A question for animators or aspiring to be

[umustbemistaken]

I'm a half-decent artist and I'm lookin to try traditional animation. Right now I'm lookin for a cheap light table to start off with. I have googled for quite a while and have seen an enormous difference in price range, this is good and bad for me, mostly good though. I am lookin to spend no more than 60 dollars and I am cheap so my question is are there any animators or aspiring animators on theses forums that can tell me if there's really a difference from a light table/box that costs 60 dollars or 30 or even 12. Because I don't want to spend all my money on the 60 dollar light table just because its the most expensive.

[[LoD] EE]

I'm a half-decent artist and I'm lookin to try traditional animation. Right now I'm lookin for a cheap light table to start off with. I have googled for quite a while and have seen an enormous difference in price range, this is good and bad for me, mostly good though. I am lookin to spend no more than 60 dollars and I am cheap so my question is are there any animators or aspiring animators on theses forums that can tell me if there's really a difference from a light table/box that costs 60 dollars or 30 or even 12. Because I don't want to spend all my money on the 60 dollar light table just because its the most expensive.

If you aspire then spend the money to get the quality product. You cant expect to do good work when using sub par equipment.

[Killuminati]

You should take classes first to see if you enjoyz it.

[Gloomrender]

I've seen the competition for this kind of thing...and let me tell you, you really need to be a spectacular artist to do anything involving computer graphics or animation. A lot of people have a lot of talent and you're up against all of them, they all want your dream, and you have to stand out as better than most to land a job eventually. I think you should take basic graphics arts, or general arts classes, and see how you measure up to the crowd before you dive into animation.

[Killuminati]

I kind of want to do this as a career as well. I'm probably gonna become a poor bum when I'm older. Gonna take a Digital Art class in college this year.

[Sbrafk]

I couldn't afford that shit in art school (poor ass after 20 grand tuition). just draw on your kitchen table, or use your crafting skills and modify a table so it has around a 20 degree tilt.

however, no matter how well you're geared (wacom + animator's desk), you will still get carpal tunnel and back cramps if you actually take the idea of becoming a professional animator seriously. I laugh at people that think that ~20 hours a week invested in sketching doodles will return them a good career - they are shitting themselves.

The good thing about that is, you don't need raw talent to survive. I was damned horrible at art who couldn't draw a straight line, but 40 hours a week of forced practice really changed that.

[Killuminati]

The good thing about that is, you don't need raw talent to survive. I was damned horrible at art who couldn't draw a straight line, but 40 hours a week of forced practice really changed that.

So what made you get into that kind of work anyways?

[Sbrafk]

Well, I took AutoCAD classes back in high school, and turned out enjoying designing pretty things more than precision math-related engineering stuff. Dunno if I made a bad choice to take 3d modelling as a career path, but I'm pretty happy where it's taking me right now.

[Goty]

www.11secondclub.com

Great place to begin your trek through the world of Animation. Monthly animation competition which includes both beginners and pros alike, with forums full of friendly people who are more than happy to lend a hand with technique and theory.

Also, you'll want to somehow get your hands on: The Illusion of Life (http://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Life-Disney-Animation/dp/0786860707) and The Animator's Survival Kit (http://www.amazon.com/Animators-Survival-Kit-Richard-Williams/dp/0571202284/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216823800&sr=1-1).

The books aren't cheap - but you'll find one or both of them to be required reading at some college's animation programs. They're must reads for any aspiring animator, and were written by some of the greatest animators in animation history.

I may have a copy of the books somewhere, with a way to get them to whomever may be interested. PM me and I'll see what I can do.

[epicor]

I got my BA in computer animation about 2 yrs ago. Its a lot of fun, but he hours in a professional position are TERRIBLE. You cant raise a family with a job like that. For instance, if you get a job in a game house, you will somtimes be literally locked into the building for 2 weeks until you hit the deadline. They have the gophers get you diner, run your errands etc, but you cant leave until the deadline. If you just want to play with polygons all day thats kool, but i have a son and i dont intend to let him grow up while im at work.

Also, 2D is dead. But by all means get your drawing skills up, because you still have to draw/scan the character to start modelling.

As for the light table: Just get a plastic pegboard (for the 3hole animation bond paper) and set it on a glass table. then put any light under it. Cost you like $10 and worked great for me.

[Pcheez]

You know if you animators didnt make the shit that entertains me somewhat, id call your entire career path trivial.

But you do animate things and i likes you for it !

[umustbemistaken]

www.11secondclub.com

Great place to begin your trek through the world of Animation. Monthly animation competition which includes both beginners and pros alike, with forums full of friendly people who are more than happy to lend a hand with technique and theory.

Also, you'll want to somehow get your hands on: The Illusion of Life and The Animator's Survival Kit.

The books aren't cheap - but you'll find one or both of them to be required reading at some college's animation programs. They're must reads for any aspiring animator, and were written by some of the greatest animators in animation history.

I may have a copy of the books somewhere, with a way to get them to whomever may be interested. PM me and I'll see what I can do.

I appreciate it, this was pretty helpful.


Also, 2D is dead. But by all means get your drawing skills up, because you still have to draw/scan the character to start modelling.


" 2D is dead" ?! Hardly, Miyazaki's spirited away and Miyazaki's Howl's moving castle and his animation stuido ghibli studio. 3D animation is a fad in America for children. 2D is timeless and typically has stories for all ages.

[Killuminati]

[url]



" 2D is dead" ?! Hardly, Miyazaki's spirited away and Miyazaki's Howl's moving castle and his animation stuido ghibli studio. 3D animation is a fad in America for children. 2D is timeless and typically has stories for all ages.

Amen!


Miyazaki > shitty Finding Nemo shit.

[Goty]

Amen!


Miyazaki > shitty Finding Nemo shit.

Blasphemy!

Pixar is to our current generation of animation what Disney was to the 1930's generation. Disney brought upon what is known as the Golden Age of Animation, in which hand drawn animation was given life in ways no one could have imagined. Even the creative minds at Disney doubted what could be achieved with animation, up until Snow White was finished.

Pixar has taken everything Disney had done to the art of animation and placed it in a whole new illusory dimension. As far as animation goes, Pixar really is incredible.

Not to discount what the asian animators do either - they are just as forward thinking in their animation style as well. They simply have a completely different edge and approach to their way of creating the illusion.

[umustbemistaken]

Pixar is to our current generation of animation what Disney was to the 1930's generation. Disney brought upon what is known as the Golden Age of Animation, in which hand drawn animation was given life in ways no one could have imagined. Even the creative minds at Disney doubted what could be achieved with animation, up until Snow White was finished.

Pixar has taken everything Disney had done to the art of animation and placed it in a whole new illusory dimension. As far as animation goes, Pixar really is incredible.

Not to discount what the asian animators do either - they are just as forward thinking in their animation style as well. They simply have a completely different edge and approach to their way of creating the illusion.

I'm not knockin pixar but you've gotta admit that this 3D kiddie craze is just that a craze a fad. Nemo took us all by storm and knocked us out. But if you noticed these movies are becoming less funny and its loosing originality. Not to mention its only for the young childrens. The attempts at making it more mature fail repeatedly.

There's a certain originality and heart that goes into traditional animation. Traditional animation with a splash of 3D to give 2D that extra push when needed.

[Matriel]

I was hoping I got to this thread before Goty so I could summon him. :(

[Goty]

I'm not knockin pixar but you've gotta admit that this 3D kiddie craze is just that a craze a fad. Nemo took us all by storm and knocked us out. But if you noticed these movies are becoming less funny and its loosing originality. Not to mention its only for the young childrens. The attempts at making it more mature fail repeatedly.

There's a certain originality and heart that goes into traditional animation. Traditional animation with a splash of 3D to give 2D that extra push when needed.

That's completely untrue.

3D gives a whole new set of tools for storytellers to use, and this alone is something that'll ensure it'll never die out. Nemo wasn't the first of the 3D films to take folks by storm - Pixar had already carved a name for themselves with their first major film, Toy Story. Monsters Inc came along as well, raising the standard yet again - in both the technical aspects of 3D and animation.

Lets not forget Ratatouille, which was a phenomenal bit of work which dripped in style and substance.

Wall-E, of course, can't be forgotten. The first 45 minutes of that film were shear poetry - the fact that they could convey such a range of emotion and story without the use of a single bit of conversation is something along the lines of mastery.

Not to mention that all these mentioned films brought with them some darker, adult undertones that children would likely miss out on, but would definitely make a few of the adults look at each other, thinking just that.

[TizzyFoe]

I'm not knockin pixar but you've gotta admit that this 3D kiddie craze is just that a craze a fad. Nemo took us all by storm and knocked us out. But if you noticed these movies are becoming less funny and its loosing originality. Not to mention its only for the young childrens. The attempts at making it more mature fail repeatedly.

There's a certain originality and heart that goes into traditional animation. Traditional animation with a splash of 3D to give 2D that extra push when needed.

(sorry to continue off topic)
I think like action is still the only medium that you could call mature. I'm speaking only for America since i don't know any other culture well enough to comment on them. I would guess that many more adults like Finding Nemo or shrek then any of the Japanese stuff. I would like to see a dark 3D animated move done well.

@ the op. Try to find customer reviews of the models your looking at. Rarely does anything cost more for no reason (the main exception i can think of is people paying more for their cloths to say "popular/cool brand name"). If you only have 60 dollars to spend it doesn't sound like your in a position to take professionals art classes so spending money in a way that allows you to practice on your own sounds like a good idea to me.

[Goty]

As far as anyone interested in 3D Animation, I would also suggest taking a look at:

www.animationmentor.com

They're expensive as hell, but well worth the money. I myself would love to attend their program, but I don't have the time or the money.

Take a look at one of their student work showcase reels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ybWlGQEQM&feature=related

[umustbemistaken]

Not to mention that all these mentioned films brought with them some darker, adult undertones that children would likely miss out on, but would definitely make a few of the adults look at each other, thinking just that.

Yes I forgot about Toy story.

That’s just it "adult undertones". I'm not one to say that it can't happen. But 2-D animation has and can make convincingly serious characters and mature titles. Where as 3-D just isn't acceptable. When I sit down and try to watch a serious 3-D animation title I find my self saying "why didn't they just use real people?" its funny because I never find myself saying that with traditional animation.



I am an old school guy and I find that technology gets in the way in many areas animation is just one of them. 3-D has its place along side and behind traditional and even as its own genre such as pixar, but it will never seriously combat traditional. Will it dominate traditional animation in terms of income and movies? Certainly, in the same way that mainstream music dominates real music (not to say that 3-D is not real animation).



I see the future of 3-D animation is that it will blend even more with traditional animation if it wants to stay relevant. Then we will see more mature titles, but alone not so much.

[Killuminati]

Blasphemy!

Pixar is to our current generation of animation what Disney was to the 1930's generation. Disney brought upon what is known as the Golden Age of Animation, in which hand drawn animation was given life in ways no one could have imagined. Even the creative minds at Disney doubted what could be achieved with animation, up until Snow White was finished.

Pixar has taken everything Disney had done to the art of animation and placed it in a whole new illusory dimension. As far as animation goes, Pixar really is incredible.

Not to discount what the asian animators do either - they are just as forward thinking in their animation style as well. They simply have a completely different edge and approach to their way of creating the illusion.

I just hold Miyazaki's works higher than most of what is created currently by Disney. I think its mainly because I prefer the themes and style of the movies. He usually tries to communicate to his audience much more maturer messages. A good example of that would be Princess Mononoke which is one of my all time favorite films. I'm not criticizing Pixar at all though I was just poking fun at one specific film since someone made a statement that 2d is dead.


I never liked finding nemo though. I haven't seen Wall-E, but Toy story and A Bug's Life are freaking awesome though. But seriously Cars was fucking abysmal.I find very hard to enjoy any of the current films released today. Most of them are extremely kiddy, and I usually get bored rather quickly. I mean why don't they make more badass movies like fantasia?

[Goty]

I just hold Miyazaki's works higher than most of what is created currently by Disney. I think its mainly because I prefer the themes and style of the movies. He usually tries to communicate to his audience much more maturer messages. A good example of that would be Princess Mononoke which is one of my all time favorite films. I'm not criticizing Pixar at all though I was just poking fun at one specific film since someone made a statement that 2d is dead.


I never liked finding nemo though. I haven't seen Wall-E, but Toy story and A Bug's Life are freaking awesome though. But seriously Cars was fucking abysmal.I find very hard to enjoy any of the current films released today. Most of them are extremely kiddy, and I usually get bored rather quickly. I mean why don't they make more badass movies like fantasia?

Man, Mononoke was a great flick. Howl's Moving Castle (or whatever the hell that movie is called) was really, really good. Spirited Away? Classic stuff.

Disney itself lost its edge in the world of animation, in my opinion, years ago. As the world of animation itself matured, Disney lost its lead and essentially ended up in the world of 'Made for TV Sequels' of it's past, glorious successes. I mean, seriously. How many sequels did the Lion King or Little Mermaid really need? Other than the one where the Prince learns to eat sushi. Giggity!

[Killuminati]

Man, Mononoke was a great flick. Howl's Moving Castle (or whatever the hell that movie is called) was really, really good. Spirited Away? Classic stuff.

Disney itself lost its edge in the world of animation, in my opinion, years ago. As the world of animation itself matured, Disney lost its lead and essentially ended up in the world of 'Made for TV Sequels' of it's past, glorious successes. I mean, seriously. How many sequels did the Lion King or Little Mermaid really need? Other than the one where the Prince learns to eat sushi. Giggity!

Yah, that definitely is true. Disney is pretty much old news.


Also studio ghibli is magnificent. If would suggest watching Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the heart, and Grave of the fireflies if you haven't done so yet. Just note that Grave of the Fireflies is extremely depressing if you are turned off by that kind of stuff.

[Goty]

Yah, that definitely is true. Disney is pretty much old news.


Also studio ghibli is magnificent. If would suggest watching Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the heart, and Grave of the fireflies if you haven't done so yet. Just note that Grave of the Fireflies is extremely depressing if you are turned off by that kind of stuff.

I'm not a fan of Anime overall, but I do own a copy of Grave of the Fireflies. I eat depressing like nothin' else. I was also a huge fan of Requiem for a Dream, and the best musical (only good musical?) ever, Dancer in the Dark.

[Killuminati]

I'm not a fan of Anime overall, but I do own a copy of Grave of the Fireflies. I eat depressing like nothin' else. I was also a huge fan of Requiem for a Dream, and the best musical (only good musical?) ever, Dancer in the Dark.

Yah, Miyazaki does his own thing though, and he really doesn't deserve to be lumped in with mainstream Anime in my opinion. I enjoy both but Miyazaki's work is more artistic in my opinion.

Yah, I just gave that as a warning since some people who enjoy animation don't like watching movies that make them depressed. They enjoy the more lighthearted stuff.

[Goty]

Yah, Miyazaki does his own thing though, and he really doesn't deserve to be lumped in with mainstream Anime in my opinion. I enjoy both but Miyazaki's work is more artistic in my opinion.

Yah, I just gave that as a warning since some people who enjoy animation don't like watching movies that make them depressed. They enjoy the more lighthearted stuff.

Nah. I prefer anything dark and depressing over lighthearted every time.

At the end of it all, I'd like to do some animations that deal with far more darker tones than you'd see coming out of Pixar. When you look at their work, and the works of other animation masters, what they have isn't just about the story itself - but the technical methods which they employ to make the characters seem alive, show emotion, and elicit emotion from the viewer.

That's the hard part. I could make something dark and depressing, but it'd probably turn out like some goth kid's attempt at poetry.

[Killuminati]

Nah. I prefer anything dark and depressing over lighthearted every time.

At the end of it all, I'd like to do some animations that deal with far more darker tones than you'd see coming out of Pixar. When you look at their work, and the works of other animation masters, what they have isn't just about the story itself - but the technical methods which they employ to make the characters seem alive, show emotion, and elicit emotion from the viewer.

That's the hard part. I could make something dark and depressing, but it'd probably turn out like some goth kid's attempt at poetry.

Yah, I feel yah. I've never really been into the lighthearted stuff myself.