Animation & Art Portfolio with Adobe

  • Price: Starting at $1,249
  • Age: Ages 13-17
  • Skill Level: Beginner-Advanced
  • Format: iD Tech Camps | Small-Group, On-Campus
  • Duration: Weeklong program, 8 hours per day

About This Course

Every animator brings something different to the page. Find your style here at iD Tech as you create a portfolio and refine your animation skills!

Follow the techniques behind visually distinctive films like KPop Demon Hunters to design your own characters and story, from color theory and shape language to expressive poses. Start by ideating in your own take-home sketchbook. Then, choose your focus in visual art or animation and develop your portfolio: character designs, concept art, storyboards, and a story reel or short animation. You'll bring it all to life with Adobe Creative Cloud and a Wacom drawing tablet, using the same tools and pipeline as professional studios. Come away with a collection of your best work to bolster your college applications and showcase the range of your artistic voice.

You'll learn to:

  • Create digital art and animation
  • Explore industry pathways like visual development, story design, and animation
  • Use industry-standard Adobe Creative Cloud and Wacom drawing tablets
  • Develop a visual portfolio or short animation

Course Format 

This digital arts summer camp is part of a weeklong course running Monday through Friday. Learning sessions will be held in a lab on an inspiring university campus. Your child will be placed within a small group and guided by an experienced instructor. Daily schedules are balanced and allow for outdoor and recreational activities. Day and overnight options are available based on location.


Sample Schedule

In this course, students will create 2D animations in Adobe Animate.

Here’s a sample of what each week in the course could look like! Please keep in mind that students will progress at varying paces; this is a general outline of the key material and overall student experience.

Ready, set, animate! Start by sketching in your own take-home sketchbook, then dive into animation fundamentals with Adobe Animate. Create keyframes and practice digital drawing with a professional Wacom tablet.

Next, you’ll ideate and design your own cartoon character! Draw key poses and animate your character in action, like jumping in place or waving a sword!

Brainstorm and kick off your final project. Whether you create a short animation, story reel, or digital art portfolio, you’ll have the freedom to bring your vision to life!

Building on your final project, you’ll create, revise, and polish your work. You can complete advanced exercises, such as a hand-drawn walk cycle or 2D puppet animation, to test your skills!

It’s showtime! You’ll polish and compile your projects into a portfolio, such as a slideshow or video reel, to present at the iD Tech Family Showcase. All project files and artwork, including your sketchbook, will go home with you.

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Portfolio-Boosting Diploma & Transcript

At the conclusion of your child's course, they will receive an official iD Tech diploma and course transcript outlining the skills they learned over the course of the week.

Elite Staff & Experienced Instructors

Passion for tech. Unmatched expertise. Personality that brings out the absolute best in your child. With 25 years of experience, we know there's no replacement for the best teacher. Each year iD instructors go on to be hired by the most prestigious tech companies in the world like Google, EA, Disney, Microsoft, and more. When your child learns from the best, they’ll unlock opportunities to become their best. 

  • 100% USA-based, adult instructors

  • Recruited from top universities like Stanford, Caltech, and NYU

  • Rigorous background and reference checks

  • Robust training programs and certification

  • Adherence to American Camp Association accredited guidelines

Find a location near you!

Locations near Columbus, OH:
Day Camp Overnight Camp
Locations further away
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FAQ

Yes. Teens choose a focus in visual art or animation and build portfolio pieces: character designs, concept art, storyboards, and a story reel or short animation. They use the same tools and pipeline as professional studios and leave with a collection of their best work to support college applications.

Students of every drawing level are welcome. They start by sharpening their drawing skills in a take-home sketchbook, then learn the basics of character design and animation step by step on a Wacom drawing tablet. Teens who already draw a lot can push their style further with more advanced techniques.

Our small class size ensures that each student receives individual attention and has the freedom to learn at their own pace. Instructors are trained to be in tune with students’ unique needs and provide a personalized learning experience. 

Students use Adobe Creative Cloud and a Wacom drawing tablet at camp, so there's nothing to buy beforehand. To keep creating at home, Adobe Creative Cloud is a paid subscription, often discounted for students. A drawing tablet is helpful but optional, and they can keep sketching in their take-home sketchbook any time.

2D. Teens design characters and stories using techniques like color theory, shape language and expressive poses, then bring them to life in Adobe Creative Cloud on a Wacom drawing tablet. They can focus on visual art, like character design and concept art, or on animation.

While we are a tech program with the goal of transforming your child’s interests into real-world STEM skills, we are also a summer camp. Simply put, camp is a balance of learning and fun! Students learn in small groups in labs on a prestigious college campus and from expert instructors who are trained to engage and inspire.

Day camps kick off with icebreakers and team-building before jumping into morning coursework. When it’s time for lunch, your child will walk from the computer lab to the dining hall as they take in the beauty of campus. Students return to the learning labs in the afternoon for more exciting coursework, followed by an afternoon break where they will have the chance to take part in outdoor game time and more campus discovery before wrapping up with instruction!

Overnight campers work until dinner and then go off to create deeper connections and memories while gaming, watching movies, and more. Your child will experience the magic of camp during days and nights filled with learning and adventure that builds lifelong friendships.

Day camp runs 9am to 4:30pm Monday through Thursday, with check-in beginning at 8:30am and pick-up available until 5pm. On Friday, camp ends after Family Showcase, which runs 2–3pm. Overnight campers check in Sunday at 6pm and are also picked up Friday between 2 and 3pm.

Students spend approximately five hours per day on the computer, taking breaks to engage in recreational activities throughout their sessions.

Our instructors are recruited from top universities, but more importantly, they are elite mentors who understand kids, share their interests, bring first-hand experience, and serve as real-life role models for what the future holds. They are trained extensively in-person (and virtually) to differentiate engaging content to campers’ needs, connect to each child, and inspire them to pursue their dreams.

All instructors are adults (no high school counselors-in-training), fully background-checked, and trained in safety and first aid. Campers learn in small groups with a 10:1 average student-to-instructor ratio, split first by age and then, as needed, by experience level. Instructors monitor group dynamics closely and will move a camper to a different seat or class section right away if a pairing isn't working. Every camper agrees to our Code of Conduct, and staff are trained to step in quickly.

Yes! You can register today for as little as $375 per student and pay the balance in convenient monthly installments. You can save $50 by registering for multiple sessions, and you can earn $25 in credit when you invite a friend to join camp (your friend saves $25 when they sign up too!).

As courses frequently sell out, we recommend registering early to secure your child's spot. You can make unlimited changes with no fees up to 28 days before the start of your session. If you need to cancel before March 1st, you will receive a full refund of the amount paid. If you cancel after March 1st but still 28+ days before your session, you will receive a refund less the additional fees (if applicable) and a $250 cancellation charge per week. Within 28 days of your session start date, changes are subject to a fee, and no refunds are provided for cancellations.

All computers, equipment and software are provided in our camp labs, so your child doesn't need to bring a laptop or tablet, or download anything ahead of time. They should wear and/or pack comfortable clothing and shoes (preferably athletic shoes), a jacket or sweatshirt, sunscreen for outdoor activities, and a clearly labeled or identifiable water bottle (if students don't bring one, we'll have disposable cups). If your child has an account for games like Roblox or Minecraft, have them bring their login information to camp. Overnight campers should check their pre-camp details, since room setups and whether bedding is included vary by location.

Headphones are optional: students may bring their own, but we do not provide them. Spending money is optional too. Some locations allow for purchasing vending machine snacks or souvenirs in the campus bookstore, but we don't guarantee these opportunities each week and recommend that students not bring more than $30–$50.

At the conclusion of your child's course, they will receive an iD Tech diploma as well as a transcript outlining everything they learned over the week. They’ll also take home a USB with their course project files, along with access to installation and setup guides so they can continue working at their own pace.

In addition to valuable tech skills, kids and teens leave camp with new relationships, resilience, critical thinking opportunities, and an even greater love for tech (if that’s possible!).

Yes! Every iD Tech experience contributes toward leveling up along the iD Tech Pathway. This course is worth 1,500 XP— learn more about the iD Tech Pathway here.

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