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Position:Home>Visual Arts> Do you have to be good at drawing in order to be a successful computer animator?Question: Do you have to be good at drawing in order to be a successful computer animator!? I am a high school student who has just recently become interested in computer animation!.
I have been looking at the numerous other questions about computer animation on yahoo answers!. People keep saying that one should take art related classes and major in Art, Multimedia Arts, Fine Arts, or Computer Science, etc!. I was wondering if it is necessary for me to be good at drawing before I try to jump into this field (because I am not an artist)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What kind of animation are you interested in doing!? Pixar!? Game design!? Special effects!? Or industrial/corporate models (think jet engine illustrations) You'll likely be working with a team in whatever speciality you choose!. Computer animation teams break down into some pretty diverse categories!. You've got Technical Animators, which would require a computer science background!. These are people that work on creating dynamic simulations, animation software, and sometimes rigging models!. You've got modelers, and texture/render artists!. This would be the best fit for someone who was a painter/traditional artist!. What I find is the most challenging part of 3d animation, is the animation!. Getting a character to look alive, act with personality, walk with weight and gravity, etc is a talent that takes lots of hard work to develop!. Buy "The Animator's Survival Kit" by Richard Williams, it's been a golden standard for generations of animators, and it has nothing to do with computers!. You say you are not an artist, yet do you really have the eye for animation!? Animation may not be a "fine art", as in "art for art's sake" but it is an applied art, and takes a designer's or artist's sensibilities and honed visual skills to excel!. I sucked at drawing when I started college, but it always irked me when I heard people say, "I can't draw" If you can hold a pencil and write, you can draw!. Keep on drawing and you'll get better!. If you become an art major, chances are there will be an intro to drawing professor that will kick your butt into shape!. Drawing is an important tool in getting visual ideas across, and effective team communication is vital to the success of any creative office!. As far as a major goes, major in Art and Computer Science if you can handle it, or minor in one or the other!. Be sure you can pursue computer animation with your art major in your school!. All this being said, the most important thing in getting a computer animation job is your demo reel, hands down!. People won't care if you're 16 or 60, if you have a GED or a PHD, if your demo reel is awesome!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |