October 30th, 2024

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How To Become An Animator In An Infinite Number of Really Hard Lessons

cartoonist

I was asked in PM today a question I always get asked… “How do I become an animator?” Here is my answer…

There are a lot of people in the world that want to be cartoonists and animators. More people than there are jobs for all of them. The ones that succeed are the ones that really study hard to master the fundamentals of art, not just learn a specific style. Styles change but the ability to draw volumetrically and design with taste and use color well will never go out of style.

Also, the people who continue to work in cartooning year after year are the ones who never stop studying and trying to improve their skills. Learning is a lifelong process. It isn’t something that just happens at school. You need to identify the skills you are lacking and put together a plan for yourself on how to achieve them. The animation business has changed tremendously in the 30 years I’ve been working in it, and I’ve seen plenty of my coworkers left in the dust because they weren’t willing or able to make the changes necessary to keep up with the times.

A lot of people desperately want to hear that there is a shortcut to become an artist… Go to such and such a school and you are guaranteed a job in the animation industry. If you just learn to draw the formula for anime… or Disney princesses… or wacky… or angular flat, you can find a job on shows with that style. They find out the hard way when they move to Los Angeles that none of that is true. You have to be a versatile artist with marketable skills, formulas and diplomas alone won’t cut it.

Back To School Days At Animation Resources

Student Membership Drive

Fall is time to join Animation Resources as a student member. Annual dues for full time students and educators is discounted. It’s the biggest bargain in animation at only $70 a year. Animation School is great, but it doesn’t give you everything you need to become a professional animator. You need to invest in self-study to be successful in this highly competitive field. That’s exactly what Animation Resources can help you do if you become a member. Each day we’ll be highlighting more reasons why you should join Animation Resources. Bookmark us and check back every day.

There’s no better way to feed your creativity than to be a member of Animation Resources. Every other month, we share a Reference Pack that is chock full of downloadable e-books and still framable videos designed to expand your horizons and blow your mind, as well as educational podcasts and seminars. It’s easy to join. Just click on this link and you can sign up right now online.



JOIN NOW!
https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/


FREE SAMPLES!

Not Convinced Yet? Check out this SAMPLE REFERENCE PACK! It will give you a taste of what Animation Resources members get to download every other month!
Sample RefPack

FREE SAMPLES!
JOIN NOW! https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/

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Posted by Stephen Worth @ 11:00 am

October 30th, 2024

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Feed the Library of Your Mind

Library

For the past week, we’ve been sharing with you reasons why you should be a member of Animation Resources. We want to get across the importance of the material we share with our members.

If you read no other article today, read the one at this link…

Why You Should Surround Yourself With More Books Than You’ll Ever Have Time to Read

A lot of young animators seem to think that as long as they have Google, they have all the reference they need. But that isn’t true. POTENTIAL reference is no better than having no reference at all. You have to know exactly what it is that you don’t know to grow.

This article is about books and reading, but the same argument for the value of books could be made for a library of music, movies and artwork. A shelf full of music of all types, or classic movies, or art books about the old masters are directly relevant to your growth as an artist. It’s not enough to just create. You have to absorb your culture so you can reflect it in your own unique way.

A library is a constant reminder of how much there is to learn about and incorporate into your life and work. Life is short. Surround yourself with knowledge. Organize it and set aside time to browse. Once in a while select a specific subject that you should really should know more about and dive in. Analyze. Process. Learn.

Recently a book was published showing great artists in their studios. Their workspaces were all different, but there was one common denominator. They all had bookshelves packed with reference. If you want to be a great artist too, follow their lead and push your boundaries and expand your frame of reference by building your own library. It can be walls of books or hard drives full of images, movies and music. The format doesn’t matter. What matters is the impetus to know more than you already do.

It’s easy to build up a valuable reference library on cartooning and animation, and you don’t even need a shelf on the wall. Every other month, Animation Resources shares an e-book and still framable videos of rare animation with its members. If you had joined when we started producing Reference Packs five years ago, you would now have over 30 books and 15 hours of rare animation. Our Board and Advisory Board curate this material so you can have one of the world’s best libraries on the subject right on your hard drive.

Back To School Days At Animation Resources

Student Membership Drive

Fall is time to join Animation Resources as a student member. Annual dues for full time students and educators is discounted. It’s the biggest bargain in animation at only $70 a year. Animation School is great, but it doesn’t give you everything you need to become a professional animator. You need to invest in self-study to be successful in this highly competitive field. That’s exactly what Animation Resources can help you do if you become a member. Each day we’ll be highlighting more reasons why you should join Animation Resources. Bookmark us and check back every day.

There’s no better way to feed your creativity than to be a member of Animation Resources. Every other month, we share a Reference Pack that is chock full of downloadable e-books and still framable videos designed to expand your horizons and blow your mind, as well as educational podcasts and seminars. It’s easy to join. Just click on this link and you can sign up right now online.



JOIN NOW!
https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/


FREE SAMPLES!

Not Convinced Yet? Check out this SAMPLE REFERENCE PACK! It will give you a taste of what Animation Resources members get to download every other month!
Sample RefPack

FREE SAMPLES!
JOIN NOW! https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/

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Posted by Stephen Worth @ 11:00 am

October 29th, 2024

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MU002: Students, Are You Doing What You Need To Do To Establish A Career In Animation?

We’ve updated our Animation Resources podcast featuring insider secrets about how to break into the animation business and setting a course for creative growth as an animator. Join Animation Resources Director of Programming Davey Jarrell and Director of Publicity David “Pez” Hofmann as they share their experience and provide resources.

It’s easy to join. Just click on this link and you can sign up right now online… JOIN TODAY!
https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/


Sharable Link: https://youtu.be/G8RPp8biaO0?si=2yF5WUSvdQeNQM1z

Back To School Days At Animation Resources

Student Membership Drive

Fall is time to join Animation Resources as a student member. Annual dues for full time students and educators is discounted. It’s the biggest bargain in animation at only $70 a year. Animation School is great, but it doesn’t give you everything you need to become a professional animator. You need to invest in self-study to be successful in this highly competitive field. That’s exactly what Animation Resources can help you do if you become a member. Each day we’ll be highlighting more reasons why you should join Animation Resources. Bookmark us and check back every day.

There’s no better way to feed your creativity than to be a member of Animation Resources. Every other month, we share a Reference Pack that is chock full of downloadable e-books and still framable videos designed to expand your horizons and blow your mind, as well as educational podcasts and seminars. It’s easy to join. Just click on this link and you can sign up right now online.



JOIN NOW!
https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/


FREE SAMPLES!

Not Convinced Yet? Check out this SAMPLE REFERENCE PACK! It will give you a taste of what Animation Resources members get to download every other month!
Sample RefPack

FREE SAMPLES!
JOIN NOW! https://animationresources.org/membership/levels/

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Posted by Stephen Worth @ 11:00 am