How to Use Your Last Moments of Freedom Before Submitting to the Animation Overlords: Preparing for Art School

Hey Roost-ers,

I was talking with a group of prospective students at Lipscomb today and someone asked what they should be doing during the summer to prepare to study animation in the fall. In the moment, I stumbled something out about making sure to practice your drawing so that you can focus on caricature more once you come to school, but my inadequate answer has been haunting me for the rest of the day and I felt like I needed to tell someone a more complete answer to this query. And if you're reading this, I guess it happens to be you. I hope it's applicable, or if you know someone who's preparing to go to art school, feel free to send this post to them. Of course, I'm perhaps not the best person to ask, but this is the Internet and I can SAY THINGS I'M NOT QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT GERSH DERN IT! This is also directed primarily at people who have already been accepted to a college or are applying to a school like Lipscomb which doesn't require portfolio reviews (though that may be changing soon). You're probably already doing most of these if you have a portfolio good enough for major art schools, and portfolio building is a whole 'nother topic, which I can discuss if you're interested.

Things that I Think Are Good Things to Do During the Summer Before Your Freshman Year at College if You're Pretty Sure You Will Be Studying Animation During Your Freshman Year

or 

Preparing for Animation School

• Work on your drawing and draftsmanship. Richard Williams recounts in The Animator's Survival Kit being told by Richard Kelsey: "First of all, kid, learn to draw. You can always do the animation stuff later." I live by this, and both Winsor McCay and Milt Kahl agree - you can only go so far in any kind of 2D production without having a solid grasp of drawing skills.  Unless you're planning on working mostly in CG, the most important thing I can tell you is draw all the stuff. As I've spent the past year animating, I've been more crippled by my inability to draw the figure from strange perspectives than my ignorance of animation techniques/principles. Even if you think you're good at drawing already (and if you got into CalArts, Sheridan, or Ringling you probably are), there's bound to be something you're not so great at drawing. Work on that. My first assignment at Lipscomb was to do several concepts of a 6 year old girl character, not at all my comfort zone. 
  

Why I did I decide to draw a sick girl? I do not know.

If you draw amazing girl characters, do some angular muscle men. What? You can draw humans of any age, physique, and gender perfectly? Then draw cars. Drawing cars humbles a man. Draw from life. Copy the masters. I started my drawing career only a year or two before coming to college, and if you're in that spot too, then pick up that pencil and get going!
• Give digital art a shot. On a related note, if you have access to a tablet or another way to draw digitally, give it a try. The animation world is heavily digital nowadays and there's a bit of a learning curve to the medium. If you're good with traditional media, this curve will be a little less. Digital art can be overwhelming, but at least get familiar with the idea of layers, clipping masks, and free textured brushes. There's so many different ways to do digital art, but chances are each tutorial will use 2 out of those 3. If you don't have access to digital, look those things up but don't buy a tablet - you'll be given access to one pretty soon when you get to school.
• Listen to animation podcasts. Hearing how other animators got their start will help inspire your own journey and show you that even the best industry artists still had to work hard and deal with rejection in order to get where they are today! It's easy to forget that. I recommend the Jorge Guitierrez or Glen Keane episodes of the Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast or the first episode of the Three Point Perspective Podcast. And Three Point just released an episode specifically about being an art student! I haven't listened to it yet, but I'm pretty sure it's good.
• Buy at least one "art of" book and cherish it. If you want to study animation, chances are you like at least one animated movie. And if that movie was good and/or made within the past 30 years, there's a pretty good chance that the movie was accompanied by a whole book filled with the concept art that helped to make that movie possible. That is an "art of" book, and you should buy it. Art of books are awesome. They're basically my textbooks/bibles when it comes to designs. Need some storyboard reference? I look at Coco. Working on a fur.. I mean anthropomorphic project? I pull out my Zootopia and Madagascar books. Art of books show what is industry standard and what you should try to meet or exceed when it comes to your own work (but don't expect that kind of quality to appear freshman year or perhaps even in college - these guys are pros and they are old) If you need recommendations based on my highly refined personal taste, Zootopia and Over the Garden Wall have nice books. Look for volume of art, artists being credited next to their works, and text describing how they made the thing. 
• See if the school/animation department (or individual animators/artists) have a social media presence. It's a good way to get a vibe of the program and to start those friendships before you even get to school! For Lipscomb it's @lipscombanim. In my experience, most students will follow back if they know you will be coming to campus soon! Don't be a stalker, but you don't have to be a stranger either...
• Don't forget about Daniel Haycox when you're famous and working on cool projects in the animation industry. This step is a good idea! Probably. Just like I'll still be looking for jobs at that point. Probably. "cries"
• Go somewhere or do something new. You can't spend your whole summer doing animation stuff. That's what freshman year is for! If you have the budget to travel, go! I frequently reference specific places I've visited when researching new projects. It doesn't have to be a big or expensive trip, I referenced a neighborhood in my hometown for a recent project. Just something out of your normal path. Meet up with a teacher or mentor and get advice for college. College goes by fast, and you can expect to have only three more summers after this before you don't have summer break anymore!

On that happy note, enjoy graduation and summer. Freshman year can seem scary, but once you get to campus you'll get to meet a bunch of new people (potential friends??) and have a lot of fun. Hold on to that youthful optimism! And feel free to come to the Roost if you need some help. Good luck, and if this helped you, let me know!

-dh