“I just noticed that I joined Animation Resources last year and I never figured out how to download the Reference Packs…”
We’ve heard this a lot lately. Our Reference Packs have gotten a lot better in the past couple of years, and people are regretting not grabbing them when they had the chance. It isn’t hard to download the files. We send you an email every month to remind you when to do it. We give you two months to download each RefPack. And we’re always on hand to help you get logged in and show you how to download from the site.
So why aren’t people downloading the Reference Packs?
There really isn’t a reason. The volunteers spend hundreds of hours researching, formatting, restoring and curating the Reference Packs. None of them are paid for their work. They set aside time in their schedules to share with other artists because they believe in the value of what Animation Resources is doing. Members should feel the same way and set aside an hour or two a month to download the products of these volunteers’ hard work for future reference.
Grim Natwick, the artist who created Betty Boop and animated Snow White, Woody Woodpecker and Rooty Toot Toot set aside an hour a day for self study. He would pull down a book on Picasso and draw from it. He would work with model sheets and old drawings by colleagues that he admired. He’d study anatomy and figure drawing. He did this every day… until he was 100 years old. He attributed his longevity in the business to his studies.
Being an artist is different than being a plumber. A plumber learns how to install a kitchen sink and then he does it exactly the same way for his entire life. An artist is required to reinvent himself on each and every job. If artists don’t set aside time to research and study, they risk falling into formulas and being left behind.
Being a member of Animation Resources doesn’t mean that you’re buying Reference Packs. We aren’t producing entertainment to fill your spare time. Being a member of Animation Resources means that you are part of an organization of artists helping other artists. Animation Resources is here to help you become a stronger artist too, but you have to do your part.
1.) Check to see that your account is working. Click and bookmark these two addresses. Click the REMEMBER ME box, login and save the password in your browser.
https://animationresources.org/membersonly/
https://animationresources.org/annual-members-bonus-archive/ (Annual Members only)
If you are unable to login to your account, or if you can’t figure out how to download the files, contact us immediately at… membership@animationresources.org. …and we will make sure you get it all working properly. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
2.) When you receive your email alert announcing a new Reference Pack, login and download it right away. If you haven’t seen any of our emails, check your spam folder. Email is how we let you know what we are doing. It’s important to keep connected.
3.) Organize the files on your hard drive in a way that makes sense to you and set aside a little time to browse them so you know what you have. We are helping you build a virtual reference library. You should take a little time to know what you have and be able to find it when you need it.
4.) Communicate with Animation Resources. When you see something in the Reference Packs that you find useful, drop us an email and let us know so we can include more things like that in future RefPacks.
5.) Support the organization that supports you. Don’t discontinue your membership because you haven’t taken the time to download a RefPack and you missed it. It isn’t our fault that you got distracted. Continue your membership and resolve yourself to take the time to organize and absorb the material in the future.
Your Animation Resources membership is what you make of it. Volunteers are working very hard to provide you with important reference material. It’s up to you to take a little time to process and apply it. If you do that, you’ll be richly rewarded.
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