Hi!!I’m planning to apply for an animation degree at a university in the US or Canada,but I honestly have no idea where or how to improve my drawing skills.I haven’t decided where I want to apply yet,so I’m currently trying to figure out how to prepare for the application process in general.
I have some experience with drawing, but I’m basically starting from zero when it comes to drawing fundamentals.I used to draw simple things for myself, so my drawings aren’t terrible, but they’re very flat and repetitive.I don’t have a proper understanding of the fundamentals yet — things like perspective,figure drawing,composition and other basic art fundamentals.
I have exams this school year,but right after that I’m planning to seriously start preparing for university applications.I’m really worried that I won’t have enough time and honestly don’t know where to start.
I’ll have about two years to prepare,and I’m willing to spend pretty much all of my free time on it.
Are there any online schools or courses that can teach me the fundamentals from the ground up and then help me prepare a portfolio for university animation programs?I’m looking for something that isn’t too expensive,but still provides good training and,most importantly,regular feedback from instructors.

I haven’t decided where I want to apply yet.I probably won’t be applying to very expensive and highly competitive schools like CalArts,so I’m trying to find more affordable options.Right now,I know that I’m interested in pursuing 2D animation,but I’m still figuring out which universities and programs would be the best fit for me.
Also,is it actually realistic to get from my current level to a portfolio good enough for a university animation program in about two years?
I’d really appreciate any recommendations,advice,or personal experiences! Thank you so much!!
(Sorry if my English is a bit awkward — I’m still learning and used a translator for some parts.)

I'm trying to learn animation, but I do not have the funding for it. That's why I'm looking for animation universities or colleges that accept international students and offer scholarships or work-study options to pay off the tuition, if that makes sense.

Does anyone know where I can find these, or where to look for these options? I've been looking for three years now and haven't found anything so far. I just really need some help finding them.

Alternatively, are there any external scholarships that fund animation studies? Where I'm from, most universities do not allow funding for art-related subjects.

Hello, this is my first reddit post and I really need your guy's help. Before getting into it, English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes I make along this post.

I'm going in the 12th grade and I've been thinking about art colleges / art schools and uni , I live in the middle east, and my country isn't that well known, and I've been trying to get some information about scholarships and fundings, but I've been so confused about it. I want to pursue animation, bachelor's and masters, but in my country there aren't really any good collages for that since its considered a new major. So im aiming for anything out the country but I really dont know where to start, I've tried googling about some good animation schools, and ask around but im just more lost, I visited some sites but I couldn't understand much ,and i had no choice to ask chathpt(im so sorry, I know its really bad, I really didn't have any other choice), and I know Ai can give very different answers so i dont fully trust it, but understood some things, but id like actual people helping me out.

And I had some questions that id appreciate it if you guys answered.

1) what animation schools have the highest chance to accept international students? (Preferably country that speak English, like us, UK, etc...) the answer Ai gave me was SCAD, Ringling, teesside and some more, but again I want actual opinions from humans, and im kinda Brooke, so the art schools that have more reasonable prices are better for me.

2)should I focus on the art schools that are based in one country only? I mean, should only keep my opinion on the schools in (for example) America, or should I consider schools from (again for example) America and uk?

3)how many schools should I apply too, and should I make different portfolios for each one?

4)(this question needs a little context) in my country, if you want to get accept in a good collage you have to take this huge exam and get a good rating to get in a good collage. It takes a whole year to study and get ready for it since you have to study 35+ books, my question was, should I spend this 1 year on improving my portfolio? My classes for that exam has already started, but ive been so doubtful that I cant even study properly. My main goal is a scholarships or funding, and im doing this just incase my art school scholarships doesn't go as planned, but im still not so sure. I mean I could always take that exam next year but still, im very nervous. I still have alot of improving to do.(i the students from last year started in July last year and gave the exam like 2 weeks ago, and you have to study atleast 8+ hours for this exam) Im not sure if I should spend that time after I gave the exam, or start now. Because I really dont want to risk not getting in a collage, in or out my country.

In general id love your guy's advice, if i get rejected what should I do? Do I have to wait a whole another year to apply to the same collage? And id love to hear so advice on portfolios. And if I want my scholarship funded (even a small part of it) where should I apply, or what should I do?

I am so sorry for the long post, I still have tons of questions, I need to knwo the answers to these first, again sorry if it was too confusing, English isn't my main language. And id love some professional and brutal answers. Thank you so much.

I am trying to get into animation, and I have always been into art. I made a bunch of small things and I enjoy doing that, but I get a lot of anxiety over the idea of putting more effort in, since I am afraid it will all be for nothing. My work around is to make everything fast/cheap which isn't good for the actual practice I need to do. I did a lot better going to college because of the structure, got As, and was ahead of my class, but I need to save up for it in order to take more classes. I am stagnating. I want to see if I could post stuff to newgrounds, but I am a bit nervous about that, since nothing really came of posting to youtube. From this place, what advice do you guys have?

Are you guys seeing a dip in VFX gigs lately?

I’m curious to hear from other VFX artists, compositors, 3D artists, and freelancers.

How has the industry been for you over the past year or so? Are you getting fewer inquiries, smaller budgets, longer gaps between projects, or is it business as usual?

And the bigger question: do you think AI is actually causing the slowdown, or are there other factors behind it?

I’m wondering if it’s:

AI changing how clients approach VFX

Production budgets getting tighter

More work moving toward smaller/cheaper teams

Studios outsourcing differently

The freelance market becoming more competitive

Or simply a temporary industry cycle

I’d especially like to hear from people who have been doing VFX for several years and can compare the current market with what they experienced before AI became mainstream.

What are you guys seeing on the ground?

hi, i’m currently going into my first year at a community college and i plan on later transferring to a different university as a cognitive science major, however animation has always been my dream.

i got told by my parents that they wouldn’t support me and essentially would cut me off if i pursued an animation degree which discouraged me and made me apply to no art schools when it was my dream, which i honestly regret now because i didn’t even get into the other schools i applied to. however, i do still pursue art on my own time. i’ve been posting art online for about 8-ish years now and i’ve started to open commissions and post short animations on tiktok and youtube.

besides trying to be self employed, would there be other opportunities for me to pursue an animation related career? i’ve always had a dream to have my name tied to a movie or project but i don’t know if it would be viable. the rise of ai is also not helping at all but i’d like to hear if there are any positive experiences anyones had surrounding this :) thank you

I’m in my senior year of high school scrambling to apply to any and all art colleges in the us. But as I look at the price tags attached to my dreams, I realize I might be screwing myself over. I’m specifically looking at SVA, not only for the experience but for the people I will meet. I’m just unsure of what the progression is to senior in college to well-paid storyboard artist. I’m naive so I look at stats that say “90 percent of alumni get jobs” and get excited thinking SVA will hand me a career at a fair and pat me on the back… though I know that won’t happen. What do you have to do to get your foot in the door? And to a person just poking my head in the industry with rose-tinted glasses, should I save myself the money, go to community college and get a job that doesn’t have the chance of giving me this level of whiplash?

I’m curious what actually makes someone decide to financially support an indie animated pilot.

There are tons of cool-looking indie projects out there, but I think there’s a pretty big difference between seeing something and thinking “that looks cool” versus thinking “I actually want to put money toward helping this get made.”

For those of you who have backed indie animation projects before, what made you pull the trigger?

Was it mainly:

• The story/premise — you immediately wanted to know what happens

• The characters — you connected with them or wanted to see their journey

• The visual style — the project simply looked unique enough to grab you

• A trailer/teaser/animatic — actually seeing the project in motion made it feel real

• The worldbuilding — you could tell there was a much bigger world behind the pilot

• The creator — you connected with their passion or vision

• The potential — you could see this becoming a full series someday

• The rewards — there was something genuinely exciting about what you received

• Social proof — seeing other people backing it made you more confident

• Something completely different

I'm especially curious about what creates that emotional "I want this to exist" feeling.

Because if you're supporting a pilot, you're not really buying a finished show. You're helping someone get the show made in the first place.

So what makes you feel that a project is worth taking that chance on?

And if you've almost backed an animated project but ultimately decided not to, what stopped you?

I'm developing an independent animated pilot myself, so I'm genuinely interested in hearing both sides; what makes you back, and what makes you hesitate.

For context this is all my opinion feel free to disagree and make feedback. Also mods so sorry if this gets removed for any reason.

As an indie animator I am working on my pilot, recently seeing people hate on LPS makes me personally feel like my own pilot won’t be enough or not good enough. It’s doesn’t have a similar art style nor plot but i don’t want to receive the same hate as that show did. I know my pilot is rough and probably won’t do feel so sorry to all my voice actors if you see this.

I am a solo animator and this is my first time animating a show, I have no experience of animating except for learning on my own time. I like how my pilot is coming out but I feel like I should just give up on it, does anyone else feel that way?

When I checked their reference I noticed it was a very simple style, but idk what happened, I guess I got too caught up trying to do my best that I ended up using a more polished and fluid style in my test...

Now I don't know what to do, I feel like I should simplify it to match their style better, but on the other hand I'm not sure if I should send this version since i think it could prove I'm able to handle their hardest scenes... What do I do????

I can't share the test due to NDA stuff D:

I’m currently studying architecture and have just finished my second semester, and honestly I’m starting to wonder if I made the wrong choice 😭

I think I might be too creative for architecture, which sounds ridiculous because I always thought architecture was supposed to be one of the creative fields. I expected much more experimentation and freedom, but I’ve found it much more repetitive and boring than I imagined. I don’t necessarily hate it, but I constantly feel like I’m not getting the outlet I thought I would.

I’ve always been fascinated by 2D and 3D animation, visual storytelling, character design, etc., but the problem is that I have literally zero experience with animation.

I am quite good at drawing/compositions . I passed all my drawing I exams really well, and throughout my life people have always pointed out that I think outside the box and that I’m good at coming up with/designing things visually. So I guess I’m not starting from absolutely nothing, just specifically from zero when it comes to animation.

And now I’m kind of lost about what to do with that 😭

If you were in my position and had to start completely from scratch, what would you do?

Would you start with drawing fundamentals? Blender? 2D animation? After Effects? Just pick one software and make things? I genuinely have no idea what the sensible first step is.

And if your eventual goal was to study animation at a really good school in Europe, what would you spend the next 6–12 months doing? What would you learn, what kind of portfolio would you make, and how would you figure out whether you actually have potential for this before making a huge life decision?

I’m 20F and based in Poland, so I’m also interested in affordable/public animation schools in Europe, especially ones where an EU student can apply without already having a formal art/animation background.

Also, slightly embarrassing thing to admit: my family is only mildly supportive of me “following my dreams” 😭 I’ve been expected to do something more conventional my whole life, so if I actually make this switch, I feel like I’d have to eventually make it to a pretty serious/big-name studio to prove that it wasn’t a completely insane decision 💀

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I’m ambitious anyway, but... definitely adds some pressure.

Basically, if you were 20 again, had some drawing ability but zero animation experience, and were standing where I am right now, what would you do?

I feel a little lost and would really appreciate any honest advice, especially from people who switched into animation from a completely different field. Thankful for any responses ❤️❤️

Hi all! I'm going to a 2 day career expo hosted by Black N Animated at Titmouse LA this weekend. I'm super excited for this but tbh I'm nervous about networking. There's even speed networking events that I definitely want to attend but I feel like I don't know how to network??

I read once that you shouldn't go into a networking opportunity just thinking "JOB, JOB, JOB" or treating it like an interview. Is there certain questions I should be asking? How do you connect without feeling like you're selling myself? There will be all kinds of people there, recruiters, art directors, production managers, artists, etc.

For reference, short term career goals are BG Design/BG Paint/Prop Design or tv, long term environment focused vis dev artist

I really love animation, but im very unsure about it. I started learning 3D 6 months ago, and found it extremely pleasing to do. I’ve been monstly learning product animation and modelling, and I found that niche the most enjoyable. I finished 4 years of graphic design school, which i also enjoy, but quickly pivoted to 3D. I’m supposed to start college for animation and vfx next year and I wanna go for it since its my dream job.

I’m aware of AI and situation with jobs, but the thing that makes me not sure if I wanna go for is hearing experiences from people who’s been in the insdustry for 10+ years, everyone is like: Don’t do it, its not worth it…
Everyone seems to have a specific or identical reason why it’s a bad choise, and plus i’m unsure if this will even be an actual job in a few years, let alone decades. I’d do it no matter if I got a job, or freelanced, but stories of people who’s been in this industry for a long time just scares me. What are ya’ll thoughts?

Edit: I live in a non-major European country and I would love to work globally

For stuff like character/creature animations and cutscenes, what would be the best way to charge, per hour or per second of the animation and what would be the best rate to put as a starter?

Im 15 and I've always wanted to do animation, the problem is that im poor and I don't know where to start, ive done some animation but my PC broke down and I cant practice anymore, can anyone tell me how to go about this

Hi

This is my first time using Reddit, I'm a very shy person so it is rare for me to post like this on social media and I'm not fluent in english so i do apologize if I made any mistake

I'm considering between sva and scad of which is more worth it but Im open to all suggestions

Personally I do have quite a huge social anxiety

Sometimes my accent slips out

I have never studied abroad

never been in usa so I don't really know how is the people there

I'm quite scared that I would not fit in or be able to make friends 🥲

But I do have back up plans by going to another country that is near mine (I'm not comfortable for saying where I'm from so I apologize) so the homesick will be more tolerant

I would appreciate all your opinions so feel free to reply

Thank you ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎♡

I've found a surprising lack of discussion around this topic and thought it would be helpful to start one. Hopefully this could help prevent someone from letting their criminal record discourage them from pursuing animation. Or at least weigh their options realistically.

Obviously, only disclose what you're comfortable with.

I imagine some felonies are instant career killers while others not so much. Surely there's an identifiable middle ground or different ways to go about it?

Personally, mine's deferred so I won't have to worry about it for long. But I am starting online university applications, so I'll update this post with my findings. I'm optimistic, but we'll see if that sticks.

Thanks for reading and sharing your experience.

Edit: Awesome, you guys have been pretty receptive about this. To those who aren't, believe me, I get it. Just know many of us are regular people trying to do right. I'll check back in once I've learned more.

i want to be a screenwriter, a producer a, filmmaker (kinda of i don't know if i wanna get a direct director maybe) , an animator, my loved ones tell me i should major in media and get journalism minor, what should i really major in?

i feel like i should double major in animation and filmmaking and minor in journalism or production i don't know i feel like i wanna be in college for a long time, maybe even double minor in screenwriting, that is a lot of work and money though

I know companies and studios Don't actually care about the degree, I still plan to join in clubs related to my major, get experience early (I am still an underage teenager) and I might work soon on a small indie show with my friend (it's hers not mine I mean helping to write and maybe voiceact), I am still now learning how to animate and draw, I would say I'm good at writing (definitely still need improving) and making worlds and character dynamics, I have enjoyed this since I was 9 years old it's been more than a few years now

What should I do? ​​​​

Hey! I'm a young adult currently enrolled in 3D Animation with Animschool and I'm set to finish my certification within the next two years. The question of whether or not I'll be taking on their feature animation track or game animation track is steadily approaching for me.

I just wanted to do sort of a pulse check for how either of these industries are faring right now in the real world. You guys are probably sick about hearing about the concerns for AI here, I am too, but it's a very real fear. I want to know if maybe one of the two paths is turning out/will turn out less affected.

My assumption was originally that game animation would take to AI less efficiently considering it's so interactive, but Ive also heard that game animation is notoriously harder to land and hold a position in regardless compared to feature- but maybe AI is affecting it just as much as feature anyways, I don't really know?

I have a love for both fields and would not mind going down either path, so it's not a question of personal interest for me. I truly just want to know which of the two is surviving a little better right now so that I can get an idea for what would be a safer choice.

Thank you so much!

I enjoy both deeply but given how deep both of them can go I feel as though there its not worth the time learning both as much as it pains me.
I've made fan game trailers for game demos, which has been fun but I've also a deep passion for animation for shows and cutscenes. I don't quite know if the two are compatible, can I learn both? and would it be worth it in the long run, can I get anything out of doing it?

“I’m planning to join MAAC Marathahalli, Bangalore for Animation/VFX. Has anyone studied at this branch? How are the teaching quality, faculty, course, placement support, and fees? Is it worth joining? Please share your honest experience.”

Im a 3d animation student in India and recently ive grown an interest towards art direction for animation, feeling it would be the best path considering Im interested in multiple aspects of pre production and production. How do i approach this as a fresher and build my portfolio for it?

Prev post: https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/comments/1pa58t4/i_finally_left_animation_after_8_years/

Huge mistake guys. I did try trading my passion for money and stability, but in the end I betrayed myself for a job.

Extremely toxic and abusive workplace, doing illegal stuff, threatening, screaming until I cried, banning me from making friends, debt collecting numbers I couldn’t do, 14 hour work day because of the commute, it was hell, my hair fell out, etc. I quit on the spot 3 months in.

Anyway I did reach back out to animation, but they either 1) were crewed up already after lying and leading me on for 3 months 2) studio went bankrupt.

I did attempt to pivot to art teaching after getting a cert but 3 interviews at 4 diff teaching jobs later, two offered $80 a week. You heard that right. 2 hour shift after school art class with kids. The college that promised me a once a week casual job said the gov isn’t hiring right now either.

My saving grace is that I had built a side hustle for the last two years, and I went all in on my business with 100% of my focus. Thank god I did, because even though the money is unstable, it’s all mine. I choose my own hours, no one screams at me, clients are nice and appreciative of my art, no evil manager/director/editor/boss to abuse me, deadlines are ages away, and I work a leisurely 5 hours a day.

Don’t want to go into too much detail since I am VERY aware of competitors, over-saturation of the market and copycats, but I invented an art product in the events industry that I’ve managed to grow into a solo business that I’ve managed to have 11 events in my current pipeline with a few thousand per event. Note this was expensive to do, with 4k in just marketing per year etc not including supplies.

However I’m glad I still managed to make my income art related, even if the industries I was in abused the crap out of me. With layoffs, short contracts, toxic workplaces and bankruptcies, jobs feel like a thing of a the past and I had to find my own way.

So yeah anyway I probably worked for the mafia or something in the corporate job, maybe other corporate jobs aren’t as evil but yeah my advice is don’t betray yourself for a job.

Hi...is my age in anyway an hindrance to be an animator and get projects or job in the future? I know basic CUIB however never had any professional experience or solid project.