Is there anything else I can do to get into animation?Īrt school really will give you the best leg up, but if you can't go, there are classes you can definitely take without being in a university full time- you'll just have to hunt them down. Q: I can't afford/am not able to/don't want to go to art school. Many fantastic character designers and colorists came out of design schools that do not focus on animation, and most background painters and designers come from very traditional art schools. If you're lucky enough to have an idea of what you would like to specialize in, you can also find schools that have programs that focus on your interest. Though CALARTS remains one of the most respected schools in the animation industry. Since I've left school, many, many more schools with full animation programs such as the one at CALARTS have popped up all over the country. Schools like the one I attended, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, will teach you animation (2D and 3D,) character design, storyboarding, background design and other skills required for animation production. There are several schools that have fantastic animation programs that cover all facets of the atr form. (My first job came from one of my teachers.)
Not only will you learn how to draw and how to SEE, you will meet people, students and teachers alike, who will give you new perspectives and will likely be the sources of your future jobs. The absolute best thing you can do to get into animation as a career is to go to art school. This may be repetitive to some, illuminating to others, and completely boring and useless to others still. I've been meaning to do this for a long time, and boy howdy is it long!!! It's organized into a few different categories. Head on over to her page and check it out! I'll also throw a copy paste after the break. This is filled with questions we have been asking for months. It does include a section dedicated to MLP, including some pretty awesome behind the scenes canon stuff, as well as her full role in season two explained. Lauren Faust recently released a full FAQ About all things animation over on her Deviant Art page.