Since Walt Disney first breathed life into Mickey Mouse in “Steamboat Willie” in 1928, traditional animators have been entertaining us by creating increasingly complex moving pictures.
Animators draw a series of images that are filmed to create moving cartoons for film and television. They give flat, two-dimensional drawings the illusion of life. They are part storytellers, part drafters, and part filmmakers.
Putting together an animated feature is a complicated process that typically involves a large team of artists. An animator working on a team is usually responsible for only one aspect of the animation. This is particularly true at large companies.
There are several steps involved in creating cartoons or animated films. Once the initial story idea is determined, the writers develop the story and write the script. Then, a group of artists develops the animation.
The storyboard artist outlines the story in a series of pictures or scenes. The layout artist is a cartoonist who draws the characters' poses, movement, and expressions, and the background artist studies both the storyboard and the script to get ideas for a cartoon setting. While the artists develop the character images, vocal artists record the script.
Building on these images, animators draw anywhere from 10 to 24 rough pencil drawings for each second of animation. The animators then test the characters' motion by flipping the pages of pencil drawings through their fingers. This pinpoints what areas in the film are working and what areas may need new or additional animation. Additional “in-between” drawings and new sketches may be done by an assistant animator.
The final animation drawings are traced onto clear plastic sheets called “cels” and painted. These character cels can then be put on top of the film's backgrounds, which are drawn and painted on other cels. The animators can then see how characters' movements work against the background. There are often several layers of characters and other moving objects on top of the background.
When the cels are ready, each frame of action is photographed. Later, when these frames are run together to make a full scene, sound effects technicians watch the action on a big screen and add all the bangs, crashes, and other sounds. Finally, the scenes are edited together and matched to the soundtrack.
Some animators specialize in model animation. This involves sculpting characters out of modeling clay and building sets. The set and characters are photographed in a series of poses as required by the storyline. When the photographs are edited together, the characters appear to move. Sound effects are then added
Computer animators also create moving pictures, but the way they do this is quite different from what traditional animators do. See the computer animator job description for more information.
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If you feel compelled to create art—to paint, draw, sculpt, or carve—you may want to consider a career as an artist. The urge to create has always been with us. From prehistoric cave drawings to twentieth century abstract paintings, people have been recording their thoughts and feelings through art for centuries.
Artists communicate ideas and emotions through visual media. They create works of art, such as sculptures and paintings, which are bought and appreciated by private collectors or shown in galleries for public viewing. Their inspiration is drawn from the world around them and their own views of world, local, and personal events. This inspiration is then transformed onto paper, metal, wood, clay, or any object or surface they choose. The possibilities are endless, and many artists attempt to break boundaries in the quest for creativity and originality.
To become an artist, you must have a passion for expressing yourself through art. Artists have to be able to look beyond the low income or lack of prestige they may face, and focus on their work. They should also keep in mind that there are many stories of starving artists who suddenly find that their art is in demand.
By displaying their art, artists subject it to public scrutiny. Art dealers, agents, critics, collectors, and curators all judge an artist's talent and have a great deal of power in the future careers of struggling artists. Such shows can make or break artists. Yet for many of them, it is the process of creating art that is rewarding, not the money.
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Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator
If your notebooks are covered with caricatures of classmates or sketches of superheroes, maybe you should consider becoming a cartoonist.
Cartoonists draw cartoons and comic strips for newspapers, advertisements, magazines, films, television, books, newsletters, and greeting cards. They are visual storytellers and the stories they create may be designed to educate or to entertain, or both.
Some cartoonists work with others who create the idea or story and write the captions. Most, however, have the creative ability to draw and develop a story in whatever style is needed. Cartoonists draw short stories using pens, pencils, crayons and paper, acetate, or bristol board. The cartoons may be in color or in black and white. Cartoonists may add captions, or words, to the characters. They may draw many rough sketches before deciding on their final draft.
Many cartoonists develop a particular style and specialize. For example, some specialize in editorial cartoons, like those found in newspapers. These often portray political figures as caricatures (people drawn with exaggerated features, such as a large nose or chin), and are usually connected to some news event.
Other cartoonists specialize in comic strips, which are a series of words and pictures that tell a story. Comic strips often have balloons or bubbles that show what characters are saying or thinking. Comic book illustrators create entire comic books. They have tasks similar to cartoonists, but create longer, more involved stories with less emphasis on getting a quick laugh out of the reader.
Storyboard artists draw cartoons for advertising agencies and production studios to give them an idea of what a commercial or animated film will look like.
Cartoons may be humorous or political, or both. They may be for children or adults, and they may be designed to entertain or to advertise, or both. Cartoons may be based on news events, or just reflect the trials and tribulations of everyday life. They are a valuable way of recording what's going on in the world, and a good way to learn about the past.
In some cases successful characters and their stories are adapted for television and some, such as Spiderman and Batman, even make it to the big screen. However, it's the job of another professional, the animator, to turn cartoons into animated features and moving images.[/f]
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