Start 2019 with a bang by reviewing our most popular posts of 2018! Learn how to master a moving hold from Shawn Kelly, or review the six common mistakes of beginning animators with Pixar animator Jane Cassidy. Read Bobby Beck’s six key things you need to succeed as an animator and more. We can’t wait to share more great animation advice in the New Year!
Why All Animators Need to Master the Moving Hold
By Shawn Kelly
A “moving hold” is basically just a way to have your character hold a key pose for a long time without looking dead. Seems important, right? But how do you go about achieving a moving hold without it being too floaty or too frozen? Shawn Kelly can tell us!
What Not to Do As a New Animator
By Kevin Koch
Fun Fact: Before Kevin was an animator he was a doctor and a neuroscientist! Since becoming an animator, he’s spent more than 20 years working on a wide variety of animated films, games, TV, and even theme park projects. Currently he’s the Principle Creature Animator at Guerrilla Games and before that he animated for The Third Floor, Sony Pictures ImageWorks, Reel FX, and more. With so many experiences at different studios, Kevin is perfect person to share some hard truths about what NOT to do at the studio when you’re a new animator. Memorize these!
6 Common Mistakes of Beginning Animators
By Jane Cassidy
We asked Animation Mentor Grad, Pixar Animator, and current mentor Jane Cassidy to share the common mistakes she sees time and time again from beginning animators. Here’s your comprehensive list of what NOT to do as a beginning animator.
Why Learning Cartoony Animation Makes You A Better Animator
By Mark Oftedal
All animators have different tastes and directions we’d like to take our animation careers. Some of us may prefer wild cartoony action, others may prefer subtle realism. But even if you don’t imagine yourself specializing in cartoony animation, studying it will add important tools to your foundation and make you a better overall animator. Cartoony animation isn’t just for cartoony animators—and here’s why!
10 of the Best Animal and Creature Animation Posts
By Animation Mentor
You probably know by now that animal and creature animation are 100% essential for your demo reel if you’re hoping to get hired as an animator. To help get you started on improving that demo reel, here’s a round-up of some of our best articles written by top dogs in animation who’ve worked on projects like Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Game of Thrones, and more!
3 New Animation Mentor Workshops!
By Animation Mentor
We were SO EXCITED to launch not one, not two, but THREE new workshops this Fall. Our primary goal is always to help our students become better artists through expert mentorship, a great curriculum, and an amazing community of students and mentors—and we designed our new workshops with those goals front and center. Haven’t heard the news yet? Learn more about them in this post.
6 Key Things You Need to Succeed as an Animator
By Bobby Beck
Bobby says, “I love my job. I get to see students—who have a massive desire and passion to tackle their challenges internally and externally—make their dreams come to life. Not everyone succeeds, yet there are common threads that tie those who do together! Here are six key areas of personal development I’ve seen in those who succeed as animators.”
Pro Animation Trick: Forget About the Legs
By Shawn Kelly
Basically, the idea is this—if you nail the timing and posing of the body (hips, torso, etc), then the position of the feet will already be dictated by the position/timing of the body, so if you just hide the feet and legs to begin with, and block in the body, you get the feet/legs for FREE. It might sound terrifying, but it really works! Learn how with Shawn Kelly.
Image from Garrett Wegner’s 2015 Student Showcase Shot!
5 Things Not to Do on Your Demo Reel
By Carlos Baena
At Animation Mentor, we know demo reels are the most important asset you have when looking for your dream animation job! In fact, we dedicate an entire class to teaching our students how to build their own demo reels. We can’t cover a whole class’s-worth of tips in one post, but here are five of the most important things to keep in mind when you’re creating your own demo reel.
Stepped vs. Spline Blocking in Animation
By Drew Adams
Starting any animation assignment presents many creative choices up front! One of the hardest workflow choices is “should I block in spline mode or stepped mode.” Each mode has its pros and cons, and it can be a tough choice initially! Here’s how you choose.
We hope you learned a lot! If you want even more animation advice, read our round-up of the top animation posts from 2017.
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Start your journey by learning with professional animators from a variety of major studios and career paths! Get more information about Animation Mentor’s Character Animation Courses.
