Hate to break it…
I hate to break it to you. If you’re wanting to start the long adventure of making cartoons, you must be ready for the challenges. The challenges differ from whichever you choose to do. If you’re a professional animator, then you have challenges such as finding a job that needs animators. If you’re a 3D animator you have to worry about what programs, if you’re making models or using someone else’s. The list goes on and on. Being I have tried a lot of different types of animation I can probably tell you the pros and cons of most ways. Whether you’re working with a team or you’re a lonely animator like me, then you have your work cut out for you.
I want to be a millionaire…
Another thing is you have to have some money to spare. A professional animation software will cost some money. The biggest take out of the wallet is your equipment. If you are making pencil and paper animations like the old ways of Disney, then you’re going to need scanners, cameras, a computer and software to compile it all together. If you want to use a digital tablet or some sort of drawing tablet, then depending on what type of artist you are will differ on which one you need or would want to get.
Life is unfair
Little things like technical problems or equipment problems will always be a pain but something that is almost unavoidable. Keep track of pens and tools. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent on pen tablet pens. I’ve lost them completely, I’ve damaged the pen. I have damaged the pen tips. I’ve broken pencils, I’ve run out of ink in pens. I’ve had tablet wires or the tablet’s themselves break or stop working. It’s annoying, but that’s why it again counts to have patients when it comes to making cartoons because these things will happen.
You will mess up. Even the most prepared and smarties of people will mess up time to time, congrats, you’re human. Even saving all my work, keeping everything neat and organized, I’ve messed up. Whether it;s accidently deleting a project or removing layers and never getting them back. Whether it’s you’re not paying attention and draw the wrong frames where they’re not supposed to be, it doesn’t matter if something bad will happen.
No one’s professional
No one, no matter how good of an artist will not be good at animation at first. Even if you know what you’re doing when starting you will soon learn that nothing is easy. If you unanticipated the patients you must have or the time it takes, you messed up. If you didn’t research your programs and learn they are not what you want then you messed up. All it takes is time and patience and you’ll find your own style, your own way of doing things and will get better.