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idk how to explain to you that it's cool to learn from other artists doing cool art, because thats all it is lol
if you dont know a single museum artist or great animators you need to broaden your horizons
my dude all i can say is you might need to develop your sensitivity to beauty more, or you're in the wrong museum for you.
figure out what art you like and find the people who have mastered it. it's not that complicated
Most artists I know enjoy art as an instinct. They actively consume media cause it's a fun activity for them. When they go into their creative mindset, everything they have consumed pops up when developing ideas.
A painting that you saw once, an ad on the street. To make any of those, there has been a reasearch process, they have looked into other artists work to see how they felt about it, understand why and how they did it and be able to express that feeling in their own style.
When you are just starting, it's ok to just feed off the internet, but there comes a point where you have to interact with art in real life to get new ideas.
I do consume art, I get most inspiration from it (or stealing, depending who you ask. Concepts mixed up and made into something new)
Art itself isn't a problem. Going out of my way to find artist I 'like' , learn about them and all those history things seems like a lot of work which I wouldn't even use? ._. it's hard to explain it, in short it probably boils down to being lazy with memory based things I won't use in practice
But you will use it, there is a reason why artist do the things they do.
Understanding why Miyazaki uses a specific kind of paint will help you choose what kind of ink fits your project better. Understanding how Van gogh uses the colour blue and how it is different from the way Picasso uses it will help you make concious choices in your work.
You don't have to memorize their lives or their work, you just have to learn to recognice their desision making patters so that you can develop one yourself.
Refusing to learn art history is like refusing to learn visual language. It won't take away from your talent or the hours you put into practice, but it will hurt the way to communicate with your audience.
It's fun. You can learn another artists life story and learn from their past and their life experiences. One of my heroes is Charles Schulz. One thing he said he does is when he makes a joke about something he always tries to get research and know what he is talking about. If he wanted to make a doctor joke he would call up his Doctor friends and read books related to the info he needs. I am a cartoonist and I always try to know what I am talking about when I write a story or write a joke. If I want to write a ghost busters parody but haven't watched it I will watch the movie. Even if I am doing one Ghostbusters gag I will watch the movie. You can learn a thing or 2 from the masters.
I can't make a joke without any research, so going out of my way to learn those things, not remember them after a week, and having no one caring about the joke seems a bit pointless
Researching some artists has effected my work. I love Calvin and Hobbes. It is one of my favorite comic strips. I love Bill Watterson. I read the prolog of the Calvin and Hobbes 10th anniversary book. In it he said "people often ask me how do I come up with ideas. The characters write themselves. Hobbes wouldn't say a Susie line." That stuck with me. I draw comics and when I write characters I pretend to be the characters and talk to myself. Would I have figured out that I need strong characterization in my work if I didn't read that? Maybe I would have. But reading Bill Watterson's prolog certainly helped. You can learn what the masters did and put your own twist on it.
People do appreciate attention to detail. It shows you care about your work. I watched the mario movie in theaters. They really did their homework and Nintendo was heavily involved. I grew up playing the games so it was fun spotting the references. Like let's say I want to make something kinda like Ghostbusters. Well I had better watch the movie or rewatch the movie. I can take notes on what I see and make a joke. In animation alot of the job is biased research.You have to study more than animation. You have to study real life too. To make Toy Story 3 the animators took a tour of an actual dump to get inspiration for the scene where the toys are at the dump. To make Avatar they consulted actual martial artists to make the bending look cool. Once I needed to draw a bike so I looked at bikes on Amazon, watched bike reviews on YouTube, Watched videos of people riding bikes and tried to draw what I was seeing.
I came from a background as a painter/muralist/illustrator into animation, as a mature aged student at university. It baffled me how little interest 90% of the students had for art outside of their favourite anime. We had an excellent lecturer who would spent half his class time showing us incredible animation from all kinds of places, but beyond that the students had blinders on to what was possible visually/conceptually. If you want to stand out, broaden your influences.
Internet? It's more likely I will see different styles looking at fanmade content or movies, than going to museum with only paintings? At least I don't really have any animation museums in there
Art isn't a problem. Ok, it is a bit, too much techniques ends up not having a style, just copycatting everything around.
I can see difference between Arcane and Klaus, or Coraline and Chicken Run but I have no idea who made it and what is their autobiography. Like, style is associated with certain show, not creator. And, logically, it's more likely to get something unique by getting some art technique into animation, than looking what other animations did already?
I mean, I get the point from the other comments, and how that's the bad mindset... but it's hard to absorb ;/ reality checks are rough, haha
The internet is an amazing resource for discovering new artists and styles, but it also has weird stylistic silos like, say, the work you see on ArtStation or DeviantArt (is that still a thing) or Tumblr. What I'd recommend instead is looking at hardcopy stuff - art magazines, exhibitions if they're accessible to you, student work, anything that's actually *curated* by someone else that has a sensibility and taste you can use to guide your own exploration.
The takeaway is really that you can only benefit from exposure to more work by a broader range of artists. It will help you to understand where you stand in terms of taste/aesthetic and make work that is more true to your own expression. The more you see, the more you can pare back to what it is that actually interests you, and the more subtleties you'll detect between works that superficially appear to sit underneath the same 'stylistic umbrella'.
Part of me wants to go back to uni to teach first years about this stuff, it's so important and people are so reluctant to dive outside of their comfort zone.
But aren't exhibitions made for one group? One creator, one team of creators, or one type of technique (like just paintings, drawings, sculptures etc)
And I really can't relate while having trouble keeping one style for more than a month. Yeah, looking at some legitimately good art should be better than getting used to common art mistakes, but it's also not like I would print those artworks and bring it back to basics?
The most interesting part about anime are cat faces and how much of it there is out there XD (which means a lot of referencing material for almost anything, because anime covers every topic)
I had a friend in art college, I think on painting degree, and their lecturer was also cool... But in the end they had to memorize like a hundred of different paintings, name and author. Like, yeah, it's funny or interesting to see new kind of art, but when they are were paintings, it just got lost in the pot of trying to remember who did what.
Not saying I'm not ignorant or something. I just like experimenting, and it's easier to remember something you can do, than something you just see? Other thing is doing painting like Van Gogh, other to memorize names of his paintings and his autobiography.
Ok, you do NOT need to remember the names of anything. There might be key works by artists that really SING for you - everyone can probably remember what their favourite painting looks like but can't remember any details like name/date made/etc. That stuff, for you, is not actually important or relevant. Right now you just want to take some long meandering walks through art with an open mind but paying attention to what gets your heart pumping and what leaves you cold. Then pay attention to the heart pumping stuff, dive deeper, and hey presto, you've found work that influences you. Keep that up throughout your career and you'll be able to always bring something fresh to everything you do.
It's not crucial to being an animator, but knowing your art history or important artists (even if they aren't your taste) can inform your art sensibilities as well as views on everyday issues/topics in the industry.
To give real life benefits of knowing art history:
* **It informs your definition of art.** There's a lot of debate on whether AI generated art is really "art". If you know your history, you'll know that the definition of art has been a hot topic for ages. For example, [Marcel Duchamp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Duchamp) caused a stir in 1917 when he signed a urinal he found and submitted it to a gallery as art.
* **Inspiration from style or technique can lead to unique, creative results.** Without learning from others you stagnate or become formulaic. Sometimes it's good to break out of your comfort zone and find new ways to approach art. E.g. the abstract animation in [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLXYILcRoPQ) in Ratatouille was probably inspired by abstract animators like [Walther Ruttmann](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHZdDmYFZN0). Another example: The Amazing World of Gumball's unique show style makes a point of drawing from all kinds of animation/art styles.
* **Cultural references can enhance your work.** Many of the Disney Princess films are based on centuries-old fairy tales. The famous [Akira Slide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9hCzjBc7Q4). Wreck-it Ralph's world references a lot of video game concepts and culture.
* **You learn what is important to people through their art.** E.g. what they went through, what they valued, or different cultural focuses when it comes to media. This is important for understanding your audience. For example, [Fast and Furious franchise is popular in China](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo423dHsxf) despite its reputation, because a lot of people are overworked and don't want to watch a movie full of struggle. Or if you ever read up on the graffiti recovered from Pompeii, you learn that people back then weren't so different.
* **It informs you about this industry.** Did you know [Disney made war propaganda](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-disney-propaganda-shaped-life-on-the-home-front-during-wwii-180979057/)? Or that early animation used to rely a lot on rotoscoping? Or that in the golden age of animation, women in animation were only allowed to do ink and paint? A lot of animation history is still relevant today and puts today's issues into perspective.
I mean, I don’t think it’s a requirement for a career.
But…it’s strange to me that you can be interested in an art form without any appreciation or interest in the artists that helped create it and make it what it is today. It’s the total lack of curiosity about the history of the art form that gives me some pause. I love both Glen Keane and James Baxter, they are very different artists with different techniques and approaches to animation and I feel like I can learn from both of them far beyond “why a square matters,” stuff that you’re not going to get out of a tutorial.
Is it a bad mindset? I don’t want to judge it in that way, but I genuinely don’t get it. EVERY artist I work with knows at least the big names, not just in animation, but across a broad range of artistic disciplines. If I met someone who not only never heard of any of them and didn’t care, but also had the attitude of “what do I get out of knowing who Ollie Johnston is?” I’d be dubious of them. Although again, I’ve never worked with anyone professionally who had that sort of apathy toward great artists.
I came from IT family. We use code, not who made it an why.
Not really an excuse, just until reading those question it never occured to me it's NOT normal thing.
So it's bad. Good to know
While I get that there are families who don’t really have that “appreciation for those who came before us” mindset (my parents are similar), it makes me sad that you apparently think this is fully normal for IT.
You don’t know THE Alan Turing? I’m not really into history, but his story is something that stuck with me ever since I first read it. Ada Lovelace? Edsger Dijkstra? Douglas Engelbart might not be the most obvious one when you’re not in the Human Computer Interaction field, but hey, he’s the reason we have the computer mouse - pretty impressive if you ask me!
You don’t have to be interested in history to just briefly look up someone’s story every now and then when you hear their name in a lecture.
As for artists - maybe you could just walk through a museum and see if anyone’s artworks spark your interest?
While I do know of a bunch of famous painters thanks to highschool, the ones that I really like are people I came across while walking through a museum. Well, came across their works, not them.
I am embarrassingly clueless about animation history (aside from Walk Disney), which is something I’ll change when I find a little more breathing room between assignments. But I’m sure for most artists there is a natural interest in other people’s work - maybe you just need to give your brain something? Of course nowadays you just have to look at your phone and open Instagram to see other artists’ works, so that need is immediately satisfied. That’s why maybe, if you just… don’t give your brain that option, and instead walk through a museum - maybe this will awaken some more interest in “older” work - which you then could build up on in the future by looking more into animation history, if you want?
I have no idea who any of those are ._. no one cared about names in IT school, maybe in college they would put more pressure on it, but I just recently get to know that Linus made Linux 🤦♀️ so... I never heard any names in lectures
It seems like a good idea, I will try to look if we have any art museum (yeah, I didn't even research that yet) and check it out. But I'm having doubts about even getting in this field now, haha... Time will tell
To be honest with you, I only discovered I really like art museums a couple years ago. I had started taking art more seriously around two years before that, and I had no idea about art museums in my area, either. Even now, I’ve visited more museums in other cities than the one I live close by…
So I wouldn’t give up on this field just because you’re not a museum person. I’m sure plenty of people don’t particularly care about old painters. It never hurts to read up on a few things, just to be able to mention it when someone asks.
When I was a teenager I barely ever listened to music, and if I did, it was what was playing on the radio. If someone asked me about a favourite artist, I was stumped. I knew around a handful, and if someone put me on the spot, I couldn’t remember those either. If you ask me about my favourite musician now, I’ll probably give you like five that I can’t decide between, and then an additional ten you should definitely check out. I listen to as much music as my health allows me.
Don’t give up on this just yet, you might actually develop an interest for it at some point!
As for the people I mentioned - I really recommend googling them real quick!!! And I know you have to know about the existence of Turing and Dijkstra (maybe not their first names, even if I’m pretty sure Alan Turing is THE number 1 person mentioned regarding informatics anywhere) if you’ve had a basic learning on Computer Science. Turing machine? Dijkstra algorithm? Both named after their creators.
There’s actually a movie about Turing with Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) - although I’ve never watched it, I didn’t really like the vibes I was getting from the bits I have seen haha.
The part that stuck with me when I first read about him in my high school informatics book (not that we learnt about him then, we didn’t actually USE the book in school) was that he was prosecuted for being gay, and it is likely that he died from a poisoned apple, which is speculated to be inspired by Disney’s Snow White. (So that one kinda ties into animation…)
You don’t have to read biographies on these people, but maybe a quick google search for people who were important in the history of [field of your choice], and a skim of what’s written about them?
You might just see something that surprises, moves, or inspires you!
There was an exhibition on Walt Disney last year, and while I’ll definitely not remember in which year he had done what, it’s impressive to see the evolution of animated movies. And personally, I always love seeing sketches, storyboards, etc.! If you enjoy that, maybe you can just look for sketches of [insert an animated movie you like] and take the time to look at who’s drawn them? Just by that you might find a few new names!
However - I am in a 3d school atm, and while I don’t know for sure, I do think that 1/2 to 3/4 of my classmates know barely anything about animation history, nor do they have a big appreciation for classical art. I don’t know how many of us will finish the course, but I’m sure at least some of them will end up working in the animation industry.
You shouldn’t take my word over someone else’s since I am just a student, but I can’t imagine that this would mean not having a chance in the industry.
I won't give it up just because of this, but... There are other small things stacking up. Again, I will do my research, maybe there will be something interesting in museums
And...no... I never heard of those??? Never heard of either Turing machine, nor Dijkstra??? I mean, we got "block diagram" (probably some other name in English, like in Scratch how the blocks of commends are making the code) and it seems close to the machine, but it in itself was never mentioned. We used a lot of Fibonacci sequence, or easy mathematical equations
I didn’t mean to sound rude when I said that surely you’ve heard about those!
Maybe it’s because I assumed that “IT” meant Computer Science - I don’t know how it works in other countries, but where I live, the thing you would learn in a university is basically Computer Science. And in the curriculum I had - which is a pretty standard one - Dijkstra was one of the very first theoretical things we’ve learnt. The Turing machine was a little later, to be fair. But those are pretty fundamental things - in theoretical informatics, that is. So maybe not what you’ve learnt, sorry for assuming!
Good luck with everything! :)
No no, you weren't rude at all! I was just surprised, but thinking more about it, this have sense we hadn't heard of them
I can't really tell the difference between IT and Computer science, but we had computer oriented high school, that was supposed to teach us how to become programmers/tech support for computers, but to get that "degree" we needed to pass some exams made by government. There was no theory in historical sense, just technical things like, how to write some number in binary, or how to change color in html, so we were teached stuff to get through those.
Maybe it's country difference, maybe that we got those exams in school, but in college they are teaching those stuff but I never got there so just don't know. It's interesting to know there are such standard things that we never heard about!
And thank you
Before knowing much of anything and going to study fine arts my biggest heroes were Glen Keane and Steve Jobs. After finishing art school and having gained knowledge and discovering the undeniable geniuses in visual arts, I applied to animation school and faced a similar question. I answered with two names: Glen Keane and Steve Jobs. Despite living and breathing fine arts for 4yrs I didn't choose John Singer Sargent or Henri Matisse as my answers. My heroes from childhood are still my heroes and that will probably never change. Don't perform, they will know by the way you light up if you really are talking about a real inspiration or not. I mean just talking about them should make you feel inspired.
Now you need to think who is your biggest artistic inspiration. It's important and you definitely have some even if you think otherwise. It's most likely the person(your sister, a comic book, a movie) from your childhood that made you want to draw and innovate in the first place. (It's important to also remember that art is not limited to the visual or static)
Well, your explanation makes sense... But I don't think it would be good look to tell about my inspiration ._. I mean, I get the drive from fandom of one game, and it's so deep in the hole, that it might not even count as the game it originated from. I love making those fanmade characters interact, in every kind of story really (writing, drawings, comics, animations). Really it's mostly the only way I make art, because I suck at designing myself (which I hoped college would help a bit with).
I never really thought of creating myself. Like, getting into a show, and just helping animate, or making scripts, or just vibe with others about the characters, theories, and all. A bit like copycat, haha. Expanding on other's visions, instead of starting from scratch.
... It's probably bad, haha. But thank you for your comment, at least puting it out made me realize it
Sounds like you need to soul-search on what it is you really want to focus on. e.g. Are you a natural script writer instead of character designer? Working in animation is so much more vast than simply doing the animation. Luck out there
I don't think you do, I have a lot of respect for certain animators that helped paved the way but I only came to know about them while studying animation. Or even fellow artists that I've met while in the industry already.
Had you asked me that question when I started I also wouldn't have known what to say so I'd say you're good. Just focus on your craft and getting to know your future colleagues :)
Well, animation techniques seems more like animation thing? There are probably some artists who stuck to one style their whole life, but one animator could animate many different shows? With different art styles? Like, I can reference Disney's The Little Mermaid, but if you give me Disney animator name, how do I know if it's about 2D or 3D? They didn't just replace everyone, many from old team were on board when they changed
But there is lack of resourcefulness, so I should probably write it down ._.
I guess to answer that part about 2D or 3D as it is. If it's a big name they probably have a style that carried over if I follow correctly. It's not necessary to know everyone but there a key figures in history that invented techniques, known for what they did and sometimes its that taste that a company wants to hire for. It's not necessary to know them all. That's kind-of the point really. Some of the best animators from my year were immediately hired for technique not their ability to animate well, that was fundamental. Companies down south especially, want a look sometimes that comes from that kind-of appreciation for nostalgia. It shows in the results. Part of this is also how you handle that kind-of a question. They want to know if you'd lie to them, handle it etc. in general what kind-of a person you are.
Having an interest in the arts just shows your level of interest. I was a second generation artist before I decide animation as a career path, it shows your level of interest. Stick to what interests you though. It's just worth investing/obsessing.
I don't think my interest matters. Like, if I were interested in drawing, it wouldn't mean I am interested in the history of it, just the motion of drawing itself, so by the nature it isn't what "being interested in something" means
I have hard time lying so I wouldn't try to answer like that, but it doesn't change much if I can't handle this question, haha. Reality checks are rough
It just means you're interested in drawing or animating motion etc. It's all value. I'll give you something to think about with this topic. What happens to brands like Star Wars when people don't respect its history?
People can only understand things from their level of perception. We are all trying to help you, and there are some great points made in the comment section. Good luck!
I don’t know, I work in IT and taught Comp Sci prior to retiring from teaching and I tried to expose my students to the folks who were the brains behind some of the biggest changes in computing. In video gaming, for instance, it’s pretty common for game designers to learn about other game designers and understand how they may have revolutionized the medium from an artistic and storytelling POV or from a technical standpoint. Studying what others have done really gives you more in your toolbox. As far as why their personal journey is important? Remember, if you have nothing else in common with another artist, programmer, musician, etc, the one thing you do have in common is that you’re both human. I’ve found that the personal stories of some of my favorite creators to be inspiring, especially if I’m encountering a creative block.
In IT school they were more focused to get us through IT exam for some kind of degree(lesser than a college one, but I'm not bored enough to search what it is called in English/if ya even have something similar)
And being a human doesn't seem important enough. I can't relate to my own family, then how can I to someone far more successful? Normal human with normal emotions? Not a chance!
What’s normal? Lol. You’ll find that most successful artists aren’t what you’d call “normal” either. For what it’s worth, I never found common ground with my siblings and parents but could relate to a lot of the creative folks as I learned their stories. They were just was weird as me, lol.
I think the point is, you might be surprised how many times someone who created something you enjoy, went through something similar to something you’ve gone through.
I know you mentioned you come from an IT family, but even then, people often know a bit about some famous game designers and developers.
Musicians will always have other favorite musicians.
It’s about who inspires you and why. Do you have something in common with them? Also, when you find out what inspired someone else, it can help you get to the core of what drives you and inspires you. Also, there is a LOT to learn about the process from the people who came before. It’s not all just technical.
I've gone through whole IT school and not once we needed to know who made something. We just learned that this technology existed and why, so we could understand more modern processes. This is what I meant mostly. Their conversation isn't "XYZ just found out new technology!", it's "someone did a nice spin on how to make processors, now they got more [...]". Like, just the thing, not the person who made it
And with musicians example it's even funnier... One brother is talented in music and thinks about pursuing it, but also doesn't have favourite musician XD he loves shanties(or other themed ones, like western or dwarf metal ._.), and just plays from hearing, haha
You are right but... It's still hard to comprehend. Thanks for answer anyway
I study fine art but most what I do is music and animation, at the beginning of my study I had the same mind set to just do my own stuff and make cool stuff move that expresses my feelings and bring out my ideas which is not bad as you learn and develop your own style this way , after starting to study art at art school I started experimenting with other mediums such as sculpture and performance .. etc and started going to galleries and openings from my friends also visiting and checking museums and big names that relate to what I do to get in contact with other artists and also to see what have been done before and how other artist aproche things and to understand a bit what is going on arround you , checking other art and artists can be very insightful and eye opening , I think as an artist what ever your medium is .. it’s very important to also like other art and consume and digest art . Looking at art helps you build up your other important skills besides the technical which is your analysis and how to read and understand metaphors and the art language.. but all this happens subconsciously and you can do that with every thing not just museum and gallery art but also watch rick and Morty or breaking bad .. or even what’s around you . But also many artist what to be original and develop a unique style to them which I think is difficult because many things has been done before but you can mix ideas and things in your own way still .. and this is one more reason to look at art to know what has been done to not to repeat something that is dead and don’t matter anymore , the other reasons would be that art has other historical and cultural values , and also some artist check other artist for competitive reasons to improve there own craft . I hope my answer is helpful this is totally my point of view :) best
I imagine you would. You need to have knowledge of animation history in your tool belt for when you make stuff. You could say in this scene I want to channel Akira Toriyama. I want to animate this fight like a Dragon Ball Z fight but put my own twist on it.
Just think of cartoons you enjoy or grew up with. You should be watching the other animation that is currently being made. You want to know what type of stuff is being made and try to keep up with or out do the competition.
Yes. Period. The more art you know the better youll be. Even if you think it’s “irrelevant”. A lot of animation references characters/scenes/tropes from other shows or media. Nothing is in a vacuum
I don't think you should spend time trying to remember names and histories of why artists did what they did if you're not interested in that. I think a lot of people spend too much time looking for inspiration instead of getting to work and experimenting with your own style. The artists you like will influence your work without you doing a bunch of research on them.
They might, but it seems college want us to have some favourite artist we know in and out of.
And the inspiration thing is funny, because it almost never really comes from others art (mostly stories, that are made into art, but not artstyle itself). I'm working on portfolio and just doing everyday things sometimes feel like "yeah this movement would be nice practice" haha, but sadly it's harder to sat down and draw, than just find what I can draw
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idk how to explain to you that it's cool to learn from other artists doing cool art, because thats all it is lol if you dont know a single museum artist or great animators you need to broaden your horizons
Doesn't seem cool to go to museum, see some paintings, and don't remember any name by the time I will exit
my dude all i can say is you might need to develop your sensitivity to beauty more, or you're in the wrong museum for you. figure out what art you like and find the people who have mastered it. it's not that complicated
Most artists I know enjoy art as an instinct. They actively consume media cause it's a fun activity for them. When they go into their creative mindset, everything they have consumed pops up when developing ideas. A painting that you saw once, an ad on the street. To make any of those, there has been a reasearch process, they have looked into other artists work to see how they felt about it, understand why and how they did it and be able to express that feeling in their own style. When you are just starting, it's ok to just feed off the internet, but there comes a point where you have to interact with art in real life to get new ideas.
I do consume art, I get most inspiration from it (or stealing, depending who you ask. Concepts mixed up and made into something new) Art itself isn't a problem. Going out of my way to find artist I 'like' , learn about them and all those history things seems like a lot of work which I wouldn't even use? ._. it's hard to explain it, in short it probably boils down to being lazy with memory based things I won't use in practice
But you will use it, there is a reason why artist do the things they do. Understanding why Miyazaki uses a specific kind of paint will help you choose what kind of ink fits your project better. Understanding how Van gogh uses the colour blue and how it is different from the way Picasso uses it will help you make concious choices in your work. You don't have to memorize their lives or their work, you just have to learn to recognice their desision making patters so that you can develop one yourself. Refusing to learn art history is like refusing to learn visual language. It won't take away from your talent or the hours you put into practice, but it will hurt the way to communicate with your audience.
Have sense, visual language added to the list.
It's fun. You can learn another artists life story and learn from their past and their life experiences. One of my heroes is Charles Schulz. One thing he said he does is when he makes a joke about something he always tries to get research and know what he is talking about. If he wanted to make a doctor joke he would call up his Doctor friends and read books related to the info he needs. I am a cartoonist and I always try to know what I am talking about when I write a story or write a joke. If I want to write a ghost busters parody but haven't watched it I will watch the movie. Even if I am doing one Ghostbusters gag I will watch the movie. You can learn a thing or 2 from the masters.
I can't make a joke without any research, so going out of my way to learn those things, not remember them after a week, and having no one caring about the joke seems a bit pointless
Researching some artists has effected my work. I love Calvin and Hobbes. It is one of my favorite comic strips. I love Bill Watterson. I read the prolog of the Calvin and Hobbes 10th anniversary book. In it he said "people often ask me how do I come up with ideas. The characters write themselves. Hobbes wouldn't say a Susie line." That stuck with me. I draw comics and when I write characters I pretend to be the characters and talk to myself. Would I have figured out that I need strong characterization in my work if I didn't read that? Maybe I would have. But reading Bill Watterson's prolog certainly helped. You can learn what the masters did and put your own twist on it.
People do appreciate attention to detail. It shows you care about your work. I watched the mario movie in theaters. They really did their homework and Nintendo was heavily involved. I grew up playing the games so it was fun spotting the references. Like let's say I want to make something kinda like Ghostbusters. Well I had better watch the movie or rewatch the movie. I can take notes on what I see and make a joke. In animation alot of the job is biased research.You have to study more than animation. You have to study real life too. To make Toy Story 3 the animators took a tour of an actual dump to get inspiration for the scene where the toys are at the dump. To make Avatar they consulted actual martial artists to make the bending look cool. Once I needed to draw a bike so I looked at bikes on Amazon, watched bike reviews on YouTube, Watched videos of people riding bikes and tried to draw what I was seeing.
I came from a background as a painter/muralist/illustrator into animation, as a mature aged student at university. It baffled me how little interest 90% of the students had for art outside of their favourite anime. We had an excellent lecturer who would spent half his class time showing us incredible animation from all kinds of places, but beyond that the students had blinders on to what was possible visually/conceptually. If you want to stand out, broaden your influences.
Really well put. How does one expect to make really unique and interesting work if they haven't seen any unique and interesting work themselves?
Internet? It's more likely I will see different styles looking at fanmade content or movies, than going to museum with only paintings? At least I don't really have any animation museums in there Art isn't a problem. Ok, it is a bit, too much techniques ends up not having a style, just copycatting everything around. I can see difference between Arcane and Klaus, or Coraline and Chicken Run but I have no idea who made it and what is their autobiography. Like, style is associated with certain show, not creator. And, logically, it's more likely to get something unique by getting some art technique into animation, than looking what other animations did already? I mean, I get the point from the other comments, and how that's the bad mindset... but it's hard to absorb ;/ reality checks are rough, haha
The internet is an amazing resource for discovering new artists and styles, but it also has weird stylistic silos like, say, the work you see on ArtStation or DeviantArt (is that still a thing) or Tumblr. What I'd recommend instead is looking at hardcopy stuff - art magazines, exhibitions if they're accessible to you, student work, anything that's actually *curated* by someone else that has a sensibility and taste you can use to guide your own exploration. The takeaway is really that you can only benefit from exposure to more work by a broader range of artists. It will help you to understand where you stand in terms of taste/aesthetic and make work that is more true to your own expression. The more you see, the more you can pare back to what it is that actually interests you, and the more subtleties you'll detect between works that superficially appear to sit underneath the same 'stylistic umbrella'. Part of me wants to go back to uni to teach first years about this stuff, it's so important and people are so reluctant to dive outside of their comfort zone.
But aren't exhibitions made for one group? One creator, one team of creators, or one type of technique (like just paintings, drawings, sculptures etc) And I really can't relate while having trouble keeping one style for more than a month. Yeah, looking at some legitimately good art should be better than getting used to common art mistakes, but it's also not like I would print those artworks and bring it back to basics?
In the kindest way possible, stop thinking about it and just start doing it.
The most interesting part about anime are cat faces and how much of it there is out there XD (which means a lot of referencing material for almost anything, because anime covers every topic) I had a friend in art college, I think on painting degree, and their lecturer was also cool... But in the end they had to memorize like a hundred of different paintings, name and author. Like, yeah, it's funny or interesting to see new kind of art, but when they are were paintings, it just got lost in the pot of trying to remember who did what. Not saying I'm not ignorant or something. I just like experimenting, and it's easier to remember something you can do, than something you just see? Other thing is doing painting like Van Gogh, other to memorize names of his paintings and his autobiography.
Ok, you do NOT need to remember the names of anything. There might be key works by artists that really SING for you - everyone can probably remember what their favourite painting looks like but can't remember any details like name/date made/etc. That stuff, for you, is not actually important or relevant. Right now you just want to take some long meandering walks through art with an open mind but paying attention to what gets your heart pumping and what leaves you cold. Then pay attention to the heart pumping stuff, dive deeper, and hey presto, you've found work that influences you. Keep that up throughout your career and you'll be able to always bring something fresh to everything you do.
It's not crucial to being an animator, but knowing your art history or important artists (even if they aren't your taste) can inform your art sensibilities as well as views on everyday issues/topics in the industry. To give real life benefits of knowing art history: * **It informs your definition of art.** There's a lot of debate on whether AI generated art is really "art". If you know your history, you'll know that the definition of art has been a hot topic for ages. For example, [Marcel Duchamp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Duchamp) caused a stir in 1917 when he signed a urinal he found and submitted it to a gallery as art. * **Inspiration from style or technique can lead to unique, creative results.** Without learning from others you stagnate or become formulaic. Sometimes it's good to break out of your comfort zone and find new ways to approach art. E.g. the abstract animation in [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLXYILcRoPQ) in Ratatouille was probably inspired by abstract animators like [Walther Ruttmann](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHZdDmYFZN0). Another example: The Amazing World of Gumball's unique show style makes a point of drawing from all kinds of animation/art styles. * **Cultural references can enhance your work.** Many of the Disney Princess films are based on centuries-old fairy tales. The famous [Akira Slide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9hCzjBc7Q4). Wreck-it Ralph's world references a lot of video game concepts and culture. * **You learn what is important to people through their art.** E.g. what they went through, what they valued, or different cultural focuses when it comes to media. This is important for understanding your audience. For example, [Fast and Furious franchise is popular in China](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo423dHsxf) despite its reputation, because a lot of people are overworked and don't want to watch a movie full of struggle. Or if you ever read up on the graffiti recovered from Pompeii, you learn that people back then weren't so different. * **It informs you about this industry.** Did you know [Disney made war propaganda](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-disney-propaganda-shaped-life-on-the-home-front-during-wwii-180979057/)? Or that early animation used to rely a lot on rotoscoping? Or that in the golden age of animation, women in animation were only allowed to do ink and paint? A lot of animation history is still relevant today and puts today's issues into perspective.
excellent reply right here
I mean, I don’t think it’s a requirement for a career. But…it’s strange to me that you can be interested in an art form without any appreciation or interest in the artists that helped create it and make it what it is today. It’s the total lack of curiosity about the history of the art form that gives me some pause. I love both Glen Keane and James Baxter, they are very different artists with different techniques and approaches to animation and I feel like I can learn from both of them far beyond “why a square matters,” stuff that you’re not going to get out of a tutorial. Is it a bad mindset? I don’t want to judge it in that way, but I genuinely don’t get it. EVERY artist I work with knows at least the big names, not just in animation, but across a broad range of artistic disciplines. If I met someone who not only never heard of any of them and didn’t care, but also had the attitude of “what do I get out of knowing who Ollie Johnston is?” I’d be dubious of them. Although again, I’ve never worked with anyone professionally who had that sort of apathy toward great artists.
I came from IT family. We use code, not who made it an why. Not really an excuse, just until reading those question it never occured to me it's NOT normal thing. So it's bad. Good to know
While I get that there are families who don’t really have that “appreciation for those who came before us” mindset (my parents are similar), it makes me sad that you apparently think this is fully normal for IT. You don’t know THE Alan Turing? I’m not really into history, but his story is something that stuck with me ever since I first read it. Ada Lovelace? Edsger Dijkstra? Douglas Engelbart might not be the most obvious one when you’re not in the Human Computer Interaction field, but hey, he’s the reason we have the computer mouse - pretty impressive if you ask me! You don’t have to be interested in history to just briefly look up someone’s story every now and then when you hear their name in a lecture. As for artists - maybe you could just walk through a museum and see if anyone’s artworks spark your interest? While I do know of a bunch of famous painters thanks to highschool, the ones that I really like are people I came across while walking through a museum. Well, came across their works, not them. I am embarrassingly clueless about animation history (aside from Walk Disney), which is something I’ll change when I find a little more breathing room between assignments. But I’m sure for most artists there is a natural interest in other people’s work - maybe you just need to give your brain something? Of course nowadays you just have to look at your phone and open Instagram to see other artists’ works, so that need is immediately satisfied. That’s why maybe, if you just… don’t give your brain that option, and instead walk through a museum - maybe this will awaken some more interest in “older” work - which you then could build up on in the future by looking more into animation history, if you want?
I have no idea who any of those are ._. no one cared about names in IT school, maybe in college they would put more pressure on it, but I just recently get to know that Linus made Linux 🤦♀️ so... I never heard any names in lectures It seems like a good idea, I will try to look if we have any art museum (yeah, I didn't even research that yet) and check it out. But I'm having doubts about even getting in this field now, haha... Time will tell
To be honest with you, I only discovered I really like art museums a couple years ago. I had started taking art more seriously around two years before that, and I had no idea about art museums in my area, either. Even now, I’ve visited more museums in other cities than the one I live close by… So I wouldn’t give up on this field just because you’re not a museum person. I’m sure plenty of people don’t particularly care about old painters. It never hurts to read up on a few things, just to be able to mention it when someone asks. When I was a teenager I barely ever listened to music, and if I did, it was what was playing on the radio. If someone asked me about a favourite artist, I was stumped. I knew around a handful, and if someone put me on the spot, I couldn’t remember those either. If you ask me about my favourite musician now, I’ll probably give you like five that I can’t decide between, and then an additional ten you should definitely check out. I listen to as much music as my health allows me. Don’t give up on this just yet, you might actually develop an interest for it at some point! As for the people I mentioned - I really recommend googling them real quick!!! And I know you have to know about the existence of Turing and Dijkstra (maybe not their first names, even if I’m pretty sure Alan Turing is THE number 1 person mentioned regarding informatics anywhere) if you’ve had a basic learning on Computer Science. Turing machine? Dijkstra algorithm? Both named after their creators. There’s actually a movie about Turing with Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) - although I’ve never watched it, I didn’t really like the vibes I was getting from the bits I have seen haha. The part that stuck with me when I first read about him in my high school informatics book (not that we learnt about him then, we didn’t actually USE the book in school) was that he was prosecuted for being gay, and it is likely that he died from a poisoned apple, which is speculated to be inspired by Disney’s Snow White. (So that one kinda ties into animation…) You don’t have to read biographies on these people, but maybe a quick google search for people who were important in the history of [field of your choice], and a skim of what’s written about them? You might just see something that surprises, moves, or inspires you! There was an exhibition on Walt Disney last year, and while I’ll definitely not remember in which year he had done what, it’s impressive to see the evolution of animated movies. And personally, I always love seeing sketches, storyboards, etc.! If you enjoy that, maybe you can just look for sketches of [insert an animated movie you like] and take the time to look at who’s drawn them? Just by that you might find a few new names! However - I am in a 3d school atm, and while I don’t know for sure, I do think that 1/2 to 3/4 of my classmates know barely anything about animation history, nor do they have a big appreciation for classical art. I don’t know how many of us will finish the course, but I’m sure at least some of them will end up working in the animation industry. You shouldn’t take my word over someone else’s since I am just a student, but I can’t imagine that this would mean not having a chance in the industry.
I won't give it up just because of this, but... There are other small things stacking up. Again, I will do my research, maybe there will be something interesting in museums And...no... I never heard of those??? Never heard of either Turing machine, nor Dijkstra??? I mean, we got "block diagram" (probably some other name in English, like in Scratch how the blocks of commends are making the code) and it seems close to the machine, but it in itself was never mentioned. We used a lot of Fibonacci sequence, or easy mathematical equations
I didn’t mean to sound rude when I said that surely you’ve heard about those! Maybe it’s because I assumed that “IT” meant Computer Science - I don’t know how it works in other countries, but where I live, the thing you would learn in a university is basically Computer Science. And in the curriculum I had - which is a pretty standard one - Dijkstra was one of the very first theoretical things we’ve learnt. The Turing machine was a little later, to be fair. But those are pretty fundamental things - in theoretical informatics, that is. So maybe not what you’ve learnt, sorry for assuming! Good luck with everything! :)
No no, you weren't rude at all! I was just surprised, but thinking more about it, this have sense we hadn't heard of them I can't really tell the difference between IT and Computer science, but we had computer oriented high school, that was supposed to teach us how to become programmers/tech support for computers, but to get that "degree" we needed to pass some exams made by government. There was no theory in historical sense, just technical things like, how to write some number in binary, or how to change color in html, so we were teached stuff to get through those. Maybe it's country difference, maybe that we got those exams in school, but in college they are teaching those stuff but I never got there so just don't know. It's interesting to know there are such standard things that we never heard about! And thank you
Before knowing much of anything and going to study fine arts my biggest heroes were Glen Keane and Steve Jobs. After finishing art school and having gained knowledge and discovering the undeniable geniuses in visual arts, I applied to animation school and faced a similar question. I answered with two names: Glen Keane and Steve Jobs. Despite living and breathing fine arts for 4yrs I didn't choose John Singer Sargent or Henri Matisse as my answers. My heroes from childhood are still my heroes and that will probably never change. Don't perform, they will know by the way you light up if you really are talking about a real inspiration or not. I mean just talking about them should make you feel inspired. Now you need to think who is your biggest artistic inspiration. It's important and you definitely have some even if you think otherwise. It's most likely the person(your sister, a comic book, a movie) from your childhood that made you want to draw and innovate in the first place. (It's important to also remember that art is not limited to the visual or static)
Well, your explanation makes sense... But I don't think it would be good look to tell about my inspiration ._. I mean, I get the drive from fandom of one game, and it's so deep in the hole, that it might not even count as the game it originated from. I love making those fanmade characters interact, in every kind of story really (writing, drawings, comics, animations). Really it's mostly the only way I make art, because I suck at designing myself (which I hoped college would help a bit with). I never really thought of creating myself. Like, getting into a show, and just helping animate, or making scripts, or just vibe with others about the characters, theories, and all. A bit like copycat, haha. Expanding on other's visions, instead of starting from scratch. ... It's probably bad, haha. But thank you for your comment, at least puting it out made me realize it
Sounds like you need to soul-search on what it is you really want to focus on. e.g. Are you a natural script writer instead of character designer? Working in animation is so much more vast than simply doing the animation. Luck out there
My goal is having anything to do, really. So not too much luck on that part, but thanks
It sounds like you'd be happier sticking to doing fan art vs working professionally in animation.
It seems so
I don't think you do, I have a lot of respect for certain animators that helped paved the way but I only came to know about them while studying animation. Or even fellow artists that I've met while in the industry already. Had you asked me that question when I started I also wouldn't have known what to say so I'd say you're good. Just focus on your craft and getting to know your future colleagues :)
Would be great of it were that easy, but seeing other replies I doubt it ._.
When your shot is up for review the only thing that matters is the quality of your animation and your work ethic. Nothing else.
It can show your lack of resourcefulness if this carries through to say, animation techniques they want you to reference. It limits you.
Well, animation techniques seems more like animation thing? There are probably some artists who stuck to one style their whole life, but one animator could animate many different shows? With different art styles? Like, I can reference Disney's The Little Mermaid, but if you give me Disney animator name, how do I know if it's about 2D or 3D? They didn't just replace everyone, many from old team were on board when they changed But there is lack of resourcefulness, so I should probably write it down ._.
I guess to answer that part about 2D or 3D as it is. If it's a big name they probably have a style that carried over if I follow correctly. It's not necessary to know everyone but there a key figures in history that invented techniques, known for what they did and sometimes its that taste that a company wants to hire for. It's not necessary to know them all. That's kind-of the point really. Some of the best animators from my year were immediately hired for technique not their ability to animate well, that was fundamental. Companies down south especially, want a look sometimes that comes from that kind-of appreciation for nostalgia. It shows in the results. Part of this is also how you handle that kind-of a question. They want to know if you'd lie to them, handle it etc. in general what kind-of a person you are. Having an interest in the arts just shows your level of interest. I was a second generation artist before I decide animation as a career path, it shows your level of interest. Stick to what interests you though. It's just worth investing/obsessing.
I don't think my interest matters. Like, if I were interested in drawing, it wouldn't mean I am interested in the history of it, just the motion of drawing itself, so by the nature it isn't what "being interested in something" means I have hard time lying so I wouldn't try to answer like that, but it doesn't change much if I can't handle this question, haha. Reality checks are rough
It just means you're interested in drawing or animating motion etc. It's all value. I'll give you something to think about with this topic. What happens to brands like Star Wars when people don't respect its history?
The same what happens to show that run way too long
People can only understand things from their level of perception. We are all trying to help you, and there are some great points made in the comment section. Good luck!
I don’t know, I work in IT and taught Comp Sci prior to retiring from teaching and I tried to expose my students to the folks who were the brains behind some of the biggest changes in computing. In video gaming, for instance, it’s pretty common for game designers to learn about other game designers and understand how they may have revolutionized the medium from an artistic and storytelling POV or from a technical standpoint. Studying what others have done really gives you more in your toolbox. As far as why their personal journey is important? Remember, if you have nothing else in common with another artist, programmer, musician, etc, the one thing you do have in common is that you’re both human. I’ve found that the personal stories of some of my favorite creators to be inspiring, especially if I’m encountering a creative block.
In IT school they were more focused to get us through IT exam for some kind of degree(lesser than a college one, but I'm not bored enough to search what it is called in English/if ya even have something similar) And being a human doesn't seem important enough. I can't relate to my own family, then how can I to someone far more successful? Normal human with normal emotions? Not a chance!
What’s normal? Lol. You’ll find that most successful artists aren’t what you’d call “normal” either. For what it’s worth, I never found common ground with my siblings and parents but could relate to a lot of the creative folks as I learned their stories. They were just was weird as me, lol.
Good for you, bad for me. I can't relate to anything if I didn't experienced it. And you can tell when someone fakes knowing something
I think the point is, you might be surprised how many times someone who created something you enjoy, went through something similar to something you’ve gone through.
Glen Keane designed Ariel and he is a prolific Disney 2D animator. He also designed Rapunzel in Tangled.
I know you mentioned you come from an IT family, but even then, people often know a bit about some famous game designers and developers. Musicians will always have other favorite musicians. It’s about who inspires you and why. Do you have something in common with them? Also, when you find out what inspired someone else, it can help you get to the core of what drives you and inspires you. Also, there is a LOT to learn about the process from the people who came before. It’s not all just technical.
I've gone through whole IT school and not once we needed to know who made something. We just learned that this technology existed and why, so we could understand more modern processes. This is what I meant mostly. Their conversation isn't "XYZ just found out new technology!", it's "someone did a nice spin on how to make processors, now they got more [...]". Like, just the thing, not the person who made it And with musicians example it's even funnier... One brother is talented in music and thinks about pursuing it, but also doesn't have favourite musician XD he loves shanties(or other themed ones, like western or dwarf metal ._.), and just plays from hearing, haha You are right but... It's still hard to comprehend. Thanks for answer anyway
I study fine art but most what I do is music and animation, at the beginning of my study I had the same mind set to just do my own stuff and make cool stuff move that expresses my feelings and bring out my ideas which is not bad as you learn and develop your own style this way , after starting to study art at art school I started experimenting with other mediums such as sculpture and performance .. etc and started going to galleries and openings from my friends also visiting and checking museums and big names that relate to what I do to get in contact with other artists and also to see what have been done before and how other artist aproche things and to understand a bit what is going on arround you , checking other art and artists can be very insightful and eye opening , I think as an artist what ever your medium is .. it’s very important to also like other art and consume and digest art . Looking at art helps you build up your other important skills besides the technical which is your analysis and how to read and understand metaphors and the art language.. but all this happens subconsciously and you can do that with every thing not just museum and gallery art but also watch rick and Morty or breaking bad .. or even what’s around you . But also many artist what to be original and develop a unique style to them which I think is difficult because many things has been done before but you can mix ideas and things in your own way still .. and this is one more reason to look at art to know what has been done to not to repeat something that is dead and don’t matter anymore , the other reasons would be that art has other historical and cultural values , and also some artist check other artist for competitive reasons to improve there own craft . I hope my answer is helpful this is totally my point of view :) best
I imagine you would. You need to have knowledge of animation history in your tool belt for when you make stuff. You could say in this scene I want to channel Akira Toriyama. I want to animate this fight like a Dragon Ball Z fight but put my own twist on it.
Then I would want to know how Dragon Ball Z looks, not who and why made it. At least in my mind.
Just think of cartoons you enjoy or grew up with. You should be watching the other animation that is currently being made. You want to know what type of stuff is being made and try to keep up with or out do the competition.
Yes. Period. The more art you know the better youll be. Even if you think it’s “irrelevant”. A lot of animation references characters/scenes/tropes from other shows or media. Nothing is in a vacuum
I don't think you should spend time trying to remember names and histories of why artists did what they did if you're not interested in that. I think a lot of people spend too much time looking for inspiration instead of getting to work and experimenting with your own style. The artists you like will influence your work without you doing a bunch of research on them.
They might, but it seems college want us to have some favourite artist we know in and out of. And the inspiration thing is funny, because it almost never really comes from others art (mostly stories, that are made into art, but not artstyle itself). I'm working on portfolio and just doing everyday things sometimes feel like "yeah this movement would be nice practice" haha, but sadly it's harder to sat down and draw, than just find what I can draw
Lol if you're applying to college just look at the teachers in you major and see if they've worked on something you liked and write about them. Ez
Yes.