Learn to create fun animation loops in
Procreate Dreams, following our behind-the-scenes breakdown of the “Beach Vibes” commission.

Overview

In this course, we share our own creative and technical workflow for crafting engaging animation loops, from concept to final render, in Procreate Dreams. Instead of random exercises, you’ll learn the fundamentals of 2D animation by following one real client project from start to finish. You will explore how to develop ideas for short-form animation, design relatable characters, and animate the scene with a playful, human feel.

Along the way we will dive into Procreate Dreams and share time-saving techniques to achieve a stylised hand-drawn look. By the end of this course, you'll gain the skills and confidence to bring your ideas to life, and create your own animation loop you’ll be proud to share.

Our project files are available for download, so you can use them to follow along or create your own designs. Whichever option you take, we can’t wait to see what you make!

Beginner/Intermediate
25 Lessons + Project Files
Lifetime Access
USD 120

Course Curriculum

Final Project Description

All lessons build step-by-step toward the final animation, “Beach Vibes”: a loop of characters dancing to music on the beach, from sunny day to starry night.

Story and Inspiration

First, we walk through our creative process and how the idea for “Beach Vibes” came to life. We share how we bounce ideas off each other, where we find inspiration, and how a small spark can grow into a short, expressive story, aka a vignette.

Design Fundamentals

Then we jump into design! We explore how to create stylised playful characters out of basic shapes and add details to make them relatable. As for the beach background, we explain how we use a “less is more” approach to keep things clean and clear, without overcrowding the frame.

Playful Character Animation

Animating characters can be tricky, but it’s also fun. In this section, we break down our frame-by-frame process for the floater character, from messy scribbles to polished animation. Along the way, we share tips on using animation principles to improve performance and timing, loosen up stiff poses, and keep drawings consistent while maintaining their shape or volume.

Beyond Frame By Frame

Drawing every frame is not the only way to animate. In this section, we explore other animation tools in Dreams, combining frame-by-frame and keyframe techniques into one smooth workflow. We use the Performance tool to record hand motion for the sunrise, swap drawings to animate crabs clapping, use warp and distort for props, and even create a 3D effect. These tools are fun and save a lot of time.

Compositing and Final Touches

We combine our animated shots into one scene. We explain how parallax works and create a smooth camera pan, from day to night and back again, to form a seamless loop. Then it’s all about polishing: we tweak colors during sunset and sunrise, add rim lights, shadows, and use textures for a hand-drawn look without redrawing every frame. Finally, we export the animation and enjoy our characters dancing to the beat.

One-time Purchase

“ We know animation can feel overwhelming at first, and finding structure in a creative process isn’t always easy. We’ve been there too. In the beginning, we struggled to simplify our ideas, commit to one, and bring it to life without overworking every frame.

Over time, we developed a workflow that’s both flexible and focused, embracing “less is more” and “work smarter, not harder.” It helps us focus only on details that really serve the story.

That’s the heart of this course: one hands-on, creative project designed to keep things fun, focused, and practical. You’ll get an in-depth look at our process, how we brainstorm, design, animate, and polish a looping scene of characters dancing at the beach, from day to night, all in Procreate Dreams on your iPad.”

$120 $100

Discount : EARLYBIRD100

Valid until 31/10/2025

One-time Purchase Includes:

3+ hours of video content (English)
Beginner and intermediate friendly
20+ downloadable project files
Lifetime access
Access to all future course updates
Watch anytime, at your own pace

Want to have a Preview?

You can watch free lessons here.

About Us

Hend & Lamiaa are a directing duo and longtime friends who design, direct, and animate. They create short films, explainers, TV ads, and designed for children’s books and animated series. Born and raised in Cairo, they moved to the UK to pursue an MA in Animation in Bristol. Since then, they’ve worked across the UK and Egypt with global clients, taught at universities, and led talks and workshops at international festivals.

Their clients include Google, Facebook, BBC, The School of Life, and Merck for Mothers. Their work has screened at over 30 festivals, earned a Vimeo Staff Pick, and was shortlisted for a Public Choice Award at the 2020 British Animation Awards.

FAQ

Is this course right for my skill level?

Whether you're a complete beginner, a practicing professional, or just curious about our animation workflow, this course is designed to meet you where you are. You'll follow a real client project from start to finish, getting an in-depth look at how we brainstorm, design, animate, and polish a looping animation using Procreate Dreams.

If you're new to animation, the course walks you through every step of the process with no prior experience needed.

If you have some experience, it's a great opportunity to peek into another team's creative workflow and project files, sharpen your animation and compositing skills, and create a strong piece for your portfolio.

If you're a designer or illustrator, this course will help you bridge the gap between still visuals and animation, using intuitive tools in Procreate Dreams to bring your artwork to life.

What software and tools do I need?

Ipad, Apple Pencil, Procreate Dreams and Procreate

Can I follow the course without the required software?

We use Procreate Dreams throughout this project, and we explain each tool as we go while animating or compositing. This is not a software-focused course, it's about the creative process, so the concepts and workflow can be applied in other programs too. That said, tool names and features will differ, so to get the full experience and follow along more easily, we recommend using Procreate Dreams. If you're already comfortable with other software and can adapt on the fly, you’ll still find plenty of valuable insights and techniques.

What about Dreams 2 or any future updates?

We are just as excited as you are for Procreate’s upcoming updates, especially Dreams 2! You can follow their latest news here. Once the new version is released, we will make sure to update the course so everything stays relevant and useful.

What is the course format?

This is a 3+ hour course, divided into 4 sections with 25 short, focused lessons.

Each lesson builds toward one final project: a looping animation of characters dancing on the beach from day to night. All project files are available for download, so you can follow along with us step by step, or use them as a base to create your own designs, and develop an animation for your portfolio.

How long will the course take to complete?