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I'm an artist and I kinda want to be an animator. I've done some research, but I want to know if I'm aiming to be an animator, how will I get a degree? What should I do to get better at animating?
Hello! I'm Ms. Tingle at the International Community School. My 5th graders have a few questions and I'd like to share your advice with them. Thanks so much!
#animation #artist
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Don’s Answer
Hey, I am a professional animator working in the motion picture industry right now. If I am being honest with you whether you have a degree or not does not important to land your job in the industry. It does not mean having a degree will be useless, if you are an alumni from certain colleges the most advantage you will get is alumni connection which will definitely help you to land a job. However, the private college is very pricy. To step into this competitive industry, the most important thing to be a professional animator is your demo reel. I would recommend you some schools which are not as much as expensive and you will get a more professional guide.
Here is the list.
- AnimSchool
- iAnimate.net
- AnimSquad
- Animation Mentor
However, if you really think getting a degree is worth enough, then you can check the ranking from the animation career review. However, depends on what you want to study in animation production, the school I would like to reccomand will be different, because each school has different strengths. You mentioned that you want to be an animator, but you need to be more specific. 2D, 3D, and Stopmotion, also better to have an idea that what kind of animation industry you are aiming for.
From my experience in the film industry, these are the schools most artists came from.
- Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD)
- Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
- Gnomon
- Academy Of Art University (AAU)
However, if you want to be a 2D animator the school list will be different. As long as I know, the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) would be a very great choice, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) will be a good choice too. *Ringling, Gnomon, AAU is a more 3D focused school.
Here is the list.
- AnimSchool
- iAnimate.net
- AnimSquad
- Animation Mentor
However, if you really think getting a degree is worth enough, then you can check the ranking from the animation career review. However, depends on what you want to study in animation production, the school I would like to reccomand will be different, because each school has different strengths. You mentioned that you want to be an animator, but you need to be more specific. 2D, 3D, and Stopmotion, also better to have an idea that what kind of animation industry you are aiming for.
From my experience in the film industry, these are the schools most artists came from.
- Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD)
- Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
- Gnomon
- Academy Of Art University (AAU)
However, if you want to be a 2D animator the school list will be different. As long as I know, the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) would be a very great choice, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) will be a good choice too. *Ringling, Gnomon, AAU is a more 3D focused school.
Updated
Igal’s Answer
I'm not an animator, but I've worked with some during my career in high tech. The animators I worked with were artists who had a good artistic sense and also training in the digital tools and technologies they needed to do their job.
If you already enjoy drawing or painting, that's a big plus. If you're already comfortable using computers or tablets or phones to create digital art, that's also a big plus.
The animators I worked with went through some kind of educational program where they learned and improved their skills. The places that offer such programs might be art schools, or universities with a computer-animation program or something similar. You can find these degree programs online.
Check out this list: https://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/top-50-animation-schools-and-colleges-us-2020-college-rankings
If you already enjoy drawing or painting, that's a big plus. If you're already comfortable using computers or tablets or phones to create digital art, that's also a big plus.
The animators I worked with went through some kind of educational program where they learned and improved their skills. The places that offer such programs might be art schools, or universities with a computer-animation program or something similar. You can find these degree programs online.
Igal recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Mia’s Answer
Hello there! I work in Animation and Film production. If you want to be a professional animator and get hired by studios then you'll need at least a Bachelor's degree of a accredited college. It would also be best to do internships involving animation or production assistant work to let companies know you are capable of working for them.
If you're still in high school, I would suggest looking on the school or library's computers for Adobe applications : Photoshop, Animate, Illustrator and etc. You can learn to animate and draw using images and gifs from Pinterest and animating them in Photoshop and Animate. There are also tons of Youtube tutorials for beginners to learn that are free, there might even be some books in the library that teach it.
It is very important to start learning as early as possible since this is a time consuming skill that only gets better with lots of practice. There are even after college programs for people who still want to learn.
Use school computers to find application that help you animate and draw
Practice tutorials on Pinterest, Youtube and other free sites to learn to draw and animate, there are different types of animation
Look up colleges or trade schools that have animation programs and give Bachelors degrees
Do as many internships as possible during college ( or even before college ) to gain experience and improve your resume
Look for after college programs, to learn and gain even more experience and make a name for yourself
If you're still in high school, I would suggest looking on the school or library's computers for Adobe applications : Photoshop, Animate, Illustrator and etc. You can learn to animate and draw using images and gifs from Pinterest and animating them in Photoshop and Animate. There are also tons of Youtube tutorials for beginners to learn that are free, there might even be some books in the library that teach it.
It is very important to start learning as early as possible since this is a time consuming skill that only gets better with lots of practice. There are even after college programs for people who still want to learn.
Mia recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Rosane’s Answer
I think there is a difference between working for a studio and being an artist for yourself. There are artists that work with animation, and there are animators, that work for studios. To work for a studio is artistic, but it's different than being an artist. It's creative, but there is not the responsibility and engagement inherent to making your own decisions while an artist.
I just wanted to put this difference out there.
Regardless, as someone already said above, you don't really need a degree to be an animator or an artist. I think it helps organize your mind on what you know and what you don't know, and the order of learning. But there are many tutorials and courses available, in case you are not interested in a degree. And, of course, if you want a degree, there are plenty of colleges for animation, for painting and drawing, for digital art, for film and video.
I just wanted to put this difference out there.
Regardless, as someone already said above, you don't really need a degree to be an animator or an artist. I think it helps organize your mind on what you know and what you don't know, and the order of learning. But there are many tutorials and courses available, in case you are not interested in a degree. And, of course, if you want a degree, there are plenty of colleges for animation, for painting and drawing, for digital art, for film and video.