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- Hi. I’m Jasmine Feng and I want to be an animator.
- Ever since I was little people have been asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. At first I wanted to be a veterinarian because of my love for animals. Also, because I have a lot of pets. I later found out that veterinarians also had to put animals to sleep, so I decided being a veterinarian just wasn’t for me.
- Then I thought about being a professional basketball player because basketball is my favorite sport, and I’m a huge Lakers fan. People have always told me that I’m a pretty good shooter, and I really enjoy watching and playing basketball. BUT I don’t think I’m good enough to go pro, and nobody watches the WNBA…I’m also too short.
- Finally, I thought of the perfect career for myself: an animator. I was surprised I never thought of it before. I mean, I’m constantly drawing almost every single day, and cartoons are what I mostly draw. {Here are some drawings I’ve drawn over the years. Most are pencil drawings, but there are also some I made from MS Paint.}
- Why do I want to be an animator? Well, I’m good at drawing, I’m very creative, I draw all the time, I watch cartoons practically every day, and I have always wanted to know how to make a cartoon. Cartoons have made me want to draw more.{Here are some drawings of cartoons I made not too long ago. There are video game characters, anime characters, and characters from Cartoon Network.}
- My inspiration for becoming an animator comes from basically all the cartoons I’ve ever watched or tried to draw.{Ex. Hello Kitty, South Park, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Futurama, Mickey Mouse, Mario, One Piece, etc.}Cartoons aren’t the only things that inspire me. Video games do to. {Ex. Mario, Little Big Planet, Mortal Kombat, Kingdom Hearts, etc.}Ever since I was little I have always wanted to meet the creators of my favorite cartoons, like Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone. They are all animators I look up to.
- Before researching, I thought animators just come up with some sort of story line for their cartoon then start drawing the scenes and sequences over and over. I thought drawing every movement of something would be really frustrating, but at the same time rewarding.People of all ages watch cartoons, and making one would be a dream come true. I have always wanted to have my drawings become “famous” and share them with other people. I already draw all the time, so getting paid for it would be awesome.
- What does an animator really do? Animators take an idea and make it real by creating multiple drawings. They must know how to draw, use a computer, create a story, make characters come to life, and present their ideas. Being an animator requires a lot of time and effort. Their work can be shown in movies, shows, advertisements/commercials, and even computer and video games.{Definitions: ANIMATOR: an artist that draws animated cartoons; an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. ANIMATION: the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2D or 3D model positions to create an illusion of movement.}
- Apparently, the part of a job most people care about is the salary. Animators can make from $0 to $150,000 a year depending on their years of experience, talent, and where you work. Some work freelance, so they go from company to company to try and sell their cartoon. If they can’t sell their cartoon they won’t get money. If animators work for a company, the starting salary is $30,000. The average salary for an animator is about $60,000. If you have over 10 years of experience you can get up to $150,000 a year.
- Animators work about 34-40 hours a week, but sometimes they may need to work overtime or during weekends. They work in an office or studio. Some also work from their homes.The only bad things about becoming an animator is that it’s time consuming and you have to meet multiple deadlines.
- Not just anyone can be an animator. There are some requirements, such as talent, networking skills, commitment, and flexibility. You also have to be engaged with the industry or company. In many situations, animators must switch between several projects at once. Drawing and computer skills are the most important things to have if you’d like to become an animator. It’s recommended, but not required, for an animator to have a bachelor’s degree in some sort of art subject like animation, graphic design, illustration, film and video, multimedia, etc.
- After much thought and research, I have decided that I really do want to become an animator. Therefore, I will go to college for 4 years getting a bachelor’s degree in some art subject. Right now my major is undeclared, so I will have to change that later. A career as an animator is perfect for me because I’ve always wanted to make a cartoon, and drawing is one of the only things I’m good at. I would love to create a cartoon that everyone and anyone would enjoy because I want to make people happy with through my drawings. Having my art become popular with the public is a big bonus. Even if I find something I can’t draw, I won’t let it stop me from pursuing this career.Thank you.
- Here’s my works cited page.
- The end :-)