Here is where my heads at. I love animation and the actual animating ā¦. but I cannot find any jobs for animators (specifically in America). All the production companies like Cartoon Network Studios, Nick, and (sometimes) Netflix outsource most of their animation to either Korea, Japan, Brazil, or France. So Iāve decided to change my career path from animating to background design (layouts).
Iām not giving up on animating. Iāll just keep it as a hobby for myself and my short films!
My thinking is that layout artists have a really good spot in the sense that they work after the storyboards are finished as well as the character designs and props. Being a layout artist will help me understand shot composition, acting, and size comparisons between character and environment.
It is so difficult finding resources for layout artists. Whether it be books or online resources on YouTube, itās a lot harder finding lessons than finding animation lessons. For example, the book āSetting the Sceneā by Fraser McLean is (I kid you not) $900 dollars on Amazon. The book isnāt printed anymore which I donāt understand because I feel like that book is the holy bible to layout artists as āThe Animatorās Survival Kitā is for animators.
Also I canāt seem to find a lot of layout artists portfolios? I search on IMDb of my favorite shows and look up background designers/layout artists and most donāt have a portfolio that I could look at and study from. Iām wondering if itās because they signed NDAs and canāt release the art (which sucks).
Look at my favorite shows & movies and pause at a scene. I could study the backgrounds and their relation to the action and the author
Go on Twitter and look for layout artists who currently work in the industry. DM them and ask about their journey and the resources they used to get to where they are today. Then thank them for their knowledge and time.
For perspective, I think the best way would probably be to go outside and pick a location to study and draw. Nothing is better than the real world š„ø
Hopefully Iāll be able to get into the industry then and learn all about animation!
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