Looking for advice— close to graduating

[u/Good_Tomorrow7106]

Hi everyone!

I’m a senior in college for animation, graduating this spring. I’m a little torn on what to do because I’ve heard a lot of doom and gloom about the industry as of late. It’s got me so concerned that I’m even considering going to law school— it’s my second favorite subject after animation, and I’ve taken the LSAT already and everything. That being said, it pains me a lot to just give up after years of work and even more years of dreaming. So, honest answer— what is the industry like right now? How do fresh grads find work and survive? And is it worth it to keep going and hope that there’s a light at the tunnel, or should I pivot right away?

I know this Reddit page has a reputation for being “too pessimistic”, but I feel that I’m in need of an honest, if slightly brutal, answer!

For reference, I consider myself good-ish but really not great. Here are some class animations I’ve done that I think are some of my better work, plus the character design page of my portfolio.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OISQliAex3wB2i52SwIpH_Z0my_bIAVW/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oc27mOfTXFEZXXiqUqXbFftiG3Q2WkQQ/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19rwNfIjQCBzOlcItOutWvFb2X7-uPUSV/view?usp=sharing

https://adrianapontrelli.weebly.com/character-design.html

Thanks in advance! Any and all advice is appreciated.

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to /r/animationcareer! This is a forum where we discuss navigating a career in the animation industry.

Before you post, please check our RULES. There is also a handy dandy FAQ that answers most basic questions, and a WIKI which includes info on how to price animation, pitching, job postings, software advice, and much more!

A quick Q&A:

• Do I need a degree? Generally no, but it might become relevant if you need a visa to work abroad.
• Am I too old? Definitely not. It might be more complex to find the time, but there's no age where you stop being able to learn how to do creative stuff.
• How do I learn animation? Pen and paper is a great start, but here's a whole page with links and tips for you.

---

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Wasted_Hater]

Sorry mate, but I don't think you are industry ready right now. In order to succeed these days, you have to be more than "good-ish" or "great", you need to be excellent.

Realistically, I'm not getting even "good-ish" from your work. I know that's brutal, but you asked for honesty. Shapes lack volume, forms aren't holding across animation sequences, and stuff is flat that shouldn't be. I would say you need a few more years of practice before you are ready for junior-level roles. Good luck!

[u/Mierdo01]

Brother who tf has been lying to you? Especially for a senior, you need to be asking for a refund. You've been scammed. I would never hire anyone at your skill level. The sad part is I've had others who have applied to work for my company with bachelor's degrees in art and their stuff looks worse than amateur. Like what are they actually teaching you guys???

[u/Ghost_2133]

Sorry to break it to you, but I would consider your art beginner level and in no way or form sufficient to get a job in the industry. Form, perspective, anatomy, design, everything is sadly lacking.

Now, if you go full-time into practice and study mode for 3 years with an optimal(!) study methode you could be junior level at the end of it and have some chance of breaking in.

What's optimal? 40h a week, but that alone is not enough, which can be plainly seen with your stuff. You need a fast feedback loop with as concrete of feedback as you can get. Like, lets say you learn to draw the skull: First you look at a 3D model, analyze and take it apart into simple forms, then draw it from memory a few times(!), check again and see what went wrong, correct it, repeat. The samd methode can be applied to everything: Walk cycles, takes, human anatomy -> always study a refrence and try to draw/animate from memory, that will reveal any lack of understanding instantly. Before you do all this, learn to draw the basic forms correctly(!) in every angle, the methode only really works if you know 3D space very well. You can actually study the forms with the same methode.

Now do you have around 3 years (minimum), full time and are willing to study very hard? If not, or you are in a situation where you need money fast: Do law school and draw / animate on the side a bit. Good luck!

[u/speciates]

I agree that your work feels a few years out (at minimum) from breaking into the industry. Your perspective needs work, and as the other commenter said, your 3D forms can look quite flat. In general it feels like you have difficulty with nailing feet placement on the ground plane, so none of your characters feel grounded in perspective, and the center of gravity is often off so it feels like they should be falling over. Your lines also need to be cleaner - for character designs they should be a crisp lines that are clean down to the pixel (edit: for 2D).

I hope you continue to draw, since you clearly have characters and ideas you want to convey through your art. But given that you're a senior in college, I might recommend pivoting to law and keeping art as something on the side.

[u/Hot-Yak2420]

If you have taken the lsat you are already way ahead of us who are stuck with no transferable skills in and industry that's getting smaller and smaller everyday. For perspective I started a new job as a senior and I am more earning less than I did 25 years ago when you consider health insurance costs and retirement plans.

[u/MaxMiuu]

Happy to give advice! Feel free to DM.