New animation trends and concepts are developed almost every day. Within the industry, there’s a lot of competition with other talented animators, so you need to create unique animations that differentiate you.

Seek inspiration from great animators. Use that inspiration to practice more animation styles that you enjoy and think your clients will like.

The internet is full of inspiration. The perfect platform to use for inspiration from wherever you are is none other than Instagram. 

Instagram is one of the topmost used social media platforms in the world with more than 1 million monthly users worldwide. Compared to other platforms, it’s an primarily visual platform that easily allows you to view and share photos and videos.

Below we share with you fifteen animators you should follow on Instagram for animation inspiration.

1) Rachel Ryle @rachelryle

With almost 1 million followers, Rachel’s Instagram account has been crowned the #1 Instagram account to follow by MTV and BuzzFeed.

She has cheerful and bright stop motion animations that feature her cute miniature illustrations.

Rachel is an award-winning illustrator and animator. She is a self-taught artist who loves being creative. She always spends her free time making crafts.

She also created an illustration for National Geographic about an idyllic getaway in British Columbia’s Coast Mountains.

If you really want some inspiration, check out the first animation she did when she started animating in 2013: “Make Something and Grow.”

2) Robin Velghe @rhymezlikedimez

Reason to follow: In Robin’s colorful videos and artworks, you will see animations of amazing artists and rappers such as Sheck Wes, NxWorries, 6LACK, J. Cole, and more.

If you want some visuals while vibing to some rap music, Robin’s Instagram account is one you should visit.

3) Tom Bancroft @tombancroft1 

Reason to follow: Tom’s Instagram account has a lot of Disney character sketches, superheroes, and many original characters. It’s fun to see what the former Disney animator creates.

He is the creator of Mushu from Mulan and also the creator of #MerMay, an Instagram trend where artists create mermaids using different mediums during the month of May.

4) Golden Wolf @runwiththegoldenwolf

Reason to follow: Golden Wolf has some work-in-progress posts. Their posts have many designs and techniques that animators can use as inspiration for their future projects.

Golden Wolf is an Emmy nominated animation studio based in London and New York. They have worked with the NBA, Nike, Skysports, Adidas x Parley, and many more.

5) James Curran @slimjimstudios

Reason to follow: James is an LA-based 2D and 3D animator. His works are playful and colorful. If you’re tired after a long day of animating, checking out James’ posts is a great way to unwind. Some of his posts even include helpful tutorials, like this one on how to animate liquid.

James has worked with Samsung, IFC, T-Mobile, Disney XD, eBay, ADCAN, Vitaminwater, and more.

6) Andy Baker @andy_d_baker

Reason to follow: Andy’s characters have a lot of depth, personality, and stories through their designs. You get to see different animation styles from every photo and video he uploads.

Andy Baker teamed up with Lucia Davies to create Andy Baker Studio, an award-winning 2D animation studio that prides itself on challenging creative possibilities.

Their clients include Adult Swim, Adidas, ESPN, Instagram, Microsoft, Nike, Vans, Warner Brothers, Island Records, and many more.

7) Benjy Brooke @benjybrooke

Reason to follow: Benjy makes amazing animated shorts that have been on TV and in music videos. Every frame has unique transitions and character emotions.

Benjy is a director, producer, and currently writing and directing an upcoming Netflix project. He helped co-produce and animate the intro for a Cartoon Network show titled “The Fungies.”

8) Shane Dering @shanedering

Reason to follow: Adult Swim fans will like Shane’s animations. He primarily features different black and white illustrations and animations.

Shane Dering is a 2D animator and designer at Adult Swim.

9) Wesley Louis @librabear

Reason to follow: Wesley’s artworks focus on real-life people, magical characters, and superheroes. He shows his sketches, behind the scenes of animating, and his finished animated videos.

Wesley is a co-founder and director for  The Line Animation. The Line is a BAFTA-nominated collective of designers, directors, and animators based in London.

10) Chris Philips @crispegram

Reason to follow: Chris has a great sense of humor and showcases design skills in every Instagram post. His videos and photos never disappoint.

Chris is an animator and illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. He has been in the advertising and creative industries for more than 15 years.

His short-form animations have been viewed millions of times on different social media platforms such as Giphy, Instagram, Dribbble, and Behance.

11) Jonathan Lindgren @jonathanlindgren.motion

Reason to follow: Jonathan specializes in many types of motion design. He has adorable 3D designs, isometric designs, and mixed media designs.

Jonathan is an award-winning 3D designer and animation director. He’s been featured in many website articles such as It’s Nice That, Stash Media, Motionographer, Designboom, Colossal, and many more.

12) Shaz Enrico @shaz_enrico 

Reason to follow: Shaz has amazing animated dancing videos and great, expressive character design. 

He shows a lot of the behind the scenes for his drawings, and his finished videos will inspire you to create more.

If you want to practice some new skills, he’s currently offering a Toon Boom Harmony “Zombie Animation Tutorial.”

13) Robin Davey @robin_davey

Reason to follow: Robin’s artworks are made of vibrant and colorful palettes that make scrolling through Instagram more fun. 

Robin is a British illustrator, animator, and director based in Berlin, Germany. He has worked across digital, print, and broadcast media for clients such as Apple, Google, Wired, Nickelodeon, TIME, Wall Street Journal, The Times, Vodafone, and many more.

He worked as a designer on the CBBC series Hey Duggee, art director of the Google Spotlight Story Rain or Shine, and designer/co-director at Hopster’s series Saturday Club.

14) Ian Laser Higginbotham @ian_laser

Reason to follow: Ian has a distinct style, uses warm color palettes, and creates unique characters that will make you want to spend more time in your sketchbook or drawing tablet to develop your style.

He is an animator, illustrator, and storyboarder who has worked with Warner Brothers Animation, Adult Swim, ShadowMachine, Nickelodeon, Titmouse, Friends Electric, Hornet Inc, and more.

15) Andras Csuka @andrascsuka

Reason to follow: Andras’ colorful 3D animations are very unique and feature interesting movements. From moving objects to dancing character designs, Andras creates videos and illustrations that are so fun to watch.

Andras is a freelance art director and illustrator based in Budapest, Hungary. His works have been featured in People of Print, Grafik Magazine, Ballpit Magazine, and BuzzFeed.

Wrapping It Up

If you’re feeling uninspired or seeking new ideas for your animation projects, remember that inspiration is always just one app away. By regularly checking these animators’ posts on Instagram, you will definitely get your daily dose of animation inspiration.

But don’t stop with this list. Keep using Instagram and find other awesome animators, who inspire you to keep learning, practicing, and developing your style.

Who knows? You might be one of the next famous animators on Instagram.

Aside from checking animators’ posts on Instagram, don’t forget to get a copy of our marketing handbook and join our free masterclass, so you can sharpen your business skills in addition to your animation skills.