20 things you can expect as a traditional (2D) animation student that they never tell you:
you will love your rough drawings more than your clean
if you don’t flip your drawings your teachers will know. oh they will know.
you will draw an insane amount of detail at first in hopes to impress your teachers. don’t. they’ll get you to inbetween that and it’s not fun. trust me, there’s a reason successful cartoon shows have nice, simple, clean designs.
line weight is hella important. as is colour theory.
storyboarding is not easy. it’s actually in demand rn because of how time consuming/difficult it is. lots of fun though especially if you’re a creative person.
the animator’s survival kit is your bible. doesn’t matter that thing weighs as much as a small child. take that with you everywhere. it is now your baby.
glen keane is considered a deity amongst animators.
your teachers will likely look hella young but irl be much much older. this seems to be a side effect of working in kid’s shows for over 10 years. it is a good thing.
every animator knows the impending dread of deadlines. yes, this includes your teachers. it is likely many of them will be working at studios/their own projects the same time as teaching. that is why they are immortal and their wisdom incomparable.
speaking of deadlines, say goodbye to a regular sleeping pattern and balanced lifestyle
if your wrist starts to ache like a then start drawing more with your shoulder. loosey goosey baby. loosey goosey.
life drawing is essential. don’t skip that . anatomy is important. even if your character has six arms and five eyes you still need to be able to make them move.
you are regarded as a dying breed amongst the 3d kids. that’s ok. give them a pencil and paper and ask them to animate a 4 legged walk cycle traditionally. see what happens.
however if you’re anything like me, maya will look like a foreign language to you.
srsly wtf is maya? what sacrifice to the animation gods must i make to understand this program?
watching your favourite cartoons and animated movies regularly is important not only to motivate but is essential bonding time with your classmates. only now everyone wants to talk about how beautiful the backgrounds in steven universe are as well as cry over the character designs.
perspective is hard. period.
there is always that one kid in class who’s already done their 10,000 drawings and are untouchable. those are the ones to sit near in the hopes you can try and get some of that raw talent to rub off onto you.
coffee/energy drinks/sugar will rise to the top of your already crumbling food pyramid.
you improve lots. and some days something will just click and all of a sudden you’re firing out 40 frames an hour.
and finally no. 21 the most important thing of all: bring a blanket and something squishy to sleep on and leave them at school. there will be emergency nap times. sometimes weekly. sometimes daily.
An Addendum: Things I’ve Learned As A Working Professional 2D Animator They Didn’t Really Tell Me In School
- you’ll learn more at your first job than in your time at school. (ok, they did tell me that at school, but i never learned how true that was until i actually got a job)
- being able to work well with others and treating them well is a more important job skill than being able to draw like glen keane
- your friends are important. yes, they may be able to help you get jobs if they have an in at some studio or other, but the friends that 1. keep you inspired and 2. you can trust to have your back, whether on a job or in your personal life, are the ones you want for life.
- don’t put industry veterans (or even that one kid in your figure drawing class that draws like the second coming of leonardo da vinci) on too high of a pedestal. respect them, admire them, and learn from them 1000%, but don’t worship them.
- there are only so many overnights that one person can pull in their entire lifetime. don’t blow through them all immediately.
- take breaks. your eyes and your drawing hand are your tools, take good care of them and they will serve you a long time. your physical and mental health are more important than your art, though some people will tell you otherwise.
- don’t be ashamed of what you love if it’s something the cool kids are making fun of. try to figure out the reasons why you love it instead - it will only enrich your own work. if it inspires you and gives you good feelings, it’s important, whether it’s “trendy” to like or not.
- GET INTO EVERYTHING! studying cartoons and animation is important of course, but so is watching live action movies! documentaries! and maybe some weird artsy video games! obscure mid-century eastern-european animated films! playing music! going on nature walks! people-watching in cafes! the world is vast and limitless, and the more inspiration you take from outside of the animation that already exists, the more cool and different your own animation will grow to be.
- there is no One Good Career Path. just because you’re feeling like maybe you might not be able to cut it as your original plan to be a Disney Character Designer doesn’t mean you have failed. i know many people that have found their way into production and illustration and graphic design and found their own happiness and success in those fields. and if you can build up a good customer base, the freelance life ain’t so bad either.
- never forget that you love drawing, and that is why you got into this hellbusiness. ahem. sometimes you may have to take some time away from it to remember this.
- perspective will continue to be hard. but don’t worry, part of becoming a professional is figuring out how to cheat things so they look ok. someday you’ll ascend to escher’s level and spit in its eye.
- that feeling that you’re never going to be good enough, that you still have so much to learn - that never ends. don’t worry if you’re getting a little frustrated with your work. it means you might have hit a growth period and if you can push yourself through that, your work will be just that much better.
- stay inspired, keep creating. don’t listen to folks telling you this is a dying art. it’s an evolving one, certainly, but we are pretty dang far from lying down. make what you love, and you’ll find your audience and your niche.
- you are awesome and brave for choosing this career path. it is not always easy, because many people tend to associate 2D with “low tech” and obsoletion (fellow flash/toon boom/tv paint users, laugh with me), and finding jobs in the industry can be a struggle, and finding employers that treat you like the highly skilled individual that you are that you are even more so. but if you’re like me and the people i know, you chose this for love of the art. and that means something.
