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Aiden Stormer

Mrs. Pritchett

7th Grade English

17th March 17, 2021

Becoming a character designer and animator

“People who get into animation tend to be kids. We don’t have to grow up. But also

animators are great observers, and there’s this childlike wonder and interest in the

world, the observation of little things that happen in life.”

-John Lasseter

Animation and character design are everywhere, in movies, adds and cartoons. Most

people would agree they are fun to watch, but there is more to the process of being an

animator/ character designer and becoming one then most people realize.

To become a professional animator and character designer it’s necessary to get specific

degrees, work hard, be patient, creative and observant to do their job.

There are multiple options for different types of animation if you want to pursue

animation as a career. “If you're just starting college or you're looking to change

majors, you might ask, 'What degree do you need to be an animator?' An animator's

education typically involves a bachelor's degree in computer animation,  fine art, or

graphic arts.2” according to Study.com. This quote tells us that there are multiple

different degrees that one can could get to become an animator. It all depends on what

type of animation you are going to do. If you are going to do Pixar type animations, you

would need to get a degree in computer animation. If you are going for the more

classic / original 2d animation, you need to get a degree in graphic arts

(3bloopanimation.com).

Along with this, artists that do character design and animation are always
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evolving in their art. “Character designers visualize and create the look of individual

characters. They work from descriptions given to them by the director. These might

include notes on a character’s personality as well as physical traits. Character

designers take inspiration from the script and concept art to design characters. They

communicate the characters’ personalities through artwork of facial expressions and

physical poses.4” according to Skreenskills.com. Character designers are constantly

trying and using different art styles to get the “look” that they want and that their

directors want. They must think of the characters personalities, expressions, and clothes

to create the unique characters that we see. To get the final image that we see on tv, they

experiment with different styles or even mix some of them together to create a style

unique to the cartoon or movie so that people could see a picture of a scene or a

character and they would be able to say, “That is Charlie Brown.” Or “that is from the

Amazing World of Gumball.” (5pixel77).

In addition to these qualifications, there are specific characteristics that a good

animator needs to have. “They're expected to be creative and artistic, with

communication and time management skills. They must also have computer expertise

and the ability to use animation and video editing software.1” according to Study.com.

Good animators must be able to communicate their ideas well with others that are

working on the same project as they are and must be able to have finished their

animations of specific scenes in a specific time limit. To illustrate their animations, they

also have very creative and artistic to bring their ideas or the script writer’s ideas to life

on the screen. Since most of the animations that we see on the big screen today are

done digitally, good animators also need to have the knowledge of using computers to

use the animation and editing software. Most animation studios want animators with

work experience. Opportunities to get this type of work experience during collage are
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freelance work, personal projects, and internships (6stormystudio.com).

Animators need specific skills and must have specific degrees to do their job. So

animators and character designers have big imaginations to create the characters, they

must be able to communicate their thoughts easily with each other and they have to go

to specific schools to get the degrees that they need. So does this sound fun to you? Do

you think you have a big imagination and bright mind? Well, you might be one of the

animators of the future.

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Word Cited

3
Animation for beginners (where do i start?). (2020, July 23). Retrieved April 11, 2021,
from https: //www.bloopanimation.com/animation-for-beginners/
4
ScreenSkills. “Character Designer.” ScreenSkills, www.screenskills.com/careers/

job-profiles/animation/pre-production/character-designer/.
1,2
Study.com, 20 Feb. 2021, study.com/how_to_become_an_animator.html.
6
10 top Tips: Get animation industry EXPERIENCE • Stormy studio. (2020, February
16). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://stormystudio.com/how-to-get-
animation-industry-experience-and-get-a-job-as-an-animator/
5
Andra. (2013, December 09). 10 quick tips to help you design characters like a pro.
Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://pixel77.com/10-tips-design-characters-pro/