Student’s Animation Portfolio

Student’s Animation Portfolio

by | Aug 5, 2013 | Animation

I had a student, Tom, who had recently completed his animation portfolio. I am very proud of him and I would like to acknowledge his effort in this post. Over the past 2 years, with consistent 2 hours weekly of contribution to his animation skill, Tom started out learning animation from zero to newbie animator. Tom began learning animation as a hobby as he likes watching anime. Even if it is a passion for him, it was not an easy journey because he tends to get confused very often. Every week, he stretches and challenges his capability of doing things that he is not comfortable or familiar with. He starts to realize that short cuts without much prior planning do not really produce good results. Thorough understanding of a subject is very crucial in learning. Without a clear fundamental understanding of the learning subject, we might not build a solid and stable foundation for our building. Over time, Tom got used to such stimulating exercises that makes him search and try different solutions to overcome his technical problems. When an approach does not work, doing it repeatedly will never produce a new result. Be open and learn to find new solutions to any problem. Eventually Tom becomes proficient in his animation skills and he is able to handle most of the basic animation exercises on his own. Most importantly, he did not give up whenever he meets a new challenges. It takes time for one to be good at anything and giving up is never a solution. Giving yourself time to reflect and time to learn is more important than...

Taking Animation to the Next Level

by | Jul 1, 2012 | Animation

Animators need different skill sets to create good quality animation. However, to be hired as an animator, you need to have the minimal animation skills and standard. If you are a graduate and had send out hundreds of application with no reply, it’s high time to polish your demo reel. Here are 4 critical skills an animator should possess: Animation Quality - Animation needs realism and entertaining value that can be use immediately (by a company). High animation quality can be achieved if your demo reel covers the 12 principal of animations. Software skill - You must be well verse in operating the animation software in order to create animation exactly how the storyboard wants it to be. Speed and efficiency - You are able to complete your animation within a reasonable timeline given by your lead animator or director. Creativity - You demonstrate creativity in your animation on top of the given storyboard which resulted in a higher quality visualization.   If you are able to achieve the above standards, you should be easily employable. Hah! That’s easier said than done! Only a few fresh graduates, mainly the top students, can achieve the above requirements and these students are mostly head hunted before they graduate. As for the rest, many became jobless, some switched career or some starved to death while waiting to be hired. So what can fresh graduates do without much industry experience? I’m here to share with you a very important tip: you do not necessarily need to good in these 4 areas to be employable.   If you need a job urgently, you can...

Need help in animation?

Step By Step Checklist To Realistic Animation (Printable Version)

Use this cheat sheet to help you monitor your animation progress. I've also included check points to help you apply principle of animation which will make your animation looks realistic.

Need help in animation?

Step By Step Checklist To Realistic Animation (Printable Version)

Use this cheat sheet to help you monitor your animation progress. I've also included check points to help you apply principle of animation which will make your animation looks realistic.