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Cesare Parmiggiani
8,017 PointsJavascript and SVG animation... suggestion and inspiration
To whom it may concern.
I'm an italian graphic designer and digital animator, recently I learned HTML and CSS thanks to Treehouse basic subscription. And I loved it very much.
Now, I'd like to learn javascript, particulary I'd like to create interactive animation with SVG. I'd like to learn javascript to improve my artistic skills with the power of interaction.
I tried a lot with treehouse basic courses... but I'm not able to set my mind on thins language... I had no problems with HTML and CSS, but I'm really concerned not being able to understand Javascript logic.
So what you suggest me in order to open my brain to javascript? I study, but there is something wrong in my method.
Thank you
Cesare Parmiggiani (from Italy)
3 Answers
Karolin Rafalski
11,368 PointsHi Cesare, One important thing to remember is that HMTL is a markup language and not a full programming language and that CSS is also not a programming language.
What this means is once you get into JavaScript, or any other programming language, there are a lot of new concepts that you have to learn, and most people do struggle in learning them, especially at first. This is because you probably have to think about solutions in a different way than you ever have and this new approach is challenging.
Another thing to consider is that the way people learn programming tends to be highly individual. There are a lot of books and tutorials out there, and some helped me and some did not, and if I talk to other people who are also trying to learn, the things that help them are sometimes very different.
The good news is that there are fundamental concepts in JavaScript (and other programming languages) that once you get them, you can recognize them and use them much more readily (loops, conditionals, booleans, arrays...).
I would suggest that when you get stuck, look up some free online sources and try to read or watch some other videos- a different person's approach to explaining something may be the way it makes the most sense to you.
Karen Freeman-Smith
29,248 PointsIF you haven't already taken it, check out CSS Beyond the Basics. The 3rd stage is all about animation in CSS and I was amazed how much you can do with no JavaScript at all. Also check out the jQuery Basics. Between the two you can probably get animation to work without too much code. As for JavaScript - follow the Full-Stack track from the JavaScript Basics to get the programming concepts in a good order. Like Karolin said, it's totally different and a lot of people struggle to understand the first programming language they learn. (You could also look at the beginning/basics class for any other language to help reinforce the new concepts with slightly different keywords.)
Cesare Parmiggiani
8,017 PointsKarolin Rafalski & Karen Freeman-Smith, Thank you so much for your suggestions!
Sometimes I got stuck in javascript or jquery because i don't understand the way exemples are written, even in courses here in treehouse...
I even tried Greensock, or use some javascript in softwares like Edge animate and Hype... I'd like to learn javascript to improve my skills in After Effects (I'm a good 2d animator).
But I know, I have to study harder and be patient.
Thank You again and sorry If I answered so late.
Cesare