Why I Built Sclera: A 2D Animation Tool in the Browser

I've been animating since I was a kid. Not in any professional sense — I didn't have fancy software or proper training. I had Microsoft Paint and a wild imagination. I'd draw frame after frame, save each one as a separate image, and then stitch them all together in Windows Movie Maker. It was tedious, it was ridiculous, and it was some of the most fun I've ever had.

That feeling of making something move — of giving life to a drawing — hooked me from the very beginning. And honestly, it never let go.

From Paint to... Still Searching

As I got older, I moved on from my Paint-and-Movie-Maker pipeline. I discovered Macromedia Flash, and it was a revelation — an incredible piece of software that made animation feel intuitive and fun. You could draw, animate, and see the result instantly. It was the first time a tool truly matched the way I thought about animation.

Eventually I moved on to Adobe Animate, which worked well for a while — but over time, for various reasons, I stopped using it. I tried other tools after that, explored different workflows, and kept getting better at the craft. But somewhere along the way, I noticed something frustrating: I could never quite find the tool that felt right.

Every piece of software I tried was either too complex for what I needed, too limited in what it could do, or just didn't click with the way I wanted to work. I kept chasing that same creative spark I felt as a kid dragging pixel art into a video editor — and later in Macromedia Flash — but nothing quite captured it.

More than anything, I wanted something that lived in the browser. I spend my entire day in the browser. My design tools are in the browser. My code editor can run in the browser. Why couldn't my animation tool?

A character walk animation being built in Sclera's editor with layers and keyframes — Building a character walk cycle in Sclera — layers, keyframes, and properties all in one view.

So I Started Building

At some point I stopped waiting for someone else to make the tool I wanted and decided to build it myself. That's how Sclera was born — not from a business plan or a market analysis, but from a personal itch I couldn't stop scratching.

I wanted to build an animation studio that runs entirely in the browser. Something with a real timeline, real drawing tools, real keyframe animation — but without the friction of downloading, installing, and configuring heavy desktop software. Just open a tab and start creating.

And I wanted it to be friendly for beginners. Animation is already hard enough as an art form — the tools shouldn't add to that difficulty. Whether you're a seasoned animator or someone who's never drawn a single frame, Sclera should feel welcoming. The kind of place where you can experiment, play, and learn without feeling overwhelmed.

Sclera's timeline panel with layers, keyframes, and animation tracks — The timeline — where you orchestrate layers, keyframes, and timing for every scene.

The Full Story

I recorded a video that tells the whole journey — from my early days animating in Paint as a kid, through all the detours and experiments, to the moment I decided to build Sclera and where it is today. If you want the unfiltered version of this story, here it is:

Animation Is an Art Form

This might sound dramatic, but I genuinely believe 2D animation is one of the most beautiful forms of creative expression. It combines drawing, timing, storytelling, emotion, and movement into something that no other medium can replicate. A single well-timed frame can make someone laugh. A slow pan across a hand-drawn landscape can take someone's breath away.

That's what drives me. Not metrics, not market share — the art form itself. I want more people to experience the joy of bringing a drawing to life. I want a kid somewhere to open a browser tab, draw a character, press play, and feel the same magic I felt all those years ago in Paint.

Animation should be about creating. About the act of making something that didn't exist before. About the thrill of seeing your idea move for the first time. Everything else is noise.

Vector pen tool editing a character shape in Sclera — Editing vector paths with the pen tool — every shape is fully editable, down to each control point.

Where We're Going

Sclera is live today, and there's so much more to come. We're constantly working on new features to make the animation experience better, smoother, and more expressive.

One thing I'm especially excited about is AI-assisted animation — sort of like vibe-animating. Imagine describing a motion or a feeling and having the tool help you bring it to life. Not to replace the animator, but to be a creative partner that handles the tedious parts so you can focus on the art.

And honestly, a huge part of where Sclera goes next depends on you. User feedback has been incredibly valuable in shaping what we build. Every feature request, every bug report, every "hey, wouldn't it be cool if..." — that's what guides the roadmap. If you have thoughts, I want to hear them.

Try It

If any of this resonated with you — if you've ever felt that spark of wanting to make something move — give Sclera a try. Create an account, open the editor, and start playing around. You might surprise yourself with what you create.

I built this for you. Now go make something.