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I want to be an Animator(!)

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I want to be an Animator(!)

Hello, I know I'm going to get flamed for posting this since it's most definitely been posted millions of times before, but I have nobody else I can ask for advice. Anyway, I'm 16 years old and since I was 9 I have always wanted to become an Animator. I literally drew all day long. Literally. My father got me into the habit of dating all of my drawings and the amount of drawings I have that were all done on the same day is kind of funny to be honest. That was before High School though, and when High School came along, things changed. My father who in a way spurred me on passed away, and the amount of drawings I produced in a day started to decline. My ambition of becoming an animator started to wither away for a few reasons. The main reason being my mother who didn't really like the idea of me becoming an animator because of "money". Yes, money. Something I didn't quite take into account when I was 9 years old and first wanted to become an animator. But, after doing research, I found a lot of people saying that the pay is bad and that the work hours are long. I was about 12 years old when I did this research and I still didn't really understand what any of it meant. But, my mother continued to tell me to find something better. She wanted me to become a Doctor, a Psychologist, a Lawyer etc. Basically, everything that in her mind was considered well paid. For a while, I was made to think in the same way as she did and that is when the amount of drawings I produced started to decline. All of my motivation had gone, and I spent the rest of my time from age 12 to 16 playing video games and doing school work.
Now however, I have a better understanding of what to expect. And, I'm okay with it. I don't care about the money or the amount of work. I'll be doing something I love, something I care about. That's better than spending my life doing something that means nothing to me. Even if my mother constantly tells me I'm going to be "nothing" and I'm going to become a "bin man".
Moving on from that, I'd like to get some advice from you guys. I don't really know where to start you see. I believe I have the ability to do well in this field, but that is my opinion. I haven't had the opinion of another artist. I'm unsure as to what field of animation would be better for me. I like 2D animations because they seem to be more about art. But, after watching the programme "Pixar: 25 Magic Moments" on BBC Three, I'm kind of swaying towards the 3D side.
Also, I would really appreciate it if you could give me the names of a few 3D and 2D animation programs that I can start using now along with some tutorials because I really want to get started now. The idea of my art coming to life amazes me.

I've uploaded a few of my recent drawings to DeviantART. You can see them here: http://ronzer.deviantart.com/

I also uploaded a sculpture of a dying warrior which I thought of myself so you can see how I work with 3D stuff.

Thanks!

Hi Ronzer-

What would you like to hear?
Rather, what would you like people to say?

Not what you expected to hear, I'd bet, right?
I'm not being snarky here, or rude.......you've asked questions and made an intro like....well, hundred of other people have over the years.
Welcome to AWN, btw. This is a place to ask questions and hopefully find answers. Its NOT the only place though, it might not even be the RIGHT place for you- but that depends on "you".
Animation, like other things is so much of what you bring to it....and so is AWN.

Now, you are seeking some advice/opinions?
Firstly, there are stickied threads here that can supply some of the answers, or cue you to some questions to ask. There's a lot of reading material here, a lot of facts, opinions, experience..... occasionally some bullshit--do take the time to go over it, if you are truly serious.

Now, some advice:
You are facing/undergoing the same kinds of things that many, many people undergo with regards to this craft. Loved ones want the best for you, so they "suggest" careers that are known to be stable or financially supportive.
Family means well, that's their intent.......but unless they are animators themselves, frankly they know jack-shit about this business or craft.
They are "advising" you based on a limited knee-jerk opinion, probably fuelled by half-truths and scant hearsay knowledge.
But.........BUT, the sentiments hold true and fast here.
My suggestion is to approach this career choice with a practical mind.
Working at "something you love" but starving at the same time is.....well, its kind of stupid in this day and age.
Granted a lot of animators/cartoonists/comic book artists have lived lean trying to start and build their careers, but there is a line that can be crossed where obsession goes from passionate to crazy.
This is usually the arena that parents get concerned about.

16 is a young age. Its just in the starting blocks for this. Things can change. Hormones can activate and the opposite (or same) sex can become the emotional focus of a young mind. A LOT of interests in the teen years are affectations--that is they are current, trendy and passionate......for all of a few months, and then the interests change into something else.

Yeah, yeah......YOU are not like that. :rolleyes:
Sorry, its been said before, and the adamant insistence that " no, this is REAL and forever and true and yadda-yadda-yadda" has been the defence before too. Its a fact of life though, I've seen it many times, myself.

This is something where YOU truly make the difference.
Obviously drawing is going to be a big part about this, but the other part is to get smart about things too. You've got an uphill battle already, that being that you might not get the support you need from your family because of their biases about the craft.
Accept it, deal with it. Plan for it, be ready for it. What does your family want to see from you? They want to know.....to understand your life's journey will be secure and stable. Give them that comfort and they will support you.

Confused yet?
I'd bet you are.
Look, the passions of an artist reside not all that far from the passions of a fool--so its said. Your Mum sees you drawing, and hears about this career choice of an animator and it probably just doesn't compute in her matronly brain the way it does in yours.
She probably thinks there's little or no way to make a decent living doing this, probably because she sees how you immerse yourself into "other things" and how you may or may not avoid or embrace the practical things in life.
Like I said, this might actually be an affectation with you, I just don't know.

You are obviously still in high-school. What are your grades like? Don't tell me, as I don't need to know....but look at them for yourself? Are you an "A" student across the board? Or are you bringing home "C" averages on the report card?
If its the latter, you'll likely be in a battle for this career choice.

Why?
Because if you cannot manage the stuff in school, then its not presenting much confidence in your abilities to manage things in your future working life. Hey, THAT is what school sets up--its not just bullshit hoops to jump through. Even if you just go through the motions, you probably will need to bring home the "performance" that says you can do the stuff they throw at you at school.

I've looked at your deviantart gallery.
Your work is what I'd expect for a young person of your age, in terms of skill and subject matter etc, Where it goes from here is , of course, entirely up to you and how you develop. Your work is not professional level and you are not (we'll say yet) showing the things you'd need to suggest that you'd have a hope for a career in animation.
Its not just about drawing, its professional drawing that is meant to appeal and to entertain.

I do suggest drawing instruction.

Human and animal anatomy, perspective, composition, linework the whole gamut of basic drawing instruction.
Here's the secret: Keep drawing what is fun for you.....but add to it, build upon it. Learn perspective stuff my drawing a character you like and adding a simple background to it. Build upon that with the next drawing, making the background incrementally more complex.
Learn CONSTANTLY.
You'll get a LOT of advice on how to proceed. Some folks will guide you in a useful way, some will feed you confusing nonsense. Learn early on what works for you and the path you want to take--even if you have no clue as to what to do at that point. Learn to listen to and trust your own instincts.
Don't be afraid to ignore people or stuff--you can always pick up things later.

Yes, take a moment to enjoy the ego-stroke and praise when you do a good drawing or image, and then get to work on the next one. Build that visual vocabulary.
Seek out books, articles and tutorials on-line on drawing. Take classes, but be smart about it. Build up your academic record so that others around you can see you are not only passionate, but disciplined, focused, mature, sensible, cognitive.
Don't make the mistake of thinking "oh, I just gotta master some anime characters and then I've made it".
Learn about business, about the technical aspects of the craft, the history, the psychology, the philosophical aspects...not just the "hows", but the "why's" out there too.
Some day, all of it will truly mean something, not only to you, but to all those around you.

You are at the very bottom rung of a very, very tall ladder.

Start climbing.

Good luck.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

Thanks for the advice Ken! I really appreciate it.
I realise now that I have a long way to go before I'm ready, and I'm going to keep pushing forward. I'm going to stop drawing "anime" now because with all honesty, it just isn't appealing to me anymore. Instead, I am going to try and make my own cartoon characters and hopefully try my hand at animating them.

I'm definitely not the best, but I am determined to be the best. Whatever it takes, I will try.

Some day, all of it will truly mean something, not only to you, but to all those around you.

You are at the very bottom rung of a very, very tall ladder.

Start climbing.

And this, thank you for writing this. I don't know why, but this really got to me and has made me want to try even harder.

I can't thank you enough Ken, you have given me back the confidence and determination which I had lost. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Another thing, an older friend of mine (who isn't an Animator) also thinks it is kind of silly to attempt a career as an Animator. He tells me I would be better off doing freelance Animation, and going to University to pursue a better career. I don't know if I could do that though, because no other career really appeals to me as much as Animation does. What are your thoughts on this?

I realise now that I have a long way to go before I'm ready, and I'm going to keep pushing forward. I'm going to stop drawing "anime" now because with all honesty, it just isn't appealing to me anymore. Instead, I am going to try and make my own cartoon characters and hopefully try my hand at animating them.

My thoughts; don't stop doing something that works. If you like drawing anime, keep drawing it because it will continue to yield a successful drawing for you. Going cold turkey and jsut drawing , say, hands will feed you a lot of frustration.......especially if you have trouble with hands. Most people give up if they don't feel like they are making progress, so you want to stack the deck in your favour by using a means that keeps giving you a successful image. Even if you totally blow the added elements, the stuff you are comfortable /familiar with will still likely give you that successful drawing.
My other advice is this: do explore your own characters.......but you know what? If you work as a pro, you'll likely never work on "your own characters" professionally anyway.......instead, learn to draw other people's characters. Learn to draw them so they are on model and as good as how those other folks draw them. Start with the characters you like and master them, and then extrapolate from there. From mimicry to mastery.
Then if you want to stretch yourself, pick characters you absolutely HATE, and learn to draw them as well as their creators do. That is because you will not always work on stuff you love.

I'm definitely not the best, but I am determined to be the best. Whatever it takes, I will try.

In the words of Yoda: " Try? Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Another thing, an older friend of mine (who isn't an Animator) also thinks it is kind of silly to attempt a career as an Animator. He tells me I would be better off doing freelance Animation, and going to University to pursue a better career. I don't know if I could do that though, because no other career really appeals to me as much as Animation does. What are your thoughts on this?

Okay, why do they think its a silly career choice?
What's a better career?

How about an astronaut?
Or a wheat farmer?
Or a crab fisherman?
Or a porno star?
Are those better career choices?
Let's be candid here how much more likely would any of THOSE career choices be for you, or anyone else in their circle of people?

Or is a mundane choice better?
See, this is the same thinking your Mum has......they mean well, but you are standing up and declaring that you want to become an "Alchemist"--you want to turn lead into gold. And, by golly, they have no fucking clue as to how someone turns lead into gold and so, becoming an Alchemist is a choice they don't understand and therefore cannot approve. Animation is probably very much akin to Alchemy because they probably don't understand how its done either.
They are also saying they don't see you, based on your habits and behaviours, as having the wherewithal to manage yourself in such a career.
They might be right.
But then, you might have resources inside you that can come to the fore and surprise them--and show that you truly do have the mettle to do this sort of stuff.

So, part of this becomes going "pfft' in the face of people that care about you and striking out on your own path--to a degree--and the other part is listening to what they say, respecting their concerns and AT LEAST appear to pursue some.......shall we call them, responsible pursuits.
Here's an example: perhaps take an interest in money and finances. Learn about investments and start a financial portfolio for yourself. Build a nest-egg and at a certain point.......say, when you are 21, buy a piece of real estate.

This will do a couple of things: one it will utterly gobsmack people around you into total submission. It's something that will serve you anyway, in whatever professional or educational life you pursue into adulthood. It'll help set you up, financially, for life. The opposite sex will leap at you.
And people will leave you alone if you want to take up a "silly" career like animation because you've just proven you can stand on your own two feet otherwise. Trust me on this.....the first paycheque you get that is as big or greater than theirs, and those people will be pointing at you and saying " that's my friend/son/whatever Ronzer, AND HE'S AN ANIMATOR!!".

Would an animation career be silly then?
If not, why not? What's the difference?
In reality, its no different either way, but the values that people around you tend to hold differently than your values--so understand that and know that might well be a source of turmoil.
If you are still unsure of what to do......perhaps ask yourself this: imagine you are 100 years old, and on your deathbed. You are laying there and before the end comes you are looking back over your life. Do you really want to say to yourself: " Gosh, I'm really glad I did all those things that OTHER PEOPLE wanted me to do."???
Personally, its been a valuable question in my own life.

But for now, you need to start stacking your deck, as it were. Become an exceptional artist. Show that you can manage your affairs in life and livelihood. Be seen to be DOING--and DO well.
And all the rest.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

Once again, thanks Ken. For now I will continue to improve my art at the same time as trying to make some animations. I will also focus more on my school work so I can get the grades necessary to go to college to study animation. If it's not what I thought it would be then I'll find something else that I'd be happy spending my life doing. I'm sure that won't happen though.

Once again, thank you.

I should add, I got the trial of Adobe Flash and I am planning on teaching myself Actionscript 3.0. Is this a good idea? Or should I just focus on school and developing my art skills?

I should add, I got the trial of Adobe Flash and I am planning on teaching myself Actionscript 3.0. Is this a good idea? Or should I just focus on school and developing my art skills?

Adding to what you know is never a detriment. In time, as you do more and more, you'll learn what you should focus more or less on.
For now, pick ANY direction and see where it takes you.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

Okay, thanks again. I'll do - not try - my best and see where this takes me. I'll put my heart and soul into doing my best.

I can't thank you enough Ken. ;)

Another thing, an older friend of mine (who isn't an Animator) also thinks it is kind of silly to attempt a career as an Animator. He tells me I would be better off doing freelance Animation, and going to University to pursue a better career. I don't know if I could do that though, because no other career really appeals to me as much as Animation does. What are your thoughts on this?

Ken might have mentioned this, but what the HELL?! Why do people think animation is just soooooooo easy that you don't need to go to school and you can just do freelance animation while you pursue a "real" career?!

As an animator I don't have the first clue what it takes to become a doctor or a lawyer or any other career that I don't work in and I doubt any of these people would ask me advice about their industry. So why do these people feel they know what it takes to make it in our silly industry? Ask experts in their fields about their field, and that's what you are doing.

If you want to be an animator, be prepared for lots, and lots, and LOTS of hard work. It's not an easy career and it's not always sun shine, lolly pops and unicorn snot. But if you're persistant and work hard it will pay off in the end.

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

Ken might have mentioned this, but what the HELL?! Why do people think animation is just soooooooo easy that you don't need to go to school and you can just do freelance animation while you pursue a "real" career?!

As an animator I don't have the first clue what it takes to become a doctor or a lawyer or any other career that I don't work in and I doubt any of these people would ask me advice about their industry. So why do these people feel they know what it takes to make it in our silly industry? Ask experts in their fields about their field, and that's what you are doing.

If you want to be an animator, be prepared for lots, and lots, and LOTS of hard work. It's not an easy career and it's not always sun shine, lolly pops and unicorn snot. But if you're persistant and work hard it will pay off in the end.

Aloha,
the Ape

I've long held the belief that the conceit about thinking animation or cartooning careers are considered "easy" by the layperson is because most of us share a common association with drawing from childhood.
In most western nations, at least, drawing is a part of early school, kindergarten, pre-school etc.......and literallyy ever child participates at some point. I believe that the conceit stems from this and it fuels the (mistaken) belief that drawing REMAINS "easy" from the time of childhood to doing it professionally.
That is why many people consider beginner/semi-pro cartoonists to not have a real job, why people think we love doing this work for free, and think that anyone can do it if they just sit down at a piece of paper with a pencil.

They simply do not understand or grasp the leaps-ahead in terms of mental and physical processing ability a professional artist has compared to the "average person". That's why I use the metaphor of alchemy to describe the disconnect that exists.

In the end, I think its okay for this sort of conceit to exist because it tends to make what we do just that much more mysterious and magical.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

"Wow, animation! It's all done on computers nowadays, isn't it?"

[because we all know that animators just hit that big red button marked AWESOME on the magical computer and all these wonderful cartoons come pouring out...]

"Wow, animation! It's all done on computers nowadays, isn't it?"

[because we all know that animators just hit that big red button marked AWESOME on the magical computer and all these wonderful cartoons come pouring out...]

it is not at easy animation on computers needs lots of work and labor

Comes to realities

Several stuffs you will need

Quad core processor, 4g+ ram
Wacom table
Photoshop
Blender ( for no cost )
Zbrush ( 699 ?? )
Project messiah ( only 599 )

Would love to go higher but pricey stuffs :(
Most got great among of tutorial to learned..

Most important is consistency.. The more time you spending on your skill the better you got :D

Thanks for the advice Ken! I really appreciate it.
I realise now that I have a long way to go before I'm ready, and I'm going to keep pushing forward. I'm going to stop drawing "anime" now because with all honesty, it just isn't appealing to me anymore. Instead, I am going to try and make my own cartoon characters and hopefully try my hand at animating them.

I'm definitely not the best, but I am determined to be the best. Whatever it takes, I will try.

And this, thank you for writing this. I don't know why, but this really got to me and has made me want to try even harder.

I can't thank you enough Ken, you have given me back the confidence and determination which I had lost. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Another thing, an older friend of mine (who isn't an Animator) also thinks it is kind of silly to attempt a career as an Animator. He tells me I would be better off doing freelance Animation, and going to University to pursue a better career. I don't know if I could do that though, because no other career really appeals to me as much as Animation does. What are your thoughts on this?

really animation is a promising field must go for it

Hello, I know I'm going to get flamed for posting this since it's most definitely been posted millions of times before, but I have nobody else I can ask for advice. Anyway, I'm 16 years old and since I was 9 I have always wanted to become an Animator. I literally drew all day long. Literally. My father got me into the habit of dating all of my drawings and the amount of drawings I have that were all done on the same day is kind of funny to be honest. That was before High School though, and when High School came along, things changed. My father who in a way spurred me on passed away, and the amount of drawings I produced in a day started to decline. My ambition of becoming an animator started to wither away for a few reasons. The main reason being my mother who didn't really like the idea of me becoming an animator because of "money". Yes, money. Something I didn't quite take into account when I was 9 years old and first wanted to become an animator. But, after doing research, I found a lot of people saying that the pay is bad and that the work hours are long. I was about 12 years old when I did this research and I still didn't really understand what any of it meant. But, my mother continued to tell me to find something better. She wanted me to become a Doctor, a Psychologist, a Lawyer etc. Basically, everything that in her mind was considered well paid. For a while, I was made to think in the same way as she did and that is when the amount of drawings I produced started to decline. All of my motivation had gone, and I spent the rest of my time from age 12 to 16 playing video games and doing school work.
Now however, I have a better understanding of what to expect. And, I'm okay with it. I don't care about the money or the amount of work. I'll be doing something I love, something I care about. That's better than spending my life doing something that means nothing to me. Even if my mother constantly tells me I'm going to be "nothing" and I'm going to become a "bin man".
Moving on from that, I'd like to get some advice from you guys. I don't really know where to start you see. I believe I have the ability to do well in this field, but that is my opinion. I haven't had the opinion of another artist. I'm unsure as to what field of animation would be better for me. I like 2D animations because they seem to be more about art. But, after watching the programme "Pixar: 25 Magic Moments" on BBC Three, I'm kind of swaying towards the 3D side.
Also, I would really appreciate it if you could give me the names of a few 3D and 2D animation programs that I can start using now along with some tutorials because I really want to get started now. The idea of my art coming to life amazes me.

I've uploaded a few of my recent drawings to DeviantART. You can see them here: http://ronzer.deviantart.com/

I also uploaded a sculpture of a dying warrior which I thought of myself so you can see how I work with 3D stuff.

Thanks!

Ronzer animation is good field buddy no doubt in that but for that you must be good in drawing that is the first thing one should consider. second thing you should join some good institute or college for that where you can get all necessary informations

to ken on the perception of animation in the west. its content. the animation is either for kids, which can sell, but will not earn you any respect as a serious medium. or in the few rare cases where its not for kids.

its done as a simulation where production people go out of there way to try and make the characters appear human using technological tricks. which always falls short because there aiming for a technological achievment, instead of an artistic one.

also instead of trying to make the most moving, characters and environments. the focus tends to be make the most real. instead of telling the most emotional story. and have characters that are undeniably emotional and give strong emotional perfomances. again the pursuit is a subdued version of real.

in my opinion, animation in the west doesnt get respect by the general public because. it doesnt do anything respectful. the main goal is either turn a profit or try to make a technological achievement. neither could be considered a true artistic accomplishment

now everybody want to turn a profit off thier work. but when its takes precedence over how everything is done in whats supposed to be a work of art. thats
more of a marketing tool, than a work of art

here is something to contrast that with. there is a series called Guilty crown. you only need to watch the first episode. which is 30-45 minutes but from the intro to end of that episode. there is no mistaking what the intent was of the people behind it. to make something artfilled from beginning to end

if you end up watching it watch the subtitled version not the dubbed. the dubbed isnt the same