Animator and Cartoonist

— Norman McLaren

When one of the most successful animators of all time makes a statement like this, he clears the ground that to be successful in the field of animation one needs to be creative as well as express what they truly feel.

MapMyTalent offers comprehensive career information about Animation as a career option -

Who is an animator?

An animator is a person or an artist who creates animation through a series of successive images.

What is animation?

Animation can said to be an illusion where the animator creates several images which when moved sequentially at high speed create a movement. The multiple images that an animator is expected to create are usually called frames or key frames. In order to make an animation effective and complete, several animators usually work together. Of course a single animator can do the same, but it would get too hectic and troublesome for the same.

There are quite a few different approaches of creating images and frames, which entirely depends on the creativity of the animator as well as their styles and field. There is couple of specializations available in the field of animation such as character animators and special effects animators. The character animators are responsible for the movement of characters, acting, the dialogue delivery etc. While the special effects animators are those who are responsible for all other effects and animations apart from characters. For instance: the special effects animators take care of the vehicles, natural phenomenon, machinery etc.

Career as an Animator

The requirement of animators is in a lot of fields such as movies, television, internet and video game. There are other artists whose role is extremely important in animation but they are not considered as animators. For example: storyboard artists, layout artists, voice actors, musicians etc. When it comes to large scale, the animators are usually supported by assistants who are also called as “inbetweeners” or "clean-up artists”. Once the main drawings are done by the animators, these people help the animators with redrawing or do the in between drawings.

Why is animation used?

Animation has been used for variety of reasons for a long time now. One can use animation for entertainment, spreading of message, imparting education etc. The usage of animation also requires lots of creativity, as animators keep exploring new fields to utilize their Inherent Talents. The fact that animation works wonderfully with the audience acts as very good motivation and inspiration for the animators.