “rig.” A rig is a digital skeleton that allows for “puppet” style animation. Finally, in post-production, compositors merge all these separate visual elements. They layer the animated characters, backgrounds, and special effects together to create the final, polished image seen by the audience.

Keywords: 2D Animation, Animation Careers, Concept Artist, Storyboard Artist, Compositing

2D animation creates movement using flat images. While 3D animation uses digital models in a three-dimensional space, 2D animation works on a two-dimensional plane, like a digital drawing. Creating a 2D animated film or show involves a “pipeline,” which is a sequence of steps. This pipeline is staffed by artists with specialized jobs.

Pre-production: designing the world

Before any animation begins, the project’s visual style must be designed. This phase is called pre-production.

Concept Artist

A concept artist is responsible for the initial visual design. They draw characters, environments, and “props,” which are objects a character interacts with. Their job is not to create the final polished art, but to explore different ideas for the “look and feel” of the project. Their artwork establishes the visual foundation for the entire production.

Storyboard Artist

A storyboard artist takes the script and draws it as a sequence of panels, similar to a comic book. These boards plan the “cinematography” of the cartoon: the camera angles, the timing of the action, and how the story flows from one shot to the next. According to CG Spectrum, a storyboard artist helps the director and crew visualize the complete story before the expensive animation process starts.

Production: creating the assets and motion

Once the designs and storyboards are approved, the production team begins creating the final parts.

Background Artist

This artist paints the final, high-resolution settings for the scenes. These are the static backdrops that the characters will move in front of. This role requires strong painting and color skills to establish the mood of a scene.

Character Animator

This is the job most people think of as “animation.” A character animator creates the performance and brings a character to life. In traditional 2D, this meant drawing thousands of individual pictures on paper. In modern 2D, this often involves “puppet” animation using a digital rig.

2D Rigger

In modern 2D software, a “rig” is a digital skeleton or puppet of a character. A 2D rigger takes the character’s design and builds this puppet, defining its joints, controls, and how it can move. This allows the animator to manipulate the puppet instead of redrawing the character for every frame. This role requires a mix of artistic and technical skill.

Post-production: assembling the final image

After the animation is complete and the backgrounds are painted, all the pieces must be put together. This is post-production.

Compositor

The compositor is the final artist to touch the image. Their job is to take all the separate layers—the background, the character animation, and any special effects (like shadows, glows, or rain)—and combine them into one single, finished frame. As defined by the software company Autodesk, compositing is the process of layering visual elements. The compositor adjusts the color and lighting of each layer to make sure they all look like they belong in the same world. The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) animation program identifies compositing as a key career, linking it directly to 2D animation production.