Introduce yourselves!

[Alexandra Poston]

Welcome to Don Bluth Animation,
and what better way to feel welcomed and a part of the site than a friendly little introduction thread, hm? Figured I would get this on a roll!
I think it'd be interesting to give a little intro, you know, the norm. Your name, little ramble about yourself, maybe even explain what got you into animation or how the interest started. That'd be interesting and fun :)
If there's anything else you'd like to add, go for it!


my name's Alexandra,
I'm a sophomore animation major at the Savannah College of Art and Design, with a minor in storyboarding.
I'm from Washington state, and I'm very proud of my Russian heritage. Some hobbies of mine (aside from drawing, obviously) are foreign languages (Russian and Japanese), teaching, piano, singing,and sculpting. Fun fact, I used to go to circus school and practice contortion - makes for some interesting stories.

I'm always drawing, and the most satisfying thing is translating something I feel into an illusion on paper - whether that feeling be physical or emotional. I enjoy bringing that life factor into my drawings. But I suppose that's the point, right? After teaching Japanese to elementary school students for two years, I realized how much cartoons and television affect culture and shift the younger generations - being able to make that difference in children, or anyone for that matter, with drawings and by bringing stories through movement in drawings to life, is dead on the goal of my life. So that's why I'm at SCAD, and that's why I'm here - to learn everything I can and network with other nice animation enthusiasts, students, and professionals such as yourselves.

[Draconis]

Hi Alexandra! Very nice to meet you! Wow! that must be really cool to understand Russian and Japanese, both countries produce wonderful animation in their own very distinctive styles.

My name is Steven Graziano and I've been a fan of animation all of my life. I've been a little lazy drawing as of late as school takes up most of my time right now, and ironically - even though it's an art school (taking a bachelors in game art and design right now), I spend most of my time with my nose in the books and don't draw too often but will remedy that soon as I've been planning on starting up some long overdue projects once more. I once drew a comic strip called CoyoteVille and had planned on animating it via flash but my drawing skills weren't up to par when I began, but over the years they've improved. But getting back to animation, I've loved animation and I knew it was something I wanted to do ever since I was a kid watching cartoons daily before and after school and animation shows and festivals on PBS. What really sealed the deal was when a particular videogame hit the arcades that featured a daring knight on a quest to rescue a fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon! (though I'm sure there are two sides to the story! hmph!) I also enjoyed Space Ace and the sequel to Dragon's lair, but was sorry to hear about how the Poseiden and rally projects were cancelled. (Many people argue that the gameplay was far too simple and repetitive, but that didn't take away from the awe and enjoyment of playing an animated film...and if you look at one of the most popular games on the market today like Rock Band, they're just really glorified games of "simon". I think if you made laserdisc style games today, there would still be a market for them. I know I enjoyed BrainDead 13 immensely...)

Anyway, I've rambled way too long, so I'll just leave it at...I'm still an old wanabe, but am still pursuing the dream of becoming a decent artist/animator.

[zackw123]

Hey guys, I'm Zack! I've drawn all my life and am just now getting in to bringing my drawings to life. I'm a senior in high school and plan on eventually going to an art school. So any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!:)

[Alexandra Poston]

Hey guys, I'm Zack! I've drawn on my life and am just now getting in to bringing my drawings to life. I'm a senior in high school and plan on eventually going to an art school. So any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!:)

Know where you want to go with your life and figure out the steps to getting there. There are a lot of places that offer animation courses, and there are few places that are really well known for their animation programs. Some of the top schools for animation I know of are CalArts, SCAD, and Sheridan. But the school you chose can also depend on whether you want to concentrate on 3D or 2D animation. I believe Ringling has a good animation program too, but it's concentrated on CG animation and I don't believe it really touches the classics at all.

If you ARE interested in CG animation, or a job at Pixar or Dreamworks or something - know that 2D animators are very, very commonly hired into there. I mean, computer classes are a dime a dozen, but real understanding of movement, timing, and acting is a whole other matter.

Research schools, visit them, and see what fits you best. Good luck, this is a very exciting time for you! I had a lot of fun touring around schools before settling with SCAD.

[zackw123]

Thanks! I've looked into CalArts, Ringling, and SCAD and am just trying to figure out which one suits me best. I'll probably do most of my touring this summer, and I am quite excited about it!

[zanekohler]

Hello,
My name is Zane Kohler.

In college I took mostly life drawing courses with the intent to build up a portfolio to try for Cal Arts. When I went up to Cal Arts for a preliminary meeting I was pleasantly surprised to hear that my portfolio would be at a level for consideration. I was told it was mainly lacking in quick sketches. That led me to the Watts Atelier of the Arts. They had a course specialized in just that. In conjunction with that I had taken a couple courses in basic 2d animation at Palomar college while they had them. Between the high cost of Cal Arts and a good job doing web design my animation schooling was side tracked for a few years. My job had some satisfaction with really basic web animation. Also during that time I figured I would attempt to learn by creating my own animation. However after awhile I was not happy with my skills and I needed more and wanted to be better. This led me to taking courses at Animation Mentor. I am just at the end of class 2. I am always looking for things to inspire me animation wise. When I came across the Bluth's new site it did just that!

[CanAur]

Hello, everyone!
I'm from Volgograd, Russia. My name is Andrey. My English is very bad, so I cant write without some mistakes.
I very like Don Bluth's animation.
I'm not an animator or famous artist. yet, but I'd like to become an animation director, someday... :)

[dmgctrl]

Hi there folks, I'm Daniel. I'm not much of an animator but I'm here to help with any other issues you may have, so feel free to PM me anytime.

Enjoy your time here on the forums, lets make them a great resource for animators and students.

:D

[N8Dogg5k]

Hi there everyone, I'm Nathan. Just litterally logged into this forum here. I've been a huge Don Bluth fan all my life, and to now be able to speak to him on an almost direct level here is quite staggering. Like talking to your most favorite celeberty or something...

Anywho, I am an artist, and have been almost all my life. I've been drawling since the age of four, and come from somewhat of a line of artists, being my Grandfather & Father.

I look forward to being in this community as everyone seems to share a similar mind-set to what I myself have when it comes to animation and the likes. I hope that I and everyone else here can learn something from all this and grow as we go!

Heres to a good time!

[lavallelee]

N8Dogg what you said sounds like something i would write!! infact at first i thought i did, lol

I'm Lavalle Lee and I love making pretty pictures move. :D

[N8Dogg5k]

Really?! You too?!

Thanks Lavallelee. I try to be as constructive as I can when it comes to community situations.

[Quill]

I suppose it is only polite to offer an introduction instead of lurking. :)


Since I'm not fond of using my real name online, we'll go with Quill.

I'm 28, BA degree in art, minor in art history, living in my home state of Kentucky. I've always been fond of art, particularly figure drawing and drawing in general, and that might be due to my love of animation. I always preferred Mr. Bluth's films over the new Disney films of that era, (though I'm not a foaming anti Disney, I love the old classics). But there was something special about Bluth films, particularly the Secret of NIMH sticks out in my mind. I grew up on Don Bluth, I wasn't a Disney child. And even at a very early age I could differentiate between the various animation styles, Hanna Barbara, Disney, Bluth, etc. I honestly think it annoyed my parents and any classmates I had as a child. I totally geek out on this stuff.

I always wanted to be a character animator, even when I was really young. I think I lost a large part of my creativity however due to life circumstance, and eventually that dream bit the dust. I consider my own art more of a hobby now than anything. I enjoy it, it just doesn't put bread on the table. Not at the moment, at least. I guess that is why they call us starving artists?! ;)

I'm really looking forward to this forum. It is always a pleasure to find like-minded individuals to talk to. Nice to meet everyone :)

[Lauren C]

Hi everyone I just realized I haven't introduced myself yet. I've written a little about myself on my user profile, but I'm currently going to school for my Bachelors Degree in Media arts and Animation. I love animation, especially 2D and stop motion, I'm a total geek when it comes to animation especially Disney. I grew up as a Disney kid, so I have a deep love and appreciation for all of the 2D Disney movie, I also grew up watching all of Don Bluth's films, as well as cartoons. So my love for animation started at a young age, and just like Quill said, even at a young age I could differentiate between styles, and could tell you which studio it came from, and I find that it still annoys people.
I'm really excited to be apart of this forum and getting to talk to people who also love animation.

[dmgctrl]

Its great to see so many active users at such an early stage. Welcome to Lauren C, N8Dogg5k and Quill, we hope all you pioneers stick around!

[N8Dogg5k]

Thank you Dmgctrl.

[lavallelee]

I guess ill give a look into my past!

I started animating in flash 4 back in 2001. I self taught myself how to animate and how to do things. Then later find out I was trying to reinvent the wheel. Over the years the art of animation has had many brilliant minds that came up with animation systems. Why try to invent my own.

So I'm trying to learn to do it with dope sheets/xsheets, inbetweens, squash and stretch, life drawing, key poses, extremes, walks, passing positions, perspective, and everything else that is out there.

From what I have learned is once you get it and understand how to animate you are basically set free to animate, a realization so to speak.

I love learning how professional animators do it, and now I'm trying to understand it and do it myself! Most of my old cartoons were made with the mouse, which now i realize i was just a puppeteer. In 2006 i bought my first tablet and haven't went back to mouse drawing/animating since.

I love to animate, and I will never stop. My day job right now is Marketing & Web design for a law firm. I work in a room surrounded by old law books, not the best place to be creative. But when I'm home my mind goes crazy with ideas and story's i want to make come to life.

I went to school for web design and graduated top of my class, the school even hired me to work on a few of there websites. After i left the school i started my own web design company and did okay. But it still wasn't what i wanted to do for the rest of my life. Animating is!! There is more to me and my crazy self.

Anywho, this is me. I am very happy to meet all of you.

[IzzyS]

Hiya! I'm Rose, or Izzy. Highschool student who enjoys dabbling in art (and animation, sometimes) and watching such things for myself. I love to draw or anything that deals with art


ah gosh, whoops, sorry that was so short.

[dmgctrl]

No apology necessary, but you will have to be the first to post in the upcoming "Post a Pic" thread. :D

j/k

Welcome to the Forums!

[Soerl]

I'm currently in college for animation at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania! I'm working on my final animation, and then I'm graduating and off to Los Angeles, California, hopefully to find a job in animation ASAP. I'm nervous because the economy is bad and rumor is that any job is scarce including animation, but I'm hopeful! I'll be applying to as many studios as I can.

This is my final film so far, I'm inking, coloring inbetweening and fixing it as I go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh7WArHLm9Q

Haha are we allowed to linkdrop here? Anyways this is my baby! I'm trying to have it finished by May.

[dmgctrl]

Welcome to the forums, Allison! I hope you enjoy your stay here... No problem with linking to youtube.

[brandon]

Greetings,

I was a linguist (Chinese) for 6 years, but recently decided on a career change. I've been dabbling in cartooning and art for my entire life, but I've never given it the attention it deserved. In an attempt to chase the dream of animation, I've begun a degree in Arts & Technology. Eventually, once I've gained some experience and the required skill, I would like to put together a small independent production company and work on several animation-related projects, including a possible film. I am far from this stage, however, and am in need of instruction/guidance.

The Secret of NIMH was the first movie I can ever remember watching; my earliest memory is sitting in front of our television circa 1985 and watching an old VHS tape with writing from a blue pen scrawled unceremoniously on the label, tucked into a clear VHS sleeve with blue slanting lines that, oddly enough, were very aesthetically pleasing at the time, because I knew it contained the movie I loved to watch (I of course couldn't read), and enjoying my mother's famous coffee cake.

The Land Before Time was the first movie our family ever pre-ordered, and I was so enamored with it (I still remember the Pizza Hut commercial at the beginning of the VHS release), that whenever I was left under someone else's care, that tape went with me, and helped ease the separation anxiety. Now, decades later, I'm starting a new career, because I want to do something I enjoy for the next 40-odd years.

[Julian Wilbury]

Well, greetings. While Julian Wilbury isn't my real name, it's sort of become my "pen name" on the Internet as I'm not to fond of my real name and all. I live right now in the college town of Columbia, Missouri, sort of in the limbo between high school and college. Right now I'm trying to just get a regular job-- I do freelance art and graphic design commissions a bit, and anyone can tell you that's a feast or famine business!

I've always wanted to be some sort of cartoonist or animator, just as soon as someone told my first-grade self that my pictures were good. It's funny what one compliment could do, the same thing happened when I started writing, and now I've won National Novel Writing Month twice in a row.

But I digress.

I've been influenced by just about every type of animation I laid my eyes on, but Bluth has always been a big inspiration. Drawing almost non-stop since first grade, it's safe to say I've had a long time to experiment, but I know it'll never end till people end up prying my pencil from my cold dead fingers.

Truth be told, my parents are hoping I'll be "smart" and take advantage of the graphic design classes I've taken on the side and the awards I've won for my classwork and go into the fairly safe business of graphic design...but let's just say that I'm reserving that as a backup. ;)

As you probably have noticed by now I'm terribly verbose, so I shall bow out and just read about all of you. :)

[Terro]

Hello everyone,

My name is Greg , and somehow I ended up an animator.

My love and intention was to be a background painter for animated films. With that as my mission I somehow got sidetracked and ended up a conceptual artist. But along the way I met a great deal of friends hooked on animation, who in turn got me hooked.

I'm currently finishing my course over at the Animation Mentor, where we animate mostly 3D with a underlying understanding of traditional techniques in character animations.

Demoreel and some of my paintings can be seen at http://www.gk-concepts.com/

PS: It's good to see some familiar faces around these parts :)

[dmgctrl]

Brandon, Julian and Terro, welcome to the forums. Awesome introductions, all of you. Coffee cake! Verbosity! Terro, is everything at gk-concepts yours?! Trade District and 52 chimneys are fantastic...

[zanekohler]

Hey Terro,
I am just wrapping up class 2 at AM. Your reel is looking good! Great to see you over here!

[jeremyhopkins]

Looks great Terro! I really enjoy your work and look forward to seeing more!

[Klyrical]

Hi. I don't have much to say about myself, save for the fact that, like most others here, I'd love to work on animated shorts/movies. I may post some art of mine later, though it's not impressive in the least.

[johncbeggs]

welcome Klyrical
hope you post up some drawing soon.

[dmgctrl]

I may post some art of mine later, though it's not impressive in the least.

That is why we have gathered here! Post your stuff! Have a look in the gallery forum, you will see constructive critique from the forum members. We're all here to help each other.

[AnimatorX]

I'm Matt, aka AnimatorX. I'm a 14 year veteran of the animation industry. I got into animation purely because of Don. Dragon's Lair, Nimh, they spoke to me more than any Disney film ever could. Thank you sir ^-^

I still have the hope that someday I'll be able to work with you. ( I have lots of animator friends who have and I'm seriously jealous of them )

In the meantime it's nice to meet you all. You listen to this man. He knows what he's talking about.

[zanekohler]

Hey AnimatorX,
Glad to see you on the boards. Looking forward to your discussions. Read a few already and great insights!

[dmgctrl]

Klyrical and AnimatorX, welcome to the Don Bluth Forums! Be active, post, share, learn. Great to have you here.

[Gabor_Soos]

Hi All,

My name is Gabor Soos and I'm currently working as an animator in the video games industry in London, UK. I'm always on the lookout to improve my animation skills and what better way to do this then to follow all the great material available on this site.
It's a pleasure to join this community, I'm a big fan of Mr. Bluth's work and I'm looking forward to discuss all animation related topics with all of you out there.

Thanks,

Gabor

[JenI]

Well, where to start.
I'm an aspiring cartoonist/ graphic designer. I'm currently enrolled in college for GD but my true passion is cartoons.
I look forward to learning a lot from everyone here. :D

[lavallelee]

Welcome JenI and Gabor, you came to the right place. This site is going to keep getting bigger. It's really a gold mine for animators and artists. :D

[Storyteller]

Hello everyone. I am just another fan of a good story and certainly a good hand drawn animation. I am very pleased to meet you all and to be a part of this wonderful site's forum. I look forward to speaking with you all!

[Penumbra]

I suppose I should say hello. Nice to see some familiar faces here (Izzy, Julian)!

I go by 'Penumbra' online these days, though of course that's not my real name. I consider myself a dabbler in art with no formal training, but I've been at it for a Long Time now and have established an online/freelance presence in various online communities. But it's been unsatisfying for me; though my first artistic love is indeed 2D animation, lately I'm arriving at the suspicion that I might actually be a painter at heart. Time and experimentation will tell!

I actually had the honor of meeting Mr. Bluth once, at San Diego ComiCon in 2001. He very kindly critiqued some work I had with me, and was quite encouraging! He signed some production art I had found at the con of Justin from Secret of NIMH, which I will someday scan and show off mightily because I'm that pleased with having it.

And I should tell you all right now, just so's you know: while Don Bluth animation has always been my favorite, I am a -sucker- for old Rankin-Bass. Flight of Dragons, anyone? :D

Well, looking forward to participating in this community as time goes on, and it's my very good pleasure to meet all of you here. :)

[lavallelee]

Welcome Storyteller, awesome name lol

and welcome Penumbra, hope you scan Justin from Secret of NIMH soon

hope to see you both around the forum :)

[IzzyS]

heya Penumbra! hope you enjoy yourself here and can't wait to see what you start posting. welcome and all :D

[KodyBoy555]

Allow me to introduce myself....my name's Kody and I like foxes.

I've decided to be an artist when I grow up just like Don Bluth.
I am good at drawing animals, mainly foxes. I'm getting the hang of it.

Just soon enough I'm making my new characters in a Don Bluth style and then color it just in case. I won't do anything wrong for that.

I will draw some more animals and I'm still drawing my self potrait of me as a fox.

[IzzyS]

welcome to the forums, KodyBoy555 hope you enjoy yourself here, can't wait to see your drawings if and when you post them :)

[Candyscribbles]

Hi everyone, my name is Candy. :)

I grew up with a lot of Don Bluth's films. I've got fond memories of my grandfather taking me to see The Land Before Time, and then All Dogs Go To Heaven. I've always been a huge animation fan and wanted desperately to be an animator when I was little.

I ended up becoming an elementary school teacher instead, but I still cartoon a bit as a hobby. My favorite things to do these days are sequential art and character design.

Re-watching all the old Don Bluth films as an adult, it's amazing to see all the little touches I missed before as a child. There are some really top notch characterizations there.. Goldie from Rock-a-Doodle really stands out in my mind as a good example. She has a lot of subtle expression changes and reactions that really make the character shine.

Anywho, hi :)

[dmgctrl]

Welcome to the forums, Candy! Looking forward to seeing some of your work and comments...

[cartuneman]

Hi Everyone,

I'm what you might call an old codger still trying to learn how to draw......I have worked in Hollywierd as a tweener and done a few other things over at universal and warner but then that was a millennia ago. Heck I may even post some of my art here some day if thats ok with you guys? I can be found around the web at other sites but I rarely post much anymore. A friend of mine directed me here and I've always been a huge fan of Don's so I think I'll stick around and watch..............


cart:D

[dmgctrl]

Lurkers are also welcome, Cartuneman. But won't you regale us with a little of your art and experience?

[cartuneman]

Thanks dmgctrl

Sure will... but I'm going to lurke some more and watch all these fine artist show thier wares.......;)


cart:D

[lavallelee]

familar users! hey cartuneman good to see you around here too :D

[CanAur]

KodyBoy555

Welcome. I love foxes too...

[dmgctrl]

Sure will... but I'm going to lurke some more and watch all these fine artist show thier wares.......;)
cart:D

Im pretty sure you'll find something you like in the Gallery. It seems that all the members so far really value critique, and everyones input is appreciated. I cant really critique anyones work as I can't draw a stick figure, but I've been very impressed with the way people are helping each other out in that regard. So if you have something to say, by all means say it!

[Snapai]

Hi folks.

I'm Adrian, though most places you find me online I go by my username, Snapai.

I've been a fan of animation for years, but I got into it actually on a whim - I didn't know what I wanted to do for college, and was trying to pick a major and a new school - and tried to think of which industry I'd want to work in if I somehow got stuck doing the most boring job in that career path for the rest of my life. I figured animation would be the one!

Since then, of course, I found out that I actually like doing it quite a bit (maybe because I had already come to grips with the potential for tedium), and though I haven't found a relevant job in it, I still draw and animate whenever I get the opportunity.

I graduated with a BS in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and I suspect that might be part of the problem :D
(Seriously, a BS in arts? They only went for that because they had to change the curriculum less for the accrediting company, than to make it a BF.A Add two computer classes, instead of continuous life drawing courses - which any of us who were serious found a way to attend ANYWAY.)

I've always been a fan of Don Bluth's animations - even the one or two movies were hard to sit through, the art was always a real joy to experience.

My dream is to someday start an animation studio or production studio that's owned by its employees as a workers' co-op. That way, everyone involved has a vested interest in keeping it on budget, AND keeping it beautiful, without unrelated stockholders saying "Uh, can't you make it cheaper?"

So hi all! :)

[dmgctrl]

Welcome to the forums, Snapai! Looking forward to seeing your work. Enjoy your stay...

[GregB]

Saw the post on Animation Nation and had to sign up and say howdy! I'm sure there is going to be a tidal wave of great tips and tricks about the fine art of animation here!

[lavallelee]

there already is! what is great is that there is more to come :)

[dmgctrl]

Welcome to the forums, GregB!

[Fossil]

Hey, what's up, everybody! :)

My name is Ronnie Marion, though online I'm probably more known as "Fossil". I'm from Macon, Georgia, and went to college in Atlanta College of Art, where I majored in graphic design and 2D animation. I currently live in Long Island, New York. I've been drawing since before I could write, and of course, I'm a longtime Bluth fan. (if you read this, Mr. Bluth, keep on rocking-- you're an absolute inspiration.)

Also a freelance animator, doing frame-by-frame in both traditional and Flash-based methods. It's a challenge I've always been enamored with, the whole animation process. I'm pretty much on the same page as Snapai-- all about being a part of a like-minded collective of animators, who are doing it more for the LOVE than for the income. That's what I want. (I'm in his group as well; it was he who pointed me to this forum.)

I currently am employed as a tattoo artist at a local emporium. Definitely pays the bills, though I'd rather be animating. ;)

The kind of stuff I doodle is varied and scattered, but if you ask certain people, they'd probably just say "oh, Fossil draws curvy dinosaur chicks". So, yeah. Anyway, talk to ya later!

~Fossil

[dmgctrl]

Welcome to the forums, Fossil, good to have you here. So... curvy dinosaur chicks? Lets see some!

[Fossil]

Welcome to the forums, Fossil, good to have you here. So... curvy dinosaur chicks? Lets see some!

Haha, ok!

I'll post a few links Here (http://www.jurassicbeauties.com/1280x1024/graphics/fossil1.jpg), Here (http://jurassicbeauties.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=101&g2_serialNumber=3), and Here (http://jurassicbeauties.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=380&g2_serialNumber=3).

I've edited my profile to include a link to the rest, which's most definitely NSFW, so check it at your own discretion. Take care!

~F!

[Sketchez]

Hi-jacking old Intro thread, unless there's an issue with that.

Greets and Sals! I just wanna say I'm a long time fan of animation, and a bit of a hobbyist in the art world. I've been watching cartoons since I could watch TV and I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I have been trying to take art seriously for only a few years now. I still have a long way to go, but who doesn't?

Here's to 'the fun of it.'

[johncbeggs]

Welcome sketchez :)

[rcatizone]

I just recently learned of Don's new site. WOW! What a great idea and implementation, especially the Garage Project.

Congratulations, Don...and everyone helping Don to implement this!

I'm one of the "old guys" tho' I haven't quite caught Don in age. I have been in the field for about 44 yrs. now. My work has largely been traditional, but I also have done stop-motion and some cg as well. Mostly I teach these day, but still take occasional freelance jobs as well, and am working on a personal animated project with my son.

Wonderful to see all the resources being created, and the energy and love of traditional animation evident here.

I wrote Don when he did Secret of NIMH. What a wonderful resurrection of care and quality! Without that film, animation might have stagnated and disappeared. It certainly caused Disney to re-evaluate and started them towards new heights as well.

So, I'll soon be joining Don's Club, and maybe when some projects slow down a little I can find time to try the next Garage Project.

Best,
Rick Catizone

[Ashley]

Hi, I'm Ashley.
It's not my real name, just a pen name. Currently I'm a junior in high school who lives and breathes art (well it seems like that anyway). I have a strong desire to go into 2D character animation, but sometimes I feel like I still have a long ways to go. I try to draw everyday, but soon I think I'll be forced to anyway.

I always loved and still love animated features and shorts. Don Bluth is no exception.

Currently I'm a cleanup artist for the volunteer project Wolf: the Animated Feature. As for education I'm looking at Calarts and am trying to build up a portfolio, scholarships, and financial aid for it. I hope to really go somewhere with animation one day and I'm glad I stumbled upon this site, I still have a hard time believing that such a great source like this exists!

[rcatizone]

The "long way to go" was a path we all have been on. I'm still on it. I started animating in high school.

The more you learn and practice now, the faster progress will come.

Best,
Rick

[Ashley]

Well, like I said I try to draw everyday. If I don't I feel kinda moody on those days.;)

[rcatizone]

Just some encouragement and advice.

There will be days that seem like you "aren't in the mood to draw". In the professional world, that doesn't matter. You have to work on the scenes. Yes, it's possible you may be able to find something else important that needs done and then go back to it.

Maybe its hard because you haven't really thought through the character, or the purpose of your drawing. But for me, I found the secret was to just start drawing, and stay with it...loosening up in the process. You cannot let the blank sheet of paper win that battle. You are a creative and intelligent human being...far superior to a sheet of paper.

You will read about it in animation books, but we often can find ourselves staring at that blank sheet of animation paper. A beginner can get paralyzed by it. When I was in high school and was getting serious, I recall many times being paralyzed by the "what I can I put down that's good enough" syndrome. Don't fall for that. If we don't keep drawing we don't improve. The idea that every drawing must be a masterpiece, often prevents people from getting past the very barrier they need to. You will make many mistakes on your way to understanding. Guess what..so has everyone else. Think about ANY other skill you may have...playing an instrument, a sport, a martial art, etc. In your first days, how many wrong notes did you hit...how many times did you miss the net...how many times did you lose your balance or get hit? All skills are built step by step.

I see the similar syndrome with my animation students who want to produce their own little Fantasia...and never do because they subconsciously realize they can't. However, they could do something smaller very well, and learn a lot, and probably have a very good sample towards getting hired.

Keep at it.

Best,
Rick

[arif]

very warm welcome to the forum guys!!..hope.you will be enjoining here....

Regards,

Arif