In this workshop, Erik A. Castillo offers a refreshingly honest and encouraging approach to learning Maya for character animation. Erik's emphasis on simplification, prioritization, and patience helps artists feel relaxed and confident when they approach professional animation software. By learning from someone who has been through the process themselves and has since taught many students successfully, aspiring animators can avoid common pitfalls and start on a solid foundation, making the path to becoming a professional CG animator more accessible and achievable.

Duration: 11m 11s

This lesson demystifies Maya by focusing on the essential tools needed for animation rather than explaining every available feature. Erik emphasizes that a successful animation in Maya doesn't require mastering every button or panel; rather, it requires understanding the core tools for keyframing, navigation, and scene management. By the end of this 25-minute lesson, artists will have the fundamental knowledge to create basic animations, such as bouncing balls, with confidence that these tools will serve them as they progress to more complex projects.

Duration: 26m

The 12 principles of animation form the foundation of creating appealing, believable character performances, whether working in traditional or CG animation. While understanding each principle is important, the real challenge and skill in animation lies in applying them all simultaneously. Erik highlights the keys to mastery: consistent practice, careful study of existing animations, and maintaining discipline in your workflow.

Duration: 32m 12s

This comprehensive lesson demonstrates that successful animation relies equally on technical skills and fundamental principles. Erik emphasizes that mastery comes through repeated practice and iteration rather than immediate perfection. By starting with this foundational ball-bounce exercise and focusing on clean workflow habits, intentional decision-making, and patient refinement, artists build essential skills that transfer to all future character animation work, no matter how complex.

Duration: 49m 12s

This pendulum swing assignment teaches essential animation principles while introducing efficient workflow strategies. By learning to work with the animation software rather than against it, artists can focus on creative aspects while letting tools handle repetitive tasks. The skills artists develop here apply directly to more complex character animation, such as waving arms or creature tails, making this a foundational exercise worth practicing multiple times with different variations.

Duration: 32m 40s

Understanding parent constraints is essential for any Maya animator working with props and object interactions. While the technical aspects may seem a little intimidating, Erik emphasizes that overcoming constraints becomes intuitive with practice. The key takeaway is that, even when focusing on technical skills, artists should always seek opportunities to refine their broader animation abilities and build technical proficiency and artistic skill.

Duration: 27m 51s

Erik A. Castillo’s main message is one of encouragement: animation is challenging but absolutely achievable and worth the effort. After nearly 12 years in the field, including five to six years professionally, Castillo continues to find a growing passion for the work. Success comes not from natural talent but from patience, perseverance, and deliberate practice of fundamentals until the underlying principles are deeply understood.

Duration: 3m 29s