Nolen Lee—freelance artist, Punching Pandas creator, and new mentor—shares what a Visual...
What is Visual Development in Animation?
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Animation Articles
Are you ergonomically correct?
As an animator, or animation student, you likely spend a LOT of your time at a desk of some...
5 Key Steps for Effective Blocking
What are some effective blocking methods? This is a question that students ask a lot! According to...
The Best (and Worst) Ways to Take Feedback On Your Animation
Sometimes putting work out there can be intimidating, but it is the best and fastest way to...
3 New Animation Mentor Workshops!
We’re SO excited to announce that we’ll have not one, not two, but THREE new workshops starting...
5 Things NOT to Do on Your Demo Reel
Image from Francisco Ucke's 2018 Student Showcase Shot! At Animation Mentor, we know demo...
10 of the Best Animal and Creature Animation Posts
You probably know by now that animal and creature animation are 100% essential for your demo reel...
Pro Animation Tip: Don’t Forget About the Shoulders!
When you think of showing emotion in animation, what's the first thing that pops into your head....
A Guide to Demo Reel Reviews at Animation Conventions
Heading to CTN—or any other convention—this year with your demo reel in tow? First, read these pro...
Always Keep Secondary Characters Secondary
If you’re an animation student, chances are you’ve tried your hand at animating at least a...
Recipe for Success: Baking Your Animation Cake
Let’s face it—we will never know everything there is to know about animation. Animation is...
Meet Mentor and DreamWorks Animator Robyne Powell!
Mentor and DreamWorks animator Robyne Powell answered all our burning questions about 2D vs. 3D...
How to Set Animation Goals and Follow Through
Working at your favorite animation, film, or game studio can be a tough goal to reach. How do you...
Meet Mike Belzer, Returning Mentor and Valve Animator
Throughout his 30+ year career, Mike Belzer has worked on feature films, short films, stop motion...
Pro Animation Trick: Forget About the Legs!
Basically, the idea is this—if you nail the timing and posing of the body (hips, torso, etc), then...
Why I Learned Storyboarding from Mike Kunkel
We asked star student Amanda Robertson to share her experience taking Storyboarding Fundamentals...
From School to Studio: Sir Wade Neistadt’s Journey to DreamWorks Animation
We asked Animation Mentor alumnus Sir Wade Neistadt to tell us all about his journey from...
Shawn Kelly Answers 5 Burning Questions About Demo Reels
Animation Mentor co-founder and ILM Lead Animator Shawn Kelly answers five great student questions...
Some Words of Advice for Contract and Rookie Animators
Taking your first steps into the professional world of animation? Blue Sky Studios’ Supervising...
Creature Animation: A Student Showcase Behind-the-Scenes
We’re continuing our in-depth look at the 2017 Animation Mentor Student Showcase! Meet the...
Animation Studio Etiquette: Keep Your Ego in Check
What makes a good professional animator? While technical skill is important, there’s one key issue...
ANIMATION TIPS & TRICKS
DEMO REEL ADVICE
