Do You Have to Know How to Draw to Be an Animator

Animation is such a vivid vehicle for storytelling that it's easy for people to never actually consider what goes on behind those flickering pixels. Getting caught upward in the magic, motion and color—who is going to be thinking well-nigh what happens on the other side of the screen? As information technology turns out: you are!

If you love design and animation, the process of how the piece of work comes together is just as fascinating as the work itself. But there'southward a process to consider even before that—the steps you'll need to have to go an animator in the commencement identify.

In this article, we'll outline what makes an animation career highly-seasoned too as the steps you'll need to have to make this creative career a reality.

Why become an animator?

Though it might seem like a lofty career aspiration, animation is actually a thriving manufacture with lots of options, solid task opportunity and in a higher place boilerplate earning potential. Co-ordinate to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for animators in 2017 was $70,530.^*

The career is on a steady pace of growth and job opportunity. The BLS writes that consumers demand more than realistic video games, movie and idiot box special furnishings, and three-dimensional movies will continue driving employment opportunity for animators.

"Animation has never been more pop than today," says blitheness voiceover icon Bob Bergen. "Every major studio has a thriving animation department. There are 24/7 networks devoted to animation. Animation is one of the oldest forms of media entertainment, and with everything new in technology, it's still going strong with no stop in sight."

5 Steps to becoming a professional person animator

Is an animation career in your hereafter? The following steps will lay out what yous can await to do along the way.

Step i: Appraise your aptitude

Animation isn't for everyone. You'll need certain skills and traits to be successful. While nigh anything can be learned over time with enough instruction and practice, you'll however desire to practice a fiddling honest self-inventory and compare with what employers expect of animators.

Animators, like many other professionals, volition need to have a mix of technical and "soft'" skills to excel in their careers. Organizational ability, creativity, teamwork and communication skills might seem like obvious requirements, just they're listed for a reason. Animators often work closely every bit function of a squad and receive feedback from stakeholders who might not have a artistic background and need these skills to work effectively. Later on all, there's not much utilize for brilliant animators if they can't have management, work well with others or explain their vision.

Moving beyond soft skills, at that place's plenty for animators to master on the technical side of things. Our analysis of over six,306 multimedia designer and animation job postings found the following skills and competencies were virtually usually required:^**

• Adobe® Creative Suite® (including Photoshop®, Illustrator® and After Effects®)
• Prototyping
• User feel (UX) / User Interface (UI) design and wireframing
• 3D modeling
• Video editing

Step two: Go educated

Once you accept a handle on what's expected of animators, the adjacent stride for well-nigh is to build their abilities through instruction. Employers typically require animators to possess a Bachelor'southward degree, according to the BLS.^* That lines upwardly with our assay of chore postings, too—83% of the jobs postings we analyzed preferred applicants with a Available'southward caste.^**

These degrees not only verify to employers that you have a well-rounded education, but they also ensure that you get important exposure to many facets of motion graphics and blitheness. For case, Rasmussen College's Available's caste in Graphic Design with an Animation & Motion Graphics specialization includes courses on colour theory, digital furnishings, the business of digital media, 3D modeling and portfolio development.

Your Bachelor's degree should provide you with everything you'll need technically to begin working in animation—along with other core graphic design skills and the theory to back them up.

Stride three: Seek experience

While some students might discover job opportunities without experience outside of school, Tom Geiser, president of Pickett Productions says internships are an of import way for aspiring animators to transition from academia to the career world.

"Animation school projects are nice, only they don't ever translate in the real world," Geiser says. "Try to become an internship—or freelance while you are in school. Applied job feel puts yous miles ahead of the competition."

If you can find a few opportunities to network at school and land an internship or a few low-budget clients who are willing to try your skills, you tin develop a much stronger portfolio and resume.

Step four: Build your portfolio

As an animator, y'all aren't going to be walking into a job interview with a scrapbook. Many animators create websites to showcase their best work, attract clients and impress employers. Your animation programme should requite you enough of expert management in building a disarming portfolio, and you will most likely have a few projects to showcase there past the fourth dimension you graduate.

Blitheness is definitely a "show me" career—the more work yous can highlight and include, the amend. Try to balance your portfolio with different animation styles and types of work. A robust portfolio with varied work samples will go a long way toward improving your employability.

Step five: Find a job

With a Bachelor's degree, some internship or freelance experience and a strong portfolio, you volition be well equipped to search for a chore in blitheness. While it might not be what first springs to listen, many animators piece of work outside of movies and advertisements. Our article, "Where Do Animators Work? 5 Options You Never Knew Existed," outlines a few of the lesser-known blitheness employment options.

To brand yourself equally competitive as possible, Geiser advises new animators to gain more general experience. "Nigh seem to have experience in one aspect of blitheness or i software platform." But if yous branch out and try to learn another programme, you're more likely to have the right skill set.

"I remember blitheness students, like other students, are unsure on how to sell themselves or accentuate the positives in their experience," Geiser says. "I know it's tough talking about yourself, just you will have to practice information technology sooner or later."

Are you drawn to blitheness?

If you were wondering how to become an animator, so y'all probably now know that the exciting globe of animation isn't all that far away!

These steps offer a birds-heart view of what it takes to become an animator. The proficient news is you're well on your way toward completing the first step only past reading this article. As you brand the move from self-evaluation to furthering your instruction, you lot'll want to do your inquiry and ensure you observe a plan that fits you and your needs well. If you're ready to take that step, check out the Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design—Animation and Motion Graphics specialization program page to larn more about what Rasmussen College has to offering.

^*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Section of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [information accessed September 17, 2018] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Bacon data represents national, averaged earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of instruction and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries and employment conditions in your area may vary.
^**Burning-Glass.com (analysis of half dozen,306 animator chore postings, Aug. 01, 2017 – Jul. 31, 2018).
Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Afterward Effects are all registered trademarks of Adobe Systems.

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Source: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/how-to-become-an-animator/

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