Have you just finished an animation class or course and are considering a career in animation? That’s a great idea! Movies alone already have a massive amount. Ads and other videos use a lot of animation as well. If you play your cards right, you’ll have a lucrative animation career.
Of course, as a beginner, you can get pretty overwhelmed when thinking about where to start. But that’s why we made this list for starting-out animators such as yourself. There’s no longer a need to worry.
Animation Tips to Learn Today
- Keep it simple at the start.
We discussed the concept of keeping things simple here. Keeping things simple is probably the most critical tip you need to remember when starting your journey. You’re excited to start leveling up your game as an animator. But if you’re not yet familiar with the process, you might not succeed as quickly as you’d hope. And it takes a lot of practice for you to become familiar with the process. Keep your animations simple, and keep practicing the fundamentals. You’ll eventually get to do more advanced and complicated animations.
- Get familiar with different animation software.
Animation Mentor makes a clear distinction between 2D animation and 3D animation. Furthermore, that same article lists various kinds of software. And look, 3D and 2D use different software! You may not be sure which type of animation you want to specialize in when you first start. It’s better to familiarize yourself with the different kinds so you can get experience with them all. Best to find out which sorts animation studios also use for future reference.
- Invest in a good computer and other equipment.
If you seriously want to be an animator, be prepared to make a lot of investments. Software expenses are not the only ones associated with the animation field. You also have to invest in your equipment. Spend your funds wisely by choosing a computer with sufficient memory and the capability to run various software simultaneously. Make sure to research the best computer you can afford; there’s no sense in spending money that you don’t have. And don’t forget to equip yourself with a mouse or tablet that will speed up your workflow.
- Study the 12 Principles of Animation.
The foundation of any animation education is the 12 principles of animation writes Bloop Animation. The principles were put together by animators from Walt Disney Studios back in the 1930s. And they apply to both 2D and 3D animation. They include concepts such as anticipation, exaggeration, and timing. If you take these 12 principles to heart early on, you are well on your way to becoming a top animator. You can also check out our post on Creating a Simple Animation with Illustration using ImageReady.
- Practice showing emotion through facial features.
An article on CreativeBloq.com says that animators express real emotion through their creations with the movement of the face. For example, a character can have a shaking lip or chin when they are about to cry. Or the eyes may have a gleam of excitement or furtive, darting movement. If you want to make your animations look very natural, you have to practice this. A lot is conveyed in body movements, but the facial features are critical to nail the emotion. In the future, you might have to animate something that doesn’t have human features. You can compensate for this by using other features on the face to convey emotion.
- Analyze yourself doing actual movements.
Aside from facial features, you have to make character movements look authentic. The best way to do that is to record how you move. In fact, make the same motion you want to use in your animation. Acting out the movements will give you a clearer vision of how to begin your project. You will also be able to slow down specific gestures to make sure you capture the realistic details.
- Don’t make long animations.
Visme’s advice is to make short productions when it comes to animated works. Although it might be tempting to add more to show off your skills, it can backfire on you. Why? Because audiences tend to have very short attention spans. If what you’re watching is too long, you will eventually tune out as well, right?
- Check out the works of animators you admire.
You likely have idols in the animation industry. Go check out what they do and examine their methods. If they’re sharing any of their animation techniques, try them out. Research their respective animation processes too. You might find that one particular workflow of an idol that works for you. At the very least, you’ll get a lot of inspiration when viewing their works.
- Put together a demo reel of your capabilities.
If you don’t have a reel of your work, you will have nothing to present to people inquiring. That will make them doubt if you are an actual animator. Put together a collection of your best works. It doesn’t have to be anything featured commercially. Just show what you’re capable of producing. It could even be the different animation tests you do! Put the reel in the best sequence possible, something that viewers can easily follow.
- Trust your journey and the process.
Sometimes, you might feel like your progress is too slow. Worse, you might get rejected by your dream animation company. But don’t give up. Even if you think you’re behind schedule, any progress is still better than none. Even if you practice for just ten minutes a day, you would still have made progress. Be patient with yourself. Progress takes time, after all. Just stay with your work, and you’ll eventually get to where you want to be.
Keep these ten tips in mind as you level up your animation skills. Remember, the animation field is not easy to master. Accept that you will make mistakes, then learn from those mistakes. Once you get your skills to a certain level, people will come calling to work with you. Just be patient and keep practicing.