Expert: Andrew Ransavage - 10/4/2009

Question
Hi there Andrew Ransavage I’m currently doing an engineering degree in computer science, love watching  movies with special fx, animation & I would love it if I were a part of the making of these movies.could you please help me out?
1.HOW DO I KNOW THAT I AM CREATIVE ?
2.WHAT SHOULD I DO TO START A CAREER IN ANIMATION?(given I have no formal training in drawing ,but I do some pencil sketches i.e I see & draw simple cartoons)
3.I have another 3 years for my engineering course completion what should I do in these 3 years

•   Enroll in an animation course?
•   Learn to draw & sketch on my own?
•   OR ANYTHING ELSE?


Answer
Hi, it's hard to say how to determine whether or not you are creative. You probably already know one way or the other.  If you don't consider yourself creative it doesn't necessarily mean you can't have a career in animation. There are plenty of areas such as modeling that are more technical and less artistic. If you are interested in animation, I would suggest looking into some different fields, cartoons, Flash web animation, 3d movies, special effects, etc... and learn a little bit more about them either on the web or through some books. From there you could narrow down your interest as there are so many different areas to get involved in. I would suggest trying some online tutorials, or playing with some demo software to get your toes wet.  Check out Blender which is a free 3d animation program, or Toonboom which is 2d cartoon animation...

good luck!