1. The Industry
The first thing you need to do is to look into the animation industry. before deciding to pursue your career in animation. The worst thing that could happen is you spent all your hours and efforts preparing your animation portfolio to get into the program just to find out that it is not what you were expecting. Therefore, you will need to be aware of how the animation industry works, how the jobs are paid and what is the lifestyle like working in the industry. What you know a
bout animation without stepping into the actual field is very limited. You will have to find ways to explore and learn about what is it really like to work in an Animation studio. Searching online or talking to people who currently work in the animation industry is a good way to get a better idea of if you really want to pursue your career in this field. Animation Portfolio.
2. Drawing Skills
Applying to animation programs requires very solid art foundation skills. You need to know how to use different mediums such as pencil, charcoal, conté, acrylic, watercolor, marker, ink, etc. You will also need to have knowledge of perspective, color theory, storytelling, composition, design theory, human anatomy, etc. Preparing an animation portfolio requires students to express their skill sets in all different areas. Therefore, if you want to pursue an animation career while having little to no art background, you will need to find a teacher or an art studio to properly learn drawing and painting from the beginning. Good fundamental drawing skills are achieved by repeatedly practicing. Try to carry a little sketchbook with you everywhere you go and draw from your observation. Animation Portfolio.
3. Computer Technical Skills
We are not living in the old Disney Micky mouse movie age where animators have to draw everything on paper, frame by frame. The burst of technology has really made the job of animators and artists more convenient and efficient. Getting to know how to draw and animate digitally is essential in today’s world. Artists working in the animation industry need to be able to fluently use Photoshop, Procreate, Toonboom Harmony, Illustrator, Maya, Blender, Premiere, Storyboard Pro, and other adobe suite software. You won’t be using pencil and paper again after you start your study at the college level. You will need to apply your fundamental skills digitally and be familiar with these tools. It can take a while for you to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, it will save you tons of time with your artwork. Animation Portfolio.
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4. Your Emphasis Area
This is something you might have to think about before stepping into the animation field. What is your emphasis area in the animation business? There are a number of roles you can choose from within the animation pipeline, and some may suit you better than others. Deciding your emphasis area early is important because you will know what area of your skills you will have to focus working on. To give you an idea, some of the job roles in the animation business can be character designer, concept designer, 3D modeler, 2D animator, 3D animator, special effects, storyboarder, etc. All these positions require different skill sets from you. No one will be able to take on every responsibility when working professionally. You will have to make sure you emphasize one particular role to be able to stay competitive in the animation business.
5. Someone you Look up to
If you want to get into the animation industry, I’m sure there are animation films, TV shows, or games you really like. Find out why you like them, what really attracted you to like them and who were the people behind these productions to make them happen. Make these people your examples, and search them on social media to find out what other productions they have done. To be able to succeed in this business, you need to learn from the greats, study their artwork, make copies, and imitate their styles. You can even look to participate in any talk events they may have, and listen to their suggestions. Having someone to look up to can sometimes be very motivational and inspirational, especially during tough times.Animation Portfolio.
6. Connections
People you meet in college can be someone you will be working with in the future and even your professors may become your colleagues. College is the best time to build up your connections within the industry. It is easier to make friends in school than at work and these connections may help you achieve your career goals along the way. You don’t have to spend all your time going to parties and making friends, but try to talk to more people, learn from each other, and reach out to professors after class. They may be the ones who will give you job opportunities in the future Animation Portfolio.
7. Online Presence
You need to start building your online profile early. Start posting your artwork on Instagram, youtube, art station, etc. It takes time to build up a fan base but it will be something that can be very helpful when it comes to job seeking. The more followers you have means the more exposed you are, which means there will be more job opportunities coming your way. Don’t be afraid or shy of posting your work and let everyone see. This is something that all artists have to do constantly in the industry. Furthermore, having a good presence on social media can also push and encourage you to keep drawing and posting good artwork for people to see.
8. Dedication and Commitment
Last but not least is your dedication and commitment. Becoming successful in the animation business requires a lot of practice and learning. Since technology is rapidly growing, you will have to constantly learn new ways of enhancing your knowledge and skills as well as building up your portfolio. There will be tough times when you will have to stay up all night working on a project or didn’t save a file so you will have to do your work all over again, but this all will be worth it when you see your name at the end of Zootopia 4 or Avatar 3.
What can you do next?
If you still decide to pursue your career in animation and have desired schools you want to apply to, try to look for a portfolio preparation art studio that can help you develop your artistic skills as well as ensure your portfolio prep and application process is on the right track. Maximizing your possibility to get enrolled into your desired schools. New York Art Studio is a perfect place for you to develop your portfolio. One of the benefits is that each student will be guided with a tailored curriculum based on skill level, and goal. The studio offers one on one instruction that caters to what will make well-rounded outstanding portfolios for your chosen school and major portfolio requirements. With our targeted guideline for what colleges are looking for, students with/without previous art experience have made outstanding top-tier college admission results. This one-on-one approach has proven effective when it comes to developing a unique portfolio for art colleges’ admission. With challenging project plans and instruction from our experienced team, you can exactly target what colleges are looking for and what needs to be done! Animation Portfolio
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