aspanimator

[aspanimator]

About

Hello, welcome! This blog was designed to help guide people who want to learn how to animate but don’t know where to begin. I have highlighted a few of the most important things that I wish I had known when I was starting off, and I hope that the resources here are useful to others that are new to the field.

My name is Allison MacDougall, and I am passionate about art and animation. I have been taking drawing lessons since I was in fourth grade and my preferred medium is oil pastels. I am fairly new to animation but I am learning more every day; I even have some completed shorts and I am progressively improving.

Starting in animation without a school is difficult because it relies on self-discipline with no direction, but there is so much information available online that it is completely possible to teach yourself necessary skills to work in the field. With some patience and experimentation you can find the right tactics that work for you and your ideas, and you can start turning your imagination into reality. 

I am so excited to sharing these tips to help inspire anyone interested in cartooning. I will continue to update this blog as I learn more so my followers will have access to the most recent information. I am open to suggestion so any tips from others out there are more than welcome. 

In the future I would like to produced an animated series, so my learning has been centered around constructing TV shows and film short series. The tips I am including here should be applicable no matter what type of animation work you are interested in. I can’t wait to share my work with you, and I hope that the information I include in this blog will help you build your creative skill set.

[aspanimator]

Narrative Writing

Arguably the most important part of designing animated films is the unique story you are trying to tell. For many independent animators, their purpose for going into the field is to illustrate their stories in a setting where anything is possible and physics and reality do not apply. Whether you have a creative concept in mind or are still searching for inspiration, here are some helpful guidelines for how to write an effective narrative.

Your illustrated universe is completely a product of your mind (and artistic ability) and it can be as static or dynamic as you want it to be. The first thing you’ll want to do when you open your piece is establish a setting, including the location and time that your story takes place, so that viewers have an idea of how the characters should act. Your exposition should also include introductions for your main characters and general information about their backgrounds, habits and moral character.

Your story should be based around a central conflict, which is essential to establishing why your characters are there and what they are trying to accomplish. The conflict will likely pertain to the theme of the show, and the while there may be side ventures there should be one project that the characters are working to resolve the whole way. An example of this would be a show about high school, where the end goal is for the main characters to graduate, but the show details the social tribulations of being a teenager. Once you have a central conflict you will have a focus for your work to build around.

After you decide what you would like your show to be about you will decide if your concept will work best as a short film, a feature film, or if it should be episodic. Depending on which direction you take your piece, you’ll need to determine what you want the climax of the show to be and when in the production you would like it to happen. No matter which film style you take you should end with a resolution so that viewers are not frustrated by loose ends.

Perhaps the most brutal self evaluation you’ll face in your work when you ask yourself: Is your story actually interesting? Topics that do not address a popular theme can still be consumer friendly if done right, but making sure that you have relatable or intriguing elements in the show will keep people interested in your work. Being completely honest with yourself or even talking to friends about the ideas you’ve invented for your programs will be helpful to avoid discouragement down the road. No one wants to realize halfway through a project that people aren’t interested in what you have to say, especially not when the project is as time and effort consuming as animated work.

Once you’ve established a story with a working plot and structure you can start developing your characters and designing storyboards for your production, and that’s where the real fun begins.

Photo: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjhney3uLfUAhXCYiYKHUegClgQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fevans7i.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F06%2Fwriting.html&psig=AFQjCNF1mXWFYpZbYKDF8C-989XZYPtT3Q&ust=1497327075948737

Source: WikiHow. "How to Write a Good Plot." WikiHow. WikiHow, 11 June 2017. Web. 12 June 2017.

"5 Tips for Writing a Good Narrative Essay." Freelance Writing. FreelanceWriting, 03 Aug. 2016. Web. 12 June 2017.

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Basic Art and Design

What separates animation from basic storytelling is the elaborate art and design the author/director is able to demonstrate through the style of drawing and the scenes. Instead of a reader imagining what your made-up characters should look like, you’ve provided them with your specific vision so that they can fully interpret the appearance and actions of the characters in your story. That makes the art and design of your cartoon an essential element for its distribution.

The first thing to decide on is the basic style and design that you would like featured in your production. You’ll want the art in the show to reflect the theme, and you should draw your characters and settings to match your topic. A good example of this is the show “Metalocolypse”, an animated work about a metal band that triggers a violent apocalypse. All of the art in the show is dark and sometimes gruesome, to illustrate the show’s violent concepts, but simple enough that the show can be humorous and the deliberate gags in the artwork are noticeable. 

A link to the “Metalocolypse” title sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IzEncyqfgw

If you are not a practiced artist but would like to learn how to produce art for animation, it is luckily a skill that can be picked up by most, with discipline and practice. There are classes available on a variety of websites for free or for cost, depending on your resources and dedication to the practice. Lynda maintains the best variety of high quality courses (on any subject you can imagine) but costs $25 per month. Youtube has endless collections of people who can teach you art of varying style and quality, and the best part of Youtube’s free platform is that once you find an instructor you like they often have an entire channel that you can subscribe to that will help you develop your skills.

In order to be successful in animation is critical that you learn how to draw people. The best way to improve is through practice, and if you are a beginner you should practice drawing basic people until you are comfortable with the human form. Once you have developed a preferred style for drawing humans, you will need to develop a basic understanding of illustrating motion. Even if your character drawings are subpar, developing an idea of how characters are supposed to move will make motion drawing easier once you are more comfortable drawing. It is important to learn and understand basic anatomy and how the spine and joints move because in professional work you will want your character movement to look natural and deliberate. 

Appropriate facial expressions and shape connotations will help you typify your character so that audiences understand the significance each has in the show, which are important elements to learning how to draw people. I’ve included a link below to a great resource for drawing for beginners. 

http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/drawing-faces-lessons/howtodraw-people-tutorials.html

You’ll also need practice and experience with drawing settings, and while they may seem more minor to your production, the ability to draw fantastic places can make your work stand out among other animators. Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most world’s most notorious animation workers, is well known for the unique settings and characters he creates for his productions. Understanding where you want your scenes to take place and practicing sketching similar areas will give help you set the stage for the action in your show.

Lots of helpful tips for drawing settings are available in this article from drawinghowtodraw.com. http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/improve-drawing/drawing-backgrounds-interiors-scenes.html

If you are not artistically gifted and feel like you’ll never be able to produce the quality work that you would like to see for your cartoon, don’t worry! Depending on your budget and willingness to work with other people there are plenty of freelance artists that may be willing to work on a project with you. Oftentimes more skilled artists will require compensation, but it is not impossible to find artists that are willing to illustrate for you if they like your ideas and you are open to allowing their input on the show. Networking for artists through friends or even freelance websites like fiverr.com makes it possible for you to produce a show even if you are a novice artist.

Photos by: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwipiNbfuLfUAhWCQCYKHcyFC4cQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrinkinggamezone.com%2Fmovies%2Ffinding-nemo%2F&psig=AFQjCNG3WkGmbEYsQ6tw2zH3ETPCTwhTrA&ust=1497327212108413 , http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/drawing-faces-lessons/articles/howtodraw-human-figures.html

Source: "Learning To Draw For Animators." The Flying Animator. The Flying Animator, n.d. Web. 11 June 2017.

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Introduction to Web Tools

There are a huge variety of free and paid web tools available to beginning animators. Sorting through and finding the ones that are the most relevant to the projects that you’re pursuing can be tough, but luckily there is a lot of information and reviews for most of the free applications.

InDesign Pro and the entire Adobe collection are probably the most vital tools for people who are serious about learning to animate and would actually like to turn it into a career. Experience and certification in each will make you competitive in the field, and it is not difficult to learn and there are many outlets for classes online and in-person. The problem with these programs is that they are costly, and if you are new or just experimenting with animation I recommend you start by practicing with free tools, which may not have the same brand recognition but are usually still high quality. 

One of the top-rated free tools in the field is Poser Pro. If you want to make a 3D animation, it is a tedious process that often involves the advanced and mind-numbing task of making 3D characters, scenes, props, textures, lighting, etc. that take time away from simply animating. For people who are serious about animation but do not have the time or money to spend on animation school tuition or hours of tutorial videos, Poser Pro is an essential resource that is easy and fun to use and can help bring your drawings to life.

Corel Painter X3 is another mentionable digital art tool, specifically for people who don’t want to sacrifice their art quality as it becomes digital. Painter replicates real paint on a real canvas, and allows you to create surreal images that match your personal style and will allow you to express the unique traits that differentiate you from other artists. The basic software is available for free online, so you can test it to see if you are comfortable using it, but it offers an upgraded system with more resources for those who want to take full advantage of the program.

Of course, these are just a few of the countless tools available to aspiring content creators online. If you’re interested in learning more here is a review site that features more of the graphic art tools that are free to young animators. 

Photos by: http://www.studiodaily.com/2013/12/review-smithmicro-poser-10-and-poser-pro-2014/

http://store.modbook.com/corel-painter-x3-swdl.html

Sources: "Corel Painter X3." Official Modbook Store. Modbook Inc., n.d. Web. 11 June 2017.

"Poser - 3D Character Art and Animation Software." Smith Micro Software. Smith Micro Software, n.d. Web. 11 June 2017.

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Working in the Field

Marketing your work in animation with none of the structure that comes with attending schools from the arts can prove to be difficult for less connected people in the field. With the accessibility to tools for independents and with the growth of large corporations, it is unlikely that you will be randomly scouted even if your work is very high quality. The field is highly competitive but there are a few tricks you can learn to help yourself stay on par with your peers.

The first thing to do is to try and get real experience. It sounds trivial but it’s extremely important if you’re serious about working in animation. No one is interested in your ideas if you cannot express them properly, and practice is the only way you’ll be able to advance your skill set. 

Next you’ll need to research places you would like to work. You’ll need to decide if you would rather work independently where you have more freedom but less stability, or in a corporate setting where wages are higher but you have less control. Neither is better than the other and once you research corporations you can decide if any places sound like somewhere you would want to work.

Here is a link to a list of jobs in the animation field, which are necessary to look into when deciding whether or not you would like to make animation a career or a hobby. Working in a creative field can be fun, but it is still work and many companies will expect that you start in the lower positions and work your way up. http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/animation/job_roles

Next step to marketing your work would be to prepare a portfolio, with animations and drawings you’ve worked on throughout your career.  

In your portfolio you’ll want most of your drawings and work to be from life and direct observation like hands, human figures or animals. While it may be tempting to include your best work, you will want to avoid cliches like anime or tattoo art in favor of other work (such as multimedia projects) in order for companies and schools to take you seriously. 

In this field you can effectively use social networking to your advantage. Many animators, especially independent creators, have an active social media presence and are more than willing to interact with others in the community who are passionate and skilled in their work. Talking to other animators can help land you a spot on larger projects or network into larger studios. 

The creative fields sometimes have alternative social media rules than what many are used to, and understanding your personal brand and making it obvious in your media is crucial to landing connections. I’ve included a link to the active twitter of a fairly well-known animator PsychicPebbles, who works independently and operates mostly from YouTube. He is interactive with other animators online, and even just by scrolling through his posts you can get a feel for the community they’ve formed. https://twitter.com/psychicpebble

Photo: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi62pWhs7fUAhXCWSYKHX_rD0IQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.conceptart.org%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%2F186327-Animation-Portfolio-Workshop-vs-Sheridan-s-Art-Fundamentals%2Fpage8&psig=AFQjCNEEgcZtqgGnuLZ9F_aInFvNToGzBg&ust=1497325752036643

Source:"Portfolio Preparation." Ringling College of Art & Design. Ringling College of Art & Design, n.d. Web. 11 June 2017.

Glasbergen, Randy. "How To Market Cartoons." Cartoon Advice for Beginners. Randy Glasbergen, n.d. Web. 11 June 2017