Animation Mentor
Online Character-animation mentorship taught by real professionals in the industry.
I’m Nick — a lead animator with 15+ years of experience specializing in keyframe animation, motion capture, performance capture, pre-visualization and post-visualization.
I have experience working across commercials, cinematics, episodic productions, and feature films. These days I primarily work in feature film VFX.
Currently, I’m part of the talented team at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Vancouver, BC.
I have experience working across commercials, cinematics, episodic productions, and feature films. These days I primarily work in feature film VFX.
Currently, I’m part of the talented team at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Vancouver, BC.
Nicholas St. Clair
Lead Animator
Demo Reel 2026
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Animation
Explore selected projects.
Resources
Tools, references, and inspiration.
Contact
Have a project, opportunity, or resource to share? Send me a message.
RESOURCES
A curated collection of tools, books, references and communities that have shaped my animation career.
TOP PICKS
My essentials.
These are the resources I come back to again and again.
Ragdoll Dynamics
A physics-assisted artist friendly animation workflow built for multiple platforms.
Photopea
A fast Photoshop-like browser editor for quick image and layout work. Best of all, it's free!
Agora Community
A focused community for animators to share and learn.
Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation
A practical book for planning clearer, more readable animation.
Inspiring Creatives
- Alvise Avati
- Andreas Deja
- Aaron Blaise
- Cameron Fielding
- Chuck Duke
- Hal Hickel
- Jamaal Bradley
- James Baxter
- Jason Ryan
- Jason Snyman
- Jean-Denis Haas
- Justin Rasch
- Kai-Hua Lan
- Keith Roberts
- Kevin Jackson
- Kiel Figgins
- Mark Oftedal
- Michael Holzl
- Phil Tippett
- Ted Ty
- Shawn Kelly
- Sidney Kombo-Kintombo
- Steve Nichols
Courses & Mentorships
- Animation Collaborative
- Animation Focus
- Animation Mentor
- Animation Sherpa
- AnimSchool
- CG Spectrum
- Creature Station
- iAnimate.net
- Lupin House
- P2Design Academy (Blender)
- Spungella Animation Workshop
- Sophoria Academy
- ToAnimate (Blender)
Tutorials & Exercises
- 51 Animation Exercises to Master
- 150+ Animation Exercises to Boost Your Skills
- Anima.to Tutorials
- Bird Flight Animation Masterclass with Brendan Body
- Keith Lango Tutorials
- Quad Blog Beta
Technical Learning
- Anatomy of an Explosion
- Delanimation Tutorials
- MetaHuman Animator Tutorial (.pdf)
- Physics-Based Animation
- Python For Maya: Artist Friendly Programming
YouTube Channels
- Arvid Schneider (Lookdev)
- Animate with Arran (Anim)
- Animator's Journey (Anim)
- Corridor Digital (VFX)
- Edwin Schaap (Anim)
- Ilse Zamarripa (Anim)
- James Baxter (Anim)
- Jean-Denis Haas (Anim)
- Mark Masters (Anim)
- Physics for Animators
- Pierrick Picaut (Blender)
- Shot, Drawn & Cut (Film)
- Sir Wade Neistadt (Anim)
Blogs & Articles
- Animation Mentor Blog
- AnimSchool Blog
- Escape Studios Animation Blog
- FXRant by Todd Vaziri
- iAnimate.net Articles
Books
- Acting for Animators
- Animal Locomotion for Animators
- Drawn to Life
- Muybridge Animals in Motion
- Muybridge Humans in Motion
- Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation
- The Animator’s Survival Kit
- The Illusion of Life
COMMUNITIES & DISCUSSION
- 11 Second Club
- Agora Community
- Anima.to
- Ragdoll Dynamics Forums
- reddit.com/r/animation
- reddit.com/r/animationcareer
- reddit.com/r/vfx
2D & Drawing
Anatomy
- ARTnatomy: Anatomical Basis of Facial Expressions
- Face the FACS: Facial Expression Resources
- Human Anatomy by Stuart Sumida
- Skeletons for Animators & Riggers by Stuart Sumida
Animals & Creatures
- Animal Gaits for Animators
- Animal Locomotion for Animators
- Bird Flight for Animators
- Bug Gaits for Animators
- Flight Deconstructed
- GreenScreen Animals
- How to make birds fly good
- Nature Footage
Cinematography & Camera
Human Motion
- Animation Reference
- Bodies in Motion
- Endless Reference (YouTube)
- GingerNinjaTrickster (YouTube)
- Kevin Parry: 50 Ways Series
- MotionActor (YouTube)
- Underwater Swimming Reference
Rigs & Props
- Agora Community Assets
- Animation Buffet
- Animation Mentor Free Rigs
- AnimProps
- Get Rigs
- Kiel Figgins Store
- Mrinal Soni Rigs
- ProRigs
- Truong CG Artist
- Universal Human (Blender)
Textures & Materials
Models
Stock Footage & VFX
Stop Motion Supplies
Maya Tools & Plug-Ins
- animBot
- Brian Horgan Tools (bhTools)
- BroTools
- Gizmify Reference Media Plane
- Josh Janousky Tools
- Kiel Figgins Resources
- MGtools
- mlTools
- Ragdoll Dynamics
- Real Camera Motion Library
Maya Scripts
Playback & Review
Animation Software
Other Tools
Web & Hosting
News & Publications
Jobs & Pay
THIS IS A LIVING LIST
I’m always discovering new tools and references. If there’s something you think belongs here, send it my way.