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Learn to be a Character Animator

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So often when people find out that I am a character animator the first response is usually, "Wow! that is so cool!" The next response is, "How did you learn to do that? Where did you go to school? How can I learn to do that? or How can my son (or daughter) learn to do what you do?"

The fact of the matter is that there is no clear path. There are, however, very specific resources and materials that are better at accelerating the process for someone who is determined to learn.

This lens is about helping those who love animation and wish to learn how, or for those who have a son or daughter, niece or nephew that need someone to point them in a direction to get them started. So whether you want to try to teach yourself at home, or go to school to learn...I believe these are resources to help you on your way.

Acquire the Tools

Maya Animation Software
Maya is the industry standard for doing CG animation for film, TV, and most video games. It is extremely versatile and once the artist has a good working knowledge of how to use it, it is lots of fun to work in.

Learn the Principles

These books should be the foundation and backbone of any character animator. These will provide a wealth of knowledge, not just in the beginning of your career, but even when you are a seasoned pro. Everything in animation begins and ends with...a bouncing ball.
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Learn Perfomance

The performance and acting are by far the most important things in animation. The animator is, essentially, the actor for the animated film. These are three of the best books you can read for learning how an actor/animator prepares and really becomes the character.
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Motion Reference and Study

How can you make a convincing performace if you don't know the mechanics of how and why stuff moves?
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Schools and Mentors

Animation Mentor Online School
This is the first ever online animation school, which means you can take the courses from anywhere. The school has only been going a year but is already hugely succesful. It was started and is run by some former Pixar animators, and the teachers(mentors) are all professional animators working at top studios. They focus completely on performance and character animation...nothing else. If I was just getting into animation and wanting to go to school, this would be my choice. The program is not currently accredited in the tradional sense. However, you do get a certificate of completion and some excellent animation training.
Academy of Art
This a traditional art school located in San Francisco, California. It happens to be a hop, skip, and jump from Pixar. Because of this, many of the Pixar animators teach classes there at night. Recently, there has been a flood of animators being snatched up by the top studios when they graduate. This would be my second choice behind Animation Mentor. It would be my first choice, however, if I felt I wanted to have a BFA in Animation.
Ringling School of Art and Design
This is a traditional art school located in Sarasota, Florida. I know of many top flight animators and artists coming out of this school. You can obtain a BFA in computer animation. One great thing about Ringling is that they teach the students modeling, rigging, texturing, lighting, as well as animation. If I wanted the best well-rounded art education in CG, this would be the place.
Keith Lango Video Tutorial Service
Keith Lango has long been considered the mentor for the animation masses. His site has always had good free step by step tutorials about character animation. Now he has video training tutorials that can be downloaded for a monthly fee. Keith has always had a knack for taking hard to explain methods and principles of animation, and breaking them down into the simpliest terms. For anyone who wishes to learn animation at home without a big expense, I suggest investing in Keith's VTS tutorials.

Inspiring and Helpful Sites

These are sites/blogs that keep aspiring animators up to date with techniques, tips, news and the general goings on in the animation industry. Not only are these sites informative, but great inspiration as well.
Animation Meat
Fantastic site to get classic animation notes written long ago by some Disney greats.
Spline Doctors Blog
Current Pixar animators unite to provide the masses with tips and inspiration.
Steward Street Blog
Great animation blog from Dreamworks animator James R. Hull.
10 Second Club
10 Second Club is a monthly character animation competition. The focus is on animation, not modeling, lighting or anything else. It's about practicing animating to a dialogue clip as you would if working for Pixar, Dreamworks or a similar animation studio.
CGchar Animation Forum
Great news and forum site, completely focused on character animation. Over 4,000 members and majority are professionals.

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Bryan_Engram

The pursuit of entertaining and giving life to characters is one of my great passions. I am a character animator currently working on our second feature... more »

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