A career in animation is both fun and lucrative. There are just a lot of opportunities out there in the field of marketing, finance, and so much more. This drive for more and more animators is most likely brought on by the fact that people simply enjoy watching art in motion.
If you’re a newcomer, you don’t need to worry too much. The field might seem a bit scary at first but in reality, everyone starts out as a beginner. If you want to become an excellent animator one day, here are a few important tips that you should bear in mind at all times.
Your Gear Matters
If you’re going to work for a company, this isn’t something that you need to worry about. You’re most likely going to be provided by the company.
However, working as a freelancer means that you’ll need an excellent rig of your own. This means having a good PC with specs that are more than enough to run the best animation software apps out there. Most people won’t hire animators if the specs of their gear aren’t up to par.
Aside from a good PC, you’ll also need to have other gear such as a good mouse and a drawing tablet to make animation a lot easier.
Focus On Mastering Specific Software
There are lots of animation software out there. Trying to master all of them at once can lead to you becoming average in all of them. It would be wise to go and pick the animation software that you are comfortable with and then master that instead.
The most popular animation software that employers usually require is Adobe Animate/Character Animator, Autodesk Maya, and Biteable. All are hard to master but they result in amazing works of animation. Of course, since most companies look for experts in these, you can easily find work.
Start Building Your Portfolio
You should start building your professional portfolio as soon as you can. Not only will this be a good referral for when you finally start to work. It will also be a good way to start developing your skills for your future projects too.
Practice Makes Perfect
As cliche as it sounds, practice does make perfect when it comes to animation. Techniques are being developed each day and the trends change very quickly too. By practicing when you can, you’re sure to keep up with your peers in no time.
Of course, don’t forget to rest up every once in a while. A lot of animators suffer through issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome because of the amount of stress that’s put into their hands. Always take regular breaks and stretch your body out too. Nothing’s better than an animator with decent rest.
Animation is a fun and lucrative career but it’s every bit as challenging as you think it is. By considering these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to become better at this craft and you’ll soon become an artist that many companies are more than eager to get on their team.
