Visual Arts Career: Animator

an animator wears many hats ...

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How to learn to be an animator

• Practice art skills!
• Study graphics programs
• Practice (drawing, animation, computer programs)
• Attend School, earn a BA
• Do an Internship

"What I am trying to say is that becoming an animator is a growth process that involves basic curiosities for all things..."
---Ward Kimball

Ward  Kimball

letter to all aspiring animators
from Ward Kimball
www.lettersofnote.com

Where do animators work?

• firms that produce feature films, videos, computer games, websites
• many work freelance, on part-time or temporary contract
• most sit at computers in well-lit offices
• Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, DigitalDomain, FrameStore
• see http://www.dexigner.com/directory/cat/Animation/Companies.html

Multimedia Artist Wages 2012

Professional Organizations for animators

• International Game Developers Association: igda.org
• ACM SIGGRAPH:  siggraph.org
• The Animation Guild:  mpsc839.org 
• Graphic Artists Guild:  graphicartistsguild.org
• (image by Dreamworks)

Animation Schools

• Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA scad.edu
• California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California
• University of California, Los Angeles, California
• Bournemouth University. Bournemouth, United Kingdom.
• Vancouver Film School (VFS). Vancouver, Canada

Competition is fierce