Do you really need to go to art school to build a career as a successful animator/artist? What are some people that made it on their own?
Do you really need to go to art school to build a career as a successful animator/artist?
Do you really need to go to art school to build a career as a successful animator/artist? What are some people that made it on their own?
Not really
You just need to know people in the industry and have something to your name
Schools teaches you how to use the industry standards and basic stuff, but if you're just a fresh out of highschool kid that mommy and daddy sent away so they can enjoy life again then you're not going far without motivation
I ask this question because you hear a lot online: "You can learn how to draw and animate in your own! You don't need to pay anything!"
But how true is that at the end of the day?
If you're talented you don't really need to learn, just practice enough.
If you're not, then no learning will get you near what talented people have at the start.
But as first post mentioned, knowing people is half the game.
talent isn't real, just keep doing it and you'll get there
Cope
The animation industry in America is a reverse meritocracy. Only connections and sucking up helps you. Improving your drawing skill actually hurts you as it makes them fearful that you will cause them to lose their jobs.
ok thank you schizo
I'm just doing my part to prevent people from wandering into that place and ending up canceled because they didn't do their best to please overgrown man children who get put in charge of cartoons because of who their parents are. Also increase the quality of content for kids by doing so. Show some respect
yes. art school is literally only good for building connections and getting an insight on the industry.
Razorfist might be 90% of an edgy contrarian but his saying of "Don't Cry About The Culture. BECOME The Culture." is an absolute truth.
Even if you won't get mainstream contracts you can find great animators and their tips on the Internet that can help you learn how to use the tools Artist/Animators use for their work.
Remember, you can do it Anon, I believe in you.
The thing about art school is that you don't go there to learn to be a better artist, but to get your feet on the industry and know people who know people who already are on the industry. Even if you're the antisocial type who miss the chance of doing networking, you can at least put on your resume that you went to <insert art school here> and therefore has some "pedigree", which is important since the industry is incestuous as frick.
I would rather just learn to become a great artist/animator and go independent rather than sell my skill to some company who'll own everything I make
Independent animators are bums most of the time
true but I wouldn't care so much about being rich, I just want to have the skill to make the things I want to make and if I make money out of it which I will that's a bonus
I hope the thing you're looking to make isn't over 20 minutes long because that's going to take 20 years out of your life
I'm gonna start with comics before moving to animation, for that I need a crew
Good luck finding a crew as some rando.
Same. I personally fear someone else getting the rights to my stuff and turning it into woke shit and people getting mad at me for not blindly accepting it
that's why I also intend for all the things I make to be public domain or copyleft on release, if I can't own it then everyone will.
why don't you own deez nutz?
Uh, guys... Cinemaphilehana ?
that's right bros, time to start learning art
The good thing is you probably won't ever get big enough that people will care to co-opt your work (no offense)
I want to create a graphic novel series and all the rights to it, but so many people give the rights to their stuff away in order for it to get seen. That can't be the only option.
well a graphic novel is easier to share. I plan to make physical comics and make the digital version of them free. Free digital would help it spread easier and people who are fans of your work will buy the physical copy
I don't think the physical media will last another 20 years anon
I'm afraid of doing that (free digital for the main story) because while I know somebody uploading it will be inevitable, I'm scared no one will like it enough to be a fan and buy it. But I can't pander.
the product must speak for itself, you're right that pandering is not the way to go. Just make what you'd want to see or read and other people will like it.
>just make what you'd want to see or read
Glad to hear another person say this, I'm doing just that thankfully
i said frick it to the industry because i'd much rather be independent and work on my own projects that i have genuine passion for with complete freedom. career-wise i'm going into STEM shit, art is just a personal freelance side-gig for me now and i'm much happier for it.
What STEM career?
Definitely not, but it is important to build up a social media presence. Luck is also a factor unfortunately.
I remember seeing this kid on twitter, who got so famous off of his SU fanart, that he got a job to work on The Owl House as a storyboard artist. And he didn't even live in Cali or anything like that, he was going to college in Connecticut. I forgot his name, but things definitely worked out for that guy.
I forgot to mention that he was going to school for engineering, not anything art related.
At least half of online artists I've met are from some STEM field. Why?
If you have a good math brain then you will be able to conceptualize a figure more effectively, how they function at different angles, and predicting outcomes.
Its the difference between somebody building an arch into a bridge because they understand that it works via experience and cultural osmosis vs having all of that info but also being able to plot out the most effective way of making that arch because you understand the reasoning behind it.
Yeah MikeCatSU, I thought that was strange because his work, while really good, wasn't anything extra special for the crew to reach out to him the way e.g. the GF crew reached out to Dana (whose work was always outstanding). You'd think the Amphibia crew would've long reached out to KJ for a writing/storyboard role if that was the standard since her writing blows the frick out of the actual show, especially the comedy.
But you did forget you absolutely have to be in the US because otherwise the major networks can't hire you.
>who got so famous off of his SU fanart
There's no guarantee it will get you "anywhere" but FOTM fanart(/porn) can get you an insane amount of followers/algorithm favor for very little investment.
Ok, what is FOTM right now and how do I know which one is FOTM each month?
I'm actually not up to date on what is FOTM Cinemaphile, probably Helluva Boss? You'll have new ATLA content to work with soon enough, so get practicing on martial arts poses at least.
Art school is a scam tbhdesu. I got an industry job off of a close friend, connections are everything.
Oh yeah true, I remember listening to an SU podcast in like 2016 and they talked about how they'd scout some fanartists and have them pass a test (probably a basic storyboard or cleanup test) and if they pass they get a job.
>I got an industry job off of a close friend, connections are everything.
And how did you get that close friend?
Late reply but we met on tumblr over a mutual interest in a niche JRPG.
Same thing happened for a storyboarder on Big City Greens, she wa spicked up for her Phineas and Ferb fanart. And a storyboarder on New Looney Tunes for his Daffy art.
It happens but just not very often. Like one person out of every 10K or so.
>1 in 10000
Better odds than playing the lottery. I should stop playing.
It's not just the big guys, lots of companies will hire someone due to their social media presence or the art they post on it.
I was hired to a web development company because of my fanart pics. Now I make mediocre stick figure animations for about $70K
You got a Twitter handle you wanna drop or something?
Don't bother, no one who makes it ever drops their info on Cinemaphile. they all just make vague hints.
buncha cowards, if I ever make it I'm not gonna hide the fact I use Cinemaphile
If you knew the kind of buttholes that hang out on twitter who like killing careers just cause they dont like them, I wouldn't blame them.
>some dork lets it slip they browse Cinemaphile
>twitter police suddenly tries to frame him as the worst person on earth
>studio drops him because of negative publicity and potential money loss
but that's the thing, I couldn't care less what those type of people think. My career wouldn't be dependent on industry studios, they don't own comics or animation like people think they do. So if some randos who don't even look at my work call me the worst person on earth who cares, my fans are the ones I cater to not them.
come back to me kin i miss you
if this be someone from the servers, I just haven't felt the same since our darkendbro left so I'm taking a break for a few months
How do you join Cinemaphilehana?
if you mean the server just search on disboard for stitch + furry tags and you'll find it. I am currently not in the server tho
Thanks. It's a nice server? Like it doesn't have Twittergays or something.
yeah it's still pretty good if you're looking for an actual active L&S community
if this is you reubenbro I'll consider coming back to the server to help introduce ya
Not sure who Reubenbro is, but I made some Reuben/L&S threads a while ago. I can't help it but love the series, I'd live in Hawaii if I could.
Cool, that's really nice, I thought people were mostly in newer cartoons.
based, hope to see you in the server bro, it's always good to have more stitch fans. I've rejoined the server
You seem busy talking and not busy doing.
you're not wrong, I should get back on that
you're a lot braver than i am.
If I ever reach some form of fame, I might have to reupload all the nsfw shit I've done under a different name.
Don't need bored frickers trying to cancel me for drawing Miko's fat ass.
Miko?
The girl from Glitch Techs
Hell yeah nig
>Same thing happened for a storyboarder on Big City Greens, she wa spicked up for her Phineas and Ferb fanart
Is that the girl who also draws all that team rocket fanart?
damn, that's kind of motivating
Yes.
There is really no way to succeed in animation without school and connections, it's simply way too much work for one person and getting an army of Korean slaves to animate your ideas takes an incredible amount of luck and networking.
The only two people I would consider independent animation successes are Harry Partridge and Worthikids, and they put out like one thing a year tops and it's mostly one-off concept stuff, and Ian's stuff is full of CG shortcuts.
You can easily learn animation principles on your own and get a job in the industry doing e.g. storyboards as a freelancer, but that's a dead end busywork route. Spencer Wan dropped out of college but he still had connections and that still only netted him a dead end "sakuga" role before he founded his own studio that does nothing but contract work.
word of advice to any wet behind the ears;
Be very careful with "building connections". You need to be very careful with who you bump shoulders with and remember where exactly you stand in comparison to veterans/acquaintances. Trust me, it'll save you a lot of trouble down the road and prevents you from getting exploited.
>army of Korean slaves
Western artists are the new Korean slaves you fool.
You just need 3 to 4 hardworking friends to get things moving. You don't need a room of 30 animators to make a "show". You don't need to make forty 11 minute episodes fully animated. You just need an original idea and present it professionally like a brand. It doesn't even have to be good, it just has to be different.
The last thing the industry wants is their young bloods going indy cause how are they going to control the industry when people make it on their own.
>You don't need to make forty 11 minute episodes fully animated. You just need an original idea and present it professionally like a brand. It doesn't even have to be good, it just has to be different.
And then what? Get hired to run your show by a network that will steal your copyright and meddle in the show until it barely resembles what you started with?
>And then what?
Grow your following and keep working on your own projects?
And make money how? Who are some existing examples of artists who did what you suggest?
You don't go to school to learn, you go to make connections. In all careers, who you know matters more than what you know.
You only need art school as much to get acquainted with people who might get you a job in the future.
What if you go to art school because you want to know how to animate but you don't want to work with the industry?
Then you're paying for classes to learn marketable skills.
I just want to know how to animate for myself. And maybe work but as a sidle hustle. Making ads for companies and porn as a gig.
Literally just read Richard Williams' book
What if I need hands on learning? Like with a physical teacher to show me what to do?
What's you current level of drawing skill
Mid beginner
You don't
realistically the only thing to gain out an art school are connections and a streamlined course for industry-standard tools and practices, but even then it can still be feasibly replaced with a social media presence, pirated programs and youtube tutorials. Also despite what some people here say i've heard that a lot of these animation schools worth a damn will work you to death, I've heard stories of kids from Calarts/SCAD/etc staying at school for multiple days at a time to meet deadlines, which is all apparently supposed to prepare you for the real deal.
Would you guys recommend I try to go to college to get an animation degree, or an illustration degree? I really like both, so it's kind of a tough decision.
You can do both buddy.
Well, yes, but each degree costs a lot of money. I'm not rich.
Then figure out which one you want to major in and get a minor in the other. However, I'd guess Illustration would probably have a bigger appeal than something more specific like animation.
>Do you really need to go to art school to build a career as a sucessful animator/artist?
No, but you can if you want to become another victim of the private art school debt trap. You're better off going to a public university's art program or, if you have the time and discipline, practicing on your own without the school structure.
I went to art school, they repeated told us we weren't there to develop our "art", but to build connections with people.
But ironically, the school had no connections. I was dumbfounded when I learned that a regular college has job placement programs.
Ron Clements never needed to goto an animation school.
Who?
Worked on a lot of Disney Renaissance movies pairing up with Jon Musker.
So I have a awesome idea for a show. I got almost all the bugs worked out and everything but don't know how to sell the idea. Do I just email Nickeloden daily (I doubt it would ever see the light of day) Go there personally, contact a writer on a show that they air. I am serious. I know this show will be a huge sucess if only I could get a foot in the door.
catfish butch hartman
Commission a pilot and show it publicly on YouTube. Much better than being made by some big company and locked behind a vault forever.
Oh I would but to get this untied to a official series (TMNT) requires a bit of work.
Yes and no
There's stuff to be learned there. If you want to create a show or something, all you need is connections and a reasonably structured presentation of your idea. If you just like to draw/animate things, schooling will help you get hired and make more(still not a lot but more) money.
You just have to get your stuff out there and get lucky.
No
I don't know
No just go suck the right persons dick and you'll have a show in no time
>47 replies
>no mentions of patreon
Isn't the obvious answer no? Maybe if you want to work in the industry then school would be nice but if you just want a career doing art then just be good and start a patreon.
It really isn't the patreon wave has slowed down a ton for artists since the initial boom 4+ years ago. Look at out own chickpea, he only makes a few hundred a month off it. He'd make more doing a week of minimum wage work
I don't want some 3rd party company taking profits for something I can just do on my own. If I make a patreon it'll be for it's original use as a tip jar, I won't be making exclusive content for it, that's just greedy
Good Rocko
Patreon isnt NEARLY as ludicrous as you think. Sites like that require patrons, people that are actually fans of your work to keep you afloat.
Don't let those few people who managed to make a few dollars off of sites like Kickstarter/patreon/Onlyfans or whatever make you think different.
You can be a damn good artist, but nobody might want to pay for your shit because the algorithm burried your shit, and everyone's busy paying for some other shit artist that barely posts and phoned it in years ago.
>algorithm buried your shit
NTA but I've been suffering from this for a decade
Bigdad's already popped out about 4 comics and is already on his fifth one now. Patreon is more viable than the other anons are willing to admit, plus you can just make a subscribestar or fanbox too and rack it extra doe from that as well. Bigdad could probably make more money from selling the comics on Gumroad too, Gerph is doing and hasn't stopped so far
Big dad and gerph started years ago, they’re established names. good luck starting now. Glassfish sucks but still has fans through getting in early.
>Good luck starting now
Fricking just draw shit and post it and people will come to you, shit isn't fricking rocket science. It's not "too late" to fricking do anything because the window is always open.
There's some guy who drew a stick figure dog girl humping her pillow for 8 seconds and he blew up and manages a successful patreon now and the guy hasn't been around as long as BigDad or Gerph
Or I can get a decent story boarding gig, get experience and contacts to put on my resume, and not have to rely on the fleeting attention of a fickle online audience from a third party service. Time will tell how well the Patreon train will hold up.
I just look at old internet porn artist superstars from when I was young; prophet, t.Catt, pbx, all of them are gone now. Would they make a living in f they came back in patreon now? Probably not. I want a stable career over big windfalls
Sometimes I wish I was skilled enough and had all the time required to make my own comic or animation with the sole purpose of self-fulfillment. I know much of the stuff I'd like to do is personal and would not resonate with an audience.
>Do you really need to go to art school to build a career as a successful animator/artist?
Do you go to humor school to become a comedian?
wish rigby would kiss me
No, you just need the connections if you want to land a job in less than a decade. Someone from the outside looking in can take a long damn time to break in and land a real job.
Meanwhile art school has professors who worked in those industries and know a lot of people and you get to meet a lot of important people and land a job almost immediately after.
Who you know is WAY more important than what you know.
Frick art school 2/3 of the classes are absolutely horse shit like world mythology. If art school were taught like trade school, they be fine.
All the big art schools, like Cal arts, are just that. Cinemaphile's big problem is they think when peopel say "go to art school" they mean the bumfrick one in a flyover state with teachers that are just a guy who does graphic design for local shops. For all of Hirsch's srupid shit he was 100% right that the reason CalArts excees is because in most art schools students just frick around on deadlines and play videogames, CalArts makes you work your ass off.
Same thing with people who try being self taught, a lot of people start and then give up because of low self esteem, lack of motivation, lack of ambition. I've seen amazing artists here mention they haven't drawn in months or years. CalArts beats that out of you, it makes you treat art as a job, you can't just give up or slack off, its your living. You can make great art without that mentality, sure, but it often takes ages.
The real reason people hate CalArts so goddamn much is because it's the one school that is almost guaranteed to hand out industry jobs before they even graduate. In fact a lot of people land a decent comfy gig in their third year and just drop out. This shit enrages all the students that go to SVA SCAD or any art institute, no matter how many professors have inside connections for them. It still takes the average student a year or two to land literally anything. While they see CalArts grads fall ass backwards into good major studio gig after major studio gig at 21.
The whole
>Frick Calarts!
meme just spread to everyone else after a while but they had no idea why they are supposed to hate it. They just fixated on bean mouths after Thundercats Roar.
Ya scad fricked me rotten
No you just need to suck the right california elitist's dick. Actual talent be dammed.
you'd need to start with a bunch of youtube projects and ruthless studying
think about all the people who uploaded cartoons to newgrounds back in the day
the amount who transitioned to animators in the industry is probably countable on one hand
Quite a surprising amount of Newgrounds artists are working on stuff like nu-SpongeBob and Looney Tunes Cartoons as storyboard artists now, and of course that's not counting Smiling Friends
>career as a successful animator/artist
odds are incredibly against you being a success animator/artist.
just do it for fun instead of relying on it for a living
The people with the most passion won’t just “do it for fun”. The people who do it as a hobby are the ones that end up not drawing for months at a time because wagon work burns them out.
>What are some people that made it on their own?
Mike Judge
Brendon Small
Loren Bouchard
Justin Roiland
Jhonen Vasquez
Zach Hadel
brendon small is not an animator or artist, he's a comedian/writer/musician
add parker simmons to the list though, i dont think he went to art school
He graduated from the Art Institute of California at San Diego
There's also the question if you consider people who went to normal film school or advertising to have gone to "art school" as it pertains to animation (imo, yes)
Based off of how unsuccessful AJMarekArt is, I'd say no. But is Jack Stauber self-taught?
Search fanous artists and see if they went to art school.
Art school is for nazis
>make goofy internet cartoon
>becomes cultural icon beloved by millions
>store makes enough money to keep website afloat and adless to this day
>turned down several offers to turn it into a tv show
>still landed a job at disney animation
>no known dramas or weird political hills to die on
these boys are an inspiration
it works just like any other arts industry
lets look at youtube for example
>open homepage
>recommended shorts
>girl playing crappy guitar cover but her breasts are popping out of her shirt
>12M views
>check my favorite guitar uploader. actually pretty talented but hes an ugly old dude
>40k views
show breasts
get hits
to network yeah it gives you a huge edge but you can still get work if youre established and other animators, creators like your work, Adventure Time picked up a lot of guest board artists
We have these threads every year and everyone who talks about how we're going to make it accomplish nothing
I do art for a living and I'm self taught. I can't draw figures very well, but it's something.