Like you and me, our favourite animation characters were also not born in a day. As human beings, we spend 9 months in our mother’s womb going through the process of creation before coming into this world. Similarly, an animation character also goes through hours and days or even months of sketching, vectoring, colouring and animation before coming to life on the screen. And that’s where the creative skills and endurance of animators come handy.

Todayanimatorsplay an important role in the creation of animated TV movies,television shows, video games,commercials, and whatnot.Animators are the artists who are responsible for creating animations,special effects,etc. for various mediums using specialised computer software and electronic tools.And if you wish to foray into this field then it will be really helpful for you if you possess certain skills and knowledge about the craft.Here are some of the most important things that you need to master for a career in animation. Animated movie making has become a need of the time. It’s very easy way of expressing your thoughts without capturing videos on the performances of real actors / artists. You, on own and alone, can tell your story with the help of Animated Characters in your Movie.

• Natural Characteristics: The first and foremost thing is to have innate qualities and interest in art and inclination towards drawing, sketching and related skills.Also, you must have a lot of patience and tolerance. Because at times it might take hours and days to create something, and sometimes your work and efforts can also be rejected by the client or approving authority.
• Technical Skills: Once you have figured out that you possess the natural characteristics required to pursue a career in animation, the next is to gain the requisite technical skills and training. As an animator, you will need to work on a variety software and application depending upon the needs of the project. Following is the list of skills and software knowledge that you are expected to possess as an animator:
  • • MAYA
  • • JavaScript
  • • Prototyping
  • • 3D modelling
  • • Adobe Acrobat
  • • UX wireframes
  • • Adobe InDesign
  • • Adobe Illustrator
  • • Adobe Photoshop
  • • User interface (UI) design, etc.

  Well, you need not worry about that because a good program will cover these in the curriculum.

• Originality:This is the one trait that separates you from the lot and helps stand out as an artist. Not just an animator, but for any artist, it is important to have a style of his/her own to create a unique identity in the industry. However, it may take years of hard work to develop your own style, but every animator should create their own original animations that people can relate to and remember for originality.

There fore mentioned are the most important traits you must possess to be successful in the animation industry, but along with that there are certain other aspects that you should lean to create a mark in the field, these include:

• Graphic Design Skills:Also referred to as motion design, these skills are essential for bringing graphic elements to life using animation.Thus, to pursue a successful career in this field you must be familiar with the basics of both animation and graphic design.
• Colour Theory Understanding:Animation is nothing without colour.As ananimator you must have a strong understanding of colour theory. So that you can effectively convey different moods and feelings to an audience by using separate colours.The selection of colours should be done by keeping in mind the Psychological aspects of the public at a large. They have direct impact on mental situations of being due to emotional values of the colours.
• Knowledge of Body Mechanics: In order to create realistic animation, you will need to master is body mechanics. As an animator you should understand how the motion of different parts and joints of a human body and animals works. As animator your need to thoroughly study the anthropometry as to show physical activities of the beings.
• Communication Skills:It is very important to sharpen your communication skills to effectively collaborate with team members. It will also help you explain your work to the seniors,approving authority, etc. and sell it to the client as well.You should be able to clearly express the thought behind the story in appropriate manner without any ambiguity in less time.

Now that you know the essential skills every animator needs to be successful you must ensure that you have them all. And you can begin with a comprehensive course in animation at Suryadatta Group of Institutes, for details visit www.suryadatta.org.