Don’t feel bad, I think it’s better to become a successful Mangaka than an unsuccessful animator. Who knows maybe in 20 years some of these studios that are rejecting you will adapt your manga into shows.
They may have told you to stay in comics, but one punch man artist Murata taught himself animation looong after being successful in his career in comics and now he's a beast at that, too. You can do it! Like they say it only ends when you give up.
Took a look at your portfolio and i understand why it was rejected currently, you have skill but it's not confident in it's direction. It tells me you can make a pretty reference sheet and shows how great you can work for comic-work which is likely why they answered as they did. I don't think you're incapable but i also don't think you're designing with animation in mind when i look at it at all so my best suggestion is to look at the portfolios that got artists accepted into companies like pixar and other companies as character designers, really study them and see what they're doing that you haven't yet, look at reference sheets more and study why they are the way they are, is there any previous designs? look for material like animation production art books specifically, you want to see the raw design process as much as possible not the pretty final result as its more nuanced than just that with the team needing to read it for their roles! also try practice drawing more confident lines, it will be better for your hands in the long run to help prevent wrist issues and for your works strength. You might also want a better site to host or at the very least find a way to change the layout as it is not the best for a portfolio too, it can put off those you want to look at it from going far enough in to actually see where you're at and give them the wrong impression. This all said i love your work and see a lot of potential which is why i'm going on like this, no matter what turns out to be the right path for you in the future i really can't wait to see how you grow as an artist so please always keep going with your long term health also in mind.
Your comment peaked my interest. So I went and had a look too. You are completely right. There's a ton of polish needing to be done here. The foundation looks to be good and he's got a lot of potential. Obviously. But, that's not enough to go that last mile necessary to reach the goal and have a good shot at succeeding.
@@Telindra Exactly, he just needs that extra push in the right direction and i honestly think he'll be able to do just fine if he puts his drive to use in the right way. Almost everyone goes through those growing pains at first especially when aiming for something outside what they're currently used to but the experiences are always invaluable.
So I work at DreamWorks as a story artist, I catch your videos from time to time. I don't usually comment on videos haha but, Ethan is right but lacks an explanation to what he is saying. I'm not sure if what you showed is ALL of what he said, but being I'm relatively newish to the industry (I graduated and got my job back in 2018) I can give a little bit of insight on all this. That is, if you were trying to get advice on your portfolio so you could get in as a character artist. how you get a job varies from person to person. so for me, I didnt go to calarts or sheraton, I went to a video game school in Washington called digipen. So I was very unaware of this information. But couple things to note before i go on with this explanation. First, in film, character artist is the number 1 hardest job to get. Because in film, a studio has a just a couple people filling in for that role. And those people tend to stay there for a really long time. At Dreamworks they have a couple of in studio character designers, one being Nico Marlet. And hes been there for years. But they dont really bring in other artist because thats the LOOK of the studio. so their films have some consistency. Secondly, at the end of the day, it isnt the studio who gives the OK on an artist, but the directors that are currently on projects. It could be different for character artist slightly but to my knowledge, they have final say on the particular look and feel they are trying to achieve for their film. Lastly, the hardest part of getting in, is getting in to the industry. Something a lot of people do in order to get into the industry is to start out in a role that isn't the role you initially want. For instance, a lot of artist I know who are now story artist, started out as project coordinators. My animation teacher back in school was a janitor first at disney who took advantage of the free drawing lessons and resources open to everyone and eventually was hired as an animator and later on became the lead animator for cricket in Mulan. Point being, a lot of the time talent doesn't translate to to hard work and a lot of the time people are more willing to give you a chance if they know you already and what your work ethic is. What Ethan was suggesting is, a lot of people get into the industry (aka the hardest part of the journey) by getting in as a revisionist first. That way people will SEE how hard you work and be more likely to give you a chance in other areas. Even for me, a story artist, get character design work from dreamworks tv and my boards are often used as starting points for character designers when there arent any initial designs starting out. I don't like the work that comes with concept art and character design xD HAHA so I don't try to pursue it, but I do know the work is more available when you are in the industry. So even if Ethan was "cold" which I totally get because it lacked a lot of info. But to give him the benefit of the doubt, portfolio reviews and teaching the ins and outs like that takes time and a lot of explanation and is what he does as a job as a teacher on projectcity. So essentially you'd be asking him to work for free to give you a review. And he is an extremely busy guy, much more than me. And for me, I had to stop giving reviews because it was just too much on my mental health and I started to have burn out issues due to over extending myself. So besides conventions, I dont have the energy to help everyone else anymore. I wish I did but, it became overwhelming after a while. Especially when you have to be critical but not TOO critical. But as you can see, what I have written here isn't even all of it and its still a lot. But in my experience I do agree with you about sometimes leaving a closed door closed. I initially gave up being a novelist before pursuing story art because I was dyslexic and had to be brutally honest with myself if this was what I was really going to do. And I knew deep down I wouldn't be able to make it because I knew I lacked in so many areas with that career. But other doors opened and I was a much better visual story teller. :) *realized there was a lot of grammar errors in this but as i said, i am dyslexic so sorry if it was a lil confusine* -Sayah Gold
@@MrTendo0 People typically start off as interns for technical aspect, or as art recruiter, or production assistant. It is a very very limited and difficult industry. good luck!
for anatomy for 2 years is still little and you are still pretty new, don't worry because anatomy and drawing in general is a LIFE time journey. You will never stop improving
Honestly man this video kinda made me a little teary-eyed. This is definitely something we all need to hear. Your channel is one of my favorite new art channels!! I feel like you really help ground a lot of things that other people may not think about all the time. But can’t wait to see what you talk about next🔥🙏🏼!!!
Don't let his words dissuade you! If you want to be an animator then DO IT! We have so many ways of creating animations, some for free like blender and so many places to show it off like RU-vid. Don't cry, freaking create!
You can always animate in your own style. Animate your own stories. Sometimes it is not a matter of weather the door is meant for you. Sometimes it's carving out a market for yourself Like many artist have had to do in the past. As long as you enjoy what you are doing and it is fulfilling to you. As long as you love animating no one is stopping your from making your own thing in your own style, especially here on RU-vid.
As someone who's scared of failing, I really needed to hear this. For years, this fear made me lose the opportunity to learn from failures, or anything even, because I was the type who won't even try once I start doubting myself T^T You're the complete opposite of me, damn. I don't wanna be regretful when I get older. That's why I'm working on doing my best from now on! (so yeah that's what I got from this, despite the video talking 'bout a different thing kinda lol)
I feel like I’m in the same boat , or have had somewhat of the same experience, as you. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with my art and around 2017 I was motivated to become a storyboard artist/writer in the animation industry so I tried to build up my social media( Twitter and Instagram) by posting a lot but nothing came out of it for years. But I can say that I’m glad it hasn’t happened yet because I’ve been growing a lot over the years since and realized that I probably woulda messed up the opportunity if I had gotten it too early
I don't how Mark knows this about me. But here's my story. I loved making poems and stories back in school, but I dropped it overtime. I wanted to share my stories and my vision with the world. But written word sparks lot of imagination, which I wanted to limit to avoid confusion. So I decided on comic making. It was a good start but then I saw Walt Disney Animation Tribute by Slyfer2812 and I realized that animation was my absolute goal. So yeah, I'm going after it.
Ethan's reply to you was on point, a lot of people who end up in those animation positions start in other positions and in storyboard you are closer to being an animator than others who start in lighting and in other positions. Once you are in storyboard you can get people around you to show you what you need to show that you are ready for another role. This route he laid out for you is more direct than other people take to get into the position that you want. Good luck man.
Just looked at how many subs u got, and surprised u're not hitting close to a million. your art is the narrative u put out in your video. It's always inspirational. Funny and interesting. Your art is still evolving with each vid, so within time, I'm sure your opportunity will be there before you know it.
I have a lot of dreams I want to make come true. One of em was drawing. I drew ever since I was a little kid and I wanted to be good at it. But as I got older and the years went by I started to give up bc I saw 0 progress. So I stopped for a few years until recently I was thinking about it again and decided to try again. It's been around a month or 2 it's still not the best but I see I'm getting better. I see progress and I'm happy with the little progress I get. This video reminded me when I gave and tried again. It also reminded me to don't give up and sometimes it's okay if u don't make it.
I'm so glad I discovered this amazing channel... personally always encourage me to keep moving forward and do my best in anything I wanna accomplish. I just gotta say, thanks dd Mark for doing these amazing videos.
You're awesome DD, I truly think you can make it in animation cuz your character design is cool AF! Maybe reach out to smaller youtube animators or indie developers and see if they'll give you a shot and you can get more experience from that and build a resume.
I've definitely been struggling with some of the same realizations recently with trying to get into the animation industry. It got to the point where I began questioning is it even the thing that'll make me happy. By the way if it's any help, (if not just ignore it) I looked at your portfolio and your designs are very impressive and I think its more about the line efficiency than anything (which is something I struggle with alot as well coming from a comic background). The fewer strokes, the better tends to be the principle in animation. I think if you mastered that though, you'd have a pretty good shot.
I'm not surprised people said to give up. The reality of animation industry is that it is rough. Poor work/life balance, High stress and pressure alongside even if you get a project it ends and your back to looking for work again. It sucks hard man even for the seniors.
Great vid DD, Def something I needed to hear. How I take it is that, that door will open, just not yet. Instead just gotta focus on the ones that are open. And hopefully through these doors you've opened and will continue to open(ofc while keeping your passions in mind), you'll eventually find a way into that one too.
those people is right about telling you to stick to comic books.. stick to it until your works good enough to get picked up by animation studio. Look at ONE, The creator of Mob Psycho 100 and One Punch Man.. his art is way below you, but yet his comics is good enough to get anime adaptation. and even become one of the best anime of all time. don't give up on ur dream. just find another way... it will come true
Heya, I really like this video. If I may, I would like to share a bit of my history. I'm 31, I always liked to draw ever since I was a child, but for X or Y reason, I was scared about it and I was never sure if that's what I wanted to do for my life, so I looked other job and education opportunities. I am in a very rough patch atm, my contract wasn't renewed so I stayed jobless for a couple of months, and I found another one but the payment is miserable. However, from some years to know, I took drawing very seriously and I even got a tablet 2 years ago, and I was gifted one with a screen. Well, thanks to that, I was able to sell commissions and it's an important source of income right now. I know, it's very ironic, but this hobby in a way is helping me survive. Now, I don't know if I want to become a full time artist, or if I have the capacity for it or worse, if I'm too old for it, because let's be honest, for the labor market, if you're over 30, you may as well be retired and useless if you don't have any kind of experience, but sometimes, I like to fantasize about having my own comic. Maybe I'll do that, as a side project, who knows what will happen. And your video well, I may not an artist as talented as you or with a promising future, but I can tell you this, from life experience. Life does take you to places you never even imagined and even if you are not able to break into animation, you may find a different window that you didn't even consider and realise, that window is making me happy, or at least it gives my life some purpose. But hey, good luck with everything you do, I'm sure you'll do great in whatever you choose to do!
Hey bro. I been also sharing my story. I landed an internship once and the artists there were pretty toxic to me. I would work hard days drawing as much as I could. I did not make it. They never pushed me through the finish line. I worked very hard for a long time and the dream of going pro didnt pan out. Its okay though I am a hobbyist there is nothing wrong with that. I also learned that the industry is cold and harsh bro. You might not have that competitive edge. either way though I'm a long time follower of yours. Its nice seeing people's stories and life experiences its very inspirational. Make sure you staying safe bro. ALSO keep drawing my man. You have an elegant art style, maybe the pro scene wasnt meant for you. but you keep going anyway you know? stay safe bro and keep in touch!
Honestly man this video kinda made me a little teary-eyed. This is definitely something we all need to hear. Your channel is one of my favorite new art channels!! I feel like you really help ground a lot of things that other people may not think about all the time. But can’t wait to see what you talk about next!!!
Coming back to this video to say that success with art requires a lot of patience & perseverance. It's a competitive field and one of the most common ways to fail is giving up. Keep going king, aim for your most ridiculous goals. You got this♥️💪🏾
Your story is so relatable. I can hear you at that struggle, when you wanted to go the dream path but you have no means is so frustrating. I was never alone after all, at that. Your video made me cry like waterfalls. At least at the most important thing is you tried to get into the industry that you want. Thanks for such a motivation. I've been wanting to hear that after so many years.
Brother… I truly truly hope that you make it to where you want to be, you really deserve it. As a man, I hate to admit this, but you brought tears to my eyes fam. I’m literally here at work getting all emotional because everything you said on here (besides being from Africa… My parents were Caribbean) I can relate. I started drawing when I was young, all I remember was drawing sonic, and then making up my own characters. Soon after, I would fold a bunch of white paper in half and just draw out panels… literally made my own comics that way as a child. During my teens/adolescence I stepped away from it cause I thought I needed to “grow up” but just started drawing again because of you, you gave me the motivation. I am now 29, and I am making a promise to myself that I will have a one shot done by the age of 35 and a successful series underway by 40. Even if it has to be on the side as I work another job, that’s okay. Bless up to you mark, I really appreciate you.
Your art style is very different to Pixar and from what I know about portfolio reviews you need to match the art style of the company your applying for. I think your artwork is amazing and would encourage you to find a group of artist to make your own animation project or short film. Make your own short personal projects and opportunities will come from that. Some times your career going to divert you to another path which is better suited for you. Your dreams job not always a dream to work in. It’s doesn’t make you a failure it’s just wasn’t the right path/time for you to open that one door so open another.
They are probably too busy to care much, but you should know we have animations that didn’t have solid craftsmanship but still wound up being super successful. Beavis and Buttheads original short film wasn’t very polished. South Park either. No shade on those folks because they are full blown success stories. My feelings here is you may be approaching character design for animation similar to comics/manga. Don’t give horse supplies to a dog owner and don’t give dog toys to a horse rancher. Characters in comics can be fully detailed, but animation needs less lines and details. An animator will have to build a rig or draw your designs a bunch. I don’t know what you turned in, but I hope this helps. I am going to school to be a 2d animator and this was stuff I learned so far and I have a year till I graduate. Don’t give up because it will it away at your happiness. I gave up when I was young and came back damn near in my 40s.😂😂
10:53 very very important, my favorite Pixar movie is Cars and how independent Lightning McQueen was during the first half and then he realized that he was wrong and that he can’t always do everything on your own
Your reference to “Monster University” intrigued me, so I finally watched the movie today. I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. The movies moral lessons of learning to be humble, to confide in others, and being open minded to future opportunities HIT. Solid movie and great prequel!
Ironically, the video is very inspiring. The message to give it your best shot even if it doesn't work out really resonates with me. When one door closes, another door opens, or vice versa.
I really appreciate this video, and I'd also like to add that success isn't linear. Sometimes we move forwards, backwards, and even sideways in our journey through life. Failure and success aren't opposite ends, they are closely intertwined and imo the more you experience one the more you're likely to experience the other.
damn bro sorry to hear you couldn't get in yet I'm in pain as well for you, it makes me not want to pursue my goals in the animation industry it must be high level stuff, you a excellent artist man keep up the good work and maybe you're right it doesn't hurt to chase my dreams if I'm just meant to be an illustrator I'm fine by it, thanks for the vod its my favorite by far!
I hope you make it into the professional animation world man! There’s still ideas and subjects that haven’t been given a good representation, so if you like something and you think you can show that in animation, you’ll see a lot of success.
Dude, idk how you do it, but your videos are just awesome and always manage to motivate me for this stuff. Thanks so much man, tons of love from Spain.
Wow as a fellow Nigerian American I can relate a lot. Sometimes you find out what’s actually meant for you. I also wanted to do animation and comics just like you. We actually like a lot of the same stuff. But I’ve learned that I’m called to be a writer. That’s what I truly love. Being the head of creativity and choosing what happens. I’m still practicing on art and stuff but until I get my feet off the ground, I’ll focus on writing cuz even more than drawing, I want to be a writer. Love your work by the way. God bless ✨
not to take away from the message in the video as it is valid, but i work as a character designer and character layout artist in animation mainly tv animation in the uk and your deffo good enough, i would say the only thing is to have more styles in your portfolio as most of the time you dont get to draw in your own style in this industry you gotta be able to mimic the style of whatever show you work on. there is sadly still a bit of a stigma against anime styles in the uk, but it is changing slowly ^^
I'm sorry for being very late to this video, but I just found it today. I decided to write a comment, because I feel like what you said at the end of the video was kind of like me at the moment. I'm working on a visual novel game all by myself, and I can lose interest in projects I do longer than a day very easily, but this project is different, I keep going back to it, and I want to actually finish it, not like the other projects I've had before. Thank you for the video, made me realize that I should indeed dream big, and even if I make the worst visual novel game in existence, I still tried. :D
Hey DD, I am so happy you're keeping it real, i want to tell you I personally know many animators who have joined the industry who are not nearly as good as you are, the only difference is that they're less insecure because they're less self conscious, you hesitate because you admire the people who made you want to join this industry in the same place, instead of trying to go up to their level, try to creat your own level, don't think vertically, think more organic, you know illya the Russian character designer who lives in Tokyo? His work was displayed in shinjuku intersection, if you go to his art devian you can see his old work (I respect that he doesn't only post fancy work) and you can clearly see how long he have came, that's why when I started my journey I deliberately said I wouldn't delete any old artwork because one day people will follow me and they will scroll back and say "man she was terrible" 😂 I hate that artists always post their nicest work and act like they started 5 minutes ago, drawing is a skill, any skill can be learned through hard work, don't be discouraged, the only difference between us and a pro is that they started a bit earlier, once you realize your true potential you could be better than any of them, make a name for yourself
This reminds me of something an artist said to their audience. Everyone succeeds at their own pace, you might not succeed in the first year or two but if you continue trying ten years from now you will succeed. I kept their words to heart because I do think that at some point I'm going to work something out for myself. I'm a comic artist novice right now and though I don't think my works will be picked up in 2-3 years, I do think that at some point I will be noticed in 10 or 20 years.
Bro never stop always keep try and to be honest I did wanted to work in animation as a job but I realize I have a story I want to animate myself even if I don't have a team and when I get good at art imma do it myself and see how far I get in terms of episodes. And I am always going keep watching your video when u upload
bro same man, as a kid I've always loved making comics but straight up no one believed in me. When I found Ethan Becker is when I started learning how to get better at art and is when my art journey really began. I never wanted to work in animation though, I wanted, and still want to learn to draw comics for fun and eventually learn how to get good at making art for videogames for a future job.
Hey bro just wanted to say I’ve been subscribed for like almost half a year and I love the content you put out. I started taking art more seriously this year and your work has been a huge inspiration to me as well as your work ethic. When it comes down to anything that I wanna get good at I pour my heart and soul into it. So I found a lot of relatability the way you talk about art. That being said bro stay grinding. Your art is incredible and so many other people think the same thing. Even though you may not be where you wanna be yet I’m telling you that you can achieve that ultimate goal you want to achieve. I’m really praying you reach that point one day bro and until then ima still be cheering from you from these comment sections 😂😂 keep it up!
I recently had a (much smaller scale) similar thing happen I had been trying to write a comic for a year and only about a month ago I realized I like to write novels more. I'm still doing art for it but more to add to what's written. I just don't do well writing in a medium like comics where it's hard to go back and edit your story
Markk something i could only take away from this video is never put to much on your plate until you finished you had youtube, college, a relationship, and a job in the same plate that's 4 and so far you have you passion on the side but you had college in geology on your plate no like shame or anything but you added one extra thing that made you add your passion to the side wich is why you couldn't get to working on it so I kinda see this as don't either put to much or don't put anything your not gonna use on the plate
i appreciated your vulnerability and honesty in this video so much. the discussion you pose is one that i think most aspiring creatives don't want to face, so it was very enlightening to see your experience and where you're coming from. I appreciated the video a lot and all I can say is, as someone who followed your insta from when you were smaller, your improvement as an artist has been an EXPLOSION. The dedication you have SHOWS and you will continue to grow as an artist to the point where one day no one will be able to deny your skill if you keep at it (and I know you will). Best of luck, thanks for your wonderful content as always.
I kind went through something like this I’m Kinda struggling to get back into drawing I’m not feeling passionate about because of my skill level and I feel like at the end of the day no matter how hard I work it will all be for nothing but I needed this it’s ok if my dreams don’t come true I should draw because I like it and not give myself high expectations
Love the way you draw, hope a can get to your level some day.. but i also hope that you get to be happy wherever your roads leads to.. you have an awesome attitude I also wish I had..
I'm a silent subscriber but I wanted to say thank you for this video. I've been struggling lately on finding a direction I want to go in and I feel like I'm just starting to understand where it is I want to go and what it is I want to do. But this video helped me so much. It's hard accepting that some of your dreams won't ever come true or at the very least not happen when we hoped they would. However, no matter how many times we are told no, we are always learning and growing and we all eventually find exactly where it is we are supposed to be. To any artist who reads this comments keep dreaming big but don't let your dreams define who it is you are. Always be willing to learn and grow and experiment with all the different parts of art. What may be for someone else may not be for you and that's ok because there is a place for you in the art world. You just have to find it and never give up working at
Just happened to stumble across your video in my recommended- first time visiting your channel (hi!). You've already received a lot of excellent portfolio feedback in the comments section of your video here, so instead I'd like to share with you my story and hope maybe you'll find encouragement. As of now, I'm a full-time animation industry artist (currently at Dreamworks) and have been in the biz for roughly 5 years now. However, before those 5 successful years, I had 10 long years of hard work and major rejection. I'll never forget when I had an art director at Nickelodeon look at my portfolio and he said I wasn't ready to be in the industry. I nearly gave up. BUT 3 days later- by some MIRACLE- one of the many studios I had applied to actually reached out and offered me my first art job in the animation industry. From one artist to another, I wish you the best of luck on your journey. It's tough, but if you keep going and put in the work, you may be surprised at how things eventually turn out :)
Wow, the "I'll try my best and even if that's not enough atleast there will be no what ifs" has been a mindset I've had for a while now and what convinced my parents to trust me to become an artist. I have HUGE dreams and I know that even if they might not come true that doesn't mean I won't hold on to them until I get the answer, and I will still go in peace knowing there was nothing left for me to do. Thanks a lot for confirming a lot of stuff for me and helping me stay in my heart and beliefs. I truly hope that one day you recieve the opportunity to work as an animator and you keep on working hard for your dreams, cause I know I'll be working hard for mines
До речі, мені теж хотілося колись робити мультфільми, але моє прагнення не було настільки сильним як твоє, я навіть нормально малювати не вмію.. куди мені до цього,але...я завжди думав, що якщо ти зможеш намалювати чудову історію, то цілком можливо її екранізують і це хоч і не зробить тебе більше аніматором, ніж ти є, але таким чином твоя мрія буде втілена в життя)
Art dreams are never toxic for anyone. They just have to find out how to get there. I didn’t even watch this because the title is ass. Every artist doesn’t need to hear this. They just need to admit that this is what they want and learn as much as they can and balance everything out. I hope you had something good to say. I just don’t fk with the phrase toxic art dreams.
1:30 that kinda hit me hard ngl 💀 It does scare me, it scares me A LOT. My biggest dream is to get published in a weekly magazine as a manga artist. To write stories that inspire people and bring people to another world, to let them escape reality if needed. But I give up easily and for some reason (probably out of habit) choose comfort over progress. I've got to get rid of that mind set but it's very difficult. It makes me wonder if a weekly magazine is really for me?
Journey before destination. - SLA The most important part of life is to truly live it rather than expecting yourself to be at the destination before you even had the experiance to truly appreciate the end point you are at. The journey brings us gifts of knowledge new discoveries about the world and ourselves. From which we can say with satisfaction that we lived it, and carry the fire of wisdom over to candles of minds.
You know, I don't think you have to necessarily stop pursuing animation altogether. Even if you don't get picked up by an industry, you could always practice it as a hobby. Make your own projects for fun or exploration, etc. I've seen a lot of amazing and unique self-made short films, and fun animatics or animation collab projects and contests/challenges that invite a diverse comminity to work and share with one another. Someone who pursues their own personal goals that comes to mind rn is Louie Zong. You can find his work on yt. It's been some time since I watched his work, but I believe he oversees his own personal projects. Animates and develops music. Likewise, you could make your own kind of animations too, even if they're small or short. I guess it all depends on what your ultimate goal is I suppose, and if it's something you would be alright settling with. The upside is that you may have more freedom that way. Anyways, great video! Your points reminded me of my own pursuits and realizations in a way. I'm pursuing writing rn (something I've wanted to do for years) and have decided I may never publish anything, which I'm ok with as long as I can share and improve on the craft. Hopefully I can one day! But right now I'm just workin' on learning and practice. Just getting my ideas out of my head
Honestly, you should actually prefer to be a comic book artist over an animator. As an animator you will be just one of many dudes who created a given movie. Nobody will know that you were the one who created and animated a certain character, unless they look up your name in the end credits and know who you are beforehand. You would be just a number in a big company. Like every other normal 9 to 5 job. In addition, the crazy work load, the deadline stress and the low wages are not exactly the best working conditions. As a comic book artist you are the creator of your whole story, universe and all the characters. When you publish it, everyone who reads it will know you. You can get yourself out there and get famous by that. Not possible as an animator (or at least very limited). The author of Berserk is not alive anymore. But do you remember him? Heck yes. On the other hand, do you remember who animated f. E. Casca in the anime? Probably not. Let's not forget that you are your own boss and have complete freedom. If I were given the choice between being a comic book artist or an animator, I take the comic book artist anytime. Hope that could change your perspective and you see these rejections as a blessing in disguise.
I know you said this was unscripted, but I damn near teared up at the end haha - you can't just go and hit people in the feels like that. IDK how you can do this off the cuff like that, but this was mega motivational! I like your style of content that is far more real and actually meaningful instead of 'top 3 art tips'. I find intermediate-ish art advice is difficult to come by, but your content hits just right. Thank you DD!
I really appreciate what you've said in this video because I wanted to do the same thing you were going for. I was trying for months to get into a college and everytime I tried to apply something in my head is telling me "this isn't you, you can do better". So I wanted to thank you for this.
I completely agree. Giving it your all is pretty much the only thing you have control over. All you can do is increase the odds of success. You can't guarantee it
You might not become the character designer you've wanted to be originally but perhaps in the future your character's design might just be animated due to your comic's success, we'd never really know until years down the line
Aw man, this gave me conflicting feelings, procrastination and fear of failure is what stop me from being what I want to be in the art career. I haven’t gotten “far” or put alot of effort in a long series of time. And as someone who is in a favorable position to literally be able to study art ALL day, I just don’t. For awhile I do get that focus but then I just stop. I blame my ADHD but I always think it has to be something else. I want to create something but if that was the case I shouldn’t have wasted years of no progress.
If I had a nickel for everytime I heard a story about studios, or other "pros" rejecting someone else's work only to see them succeed later and those that rejected them regret it for missing out on something great I would be very rich. Keep at it man you'll get there.
I love your videos man, and your honesty. have you ever thought of tattooing? this has opened up a whole new world of art to me. hope you keep up the videos.
did u send a demo reel/sample of your animation? coz that's the first thing they always ask if u really like to go in the anim industry, u can be a storyboard artist since ur drawings are pretty good once ur there, other animation studios offer training programs for other positions like an assistant animator(u do the inbetweens of the drawings,cleaning the lines of a rough sketch animation) or animator i started as an assistant animator and after that went to other studio and trained to be a cut-out animator (cut out animations are those with pre built models cut out part by part where u don't draw it over and over again, but u still draw anyway if u need a specific pose LOL) i worked at projects like my little pony, chuck's choice, where's waldo, (there's some others i forgot the name of the show) wanna try anime prod in the future but i heard the pay is low, but i wanna try it just once now i left the production since im getting really burn out and went to game animation and i think i'll follow this path for a while since i'm getting really comfortable with it from what i see i think u can do it and try to get in smaller studios at first, then when u have experience, u can apply for the bigger ones
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾gotta say thank you brother this lit the fire 🔥 again I’m in the same place now of hearing no from everyone so this was a needed wake up call🤘🏾! Thank you mark
DD, oh my God, I've never related so hard to a video like... ever.... like holy shit I also- ALSO feel like Mike Wazowski too. I love, LOVE MU, it's like one of my fav movies of all time and I related so hard to Mike because I also found myself being rejected from something I loved despite the fact that I wanted it so hard. I also wanted to get into the animation industry- to write and storyboard stories for animated movies and TV so I applied for the Animation program at my college. Instantly got rejected because my grades weren't high enough and it utterly DESTROYED me. It was so bad I stopped drawing for a year and hated art and everything related to it. I became aimless, not knowing what the hell I wanted nor if I even had any self-worth at all at because at the time, I thought drawing and animation was everything- the only thing that I was good at. However, I gave myself a few years to reflect, to think about what else I could do. I eventually found a passion for writing and I applied for the college again- but this time, I applied for the English major. Now I'm getting a BA in English Technical writing and so far, my efforts in writing have def impressed my professors, which immediately told me this- I have more than one skill and that I can be as passionate for writing as I was for drawing. Now I'm practicing both because me doing well in my Eng major has allowed me to find passion for drawing again. Sometimes multiple paths are found as we move towards our destination and sometimes we may never have all the answers. Life is unpredictable like that so hearing someone who has been through a slightly similar experience as mine is so invigorating and such a relief that I'm not alone. Thank you for this video; I know that's kinda weird to say but I really appreciate your honesty in explaining your journey in art; it helped me realize that I'm not alone in my struggles and that I can be successful no matter what the field is. Sorry for the personal, long-ass paragraph if you made it this far, here have a cookie. 🍪
That's a very motivational video of yours, and about the animation industry thing, well... I know that one of your comics will be so well known that there will be an animation adaptation of your work! Similar to Chainsaw Man that recently was announced it's anime adaptation
The faliure is not what hurts. What hurts is the knowledge, that we couldn't do anything. Trying absolute best, trying over and over again, and knowing you can't do anything about it, that is what really hurts.
Honestly? I've come to a similar conclusion lately myself.. I was heavily inspired by anime and cartoons growing up, and wanted to be an animator! I taught myself how to animate with what I had and built a portfolio. (My animation ain't the best but ay 💀) I relate a lot to getting rejected in jobs of that field . And it got to me now and then. It was only recently where I realised that the animation industry may not be for me. But I can still draw and I have millions of ideas! So I'm going to continue to do my best. Thankyou so much for this video! You're really cool~ :))
Aspiring artist here. Mostly a hobbyist at this point but I've been around this globe for a few years, enough the feel like I can bring just ONE useful thing to you: Start animating. If you TRULY want it, don't give up. Don't keep going either. Try a different way. Even if you don't want to be an animator, it'll inform your designs to better fit animation design (shorthands, simplifications, silhouetting, etc). Don't set out to create the most complex, most wonderful animation out there either, do what you love; For what I've seen you like anime A LOT. So try your hand at animating a simple scene, two characters talking, no background, nothing, just the characters. Do a fight scene, as simple and as rough as you can. And lastly don't show it to anyone. it's not for them, it's for YOU. It doesn't matter if you spend the next 3 months on 5 seconds of characters talking and at the end of it it looks bad, you'll learn from it. Even if it's just how to use the software and what keyboard shortcuts are available, that's already a lot of things out of the way. Who knows, after a few animations, you might realize your passion is in BG Design, or prop design (god knows there's few people doing those) or key frame animation, inbetweening or really anything other than character design. The only way to learn how to swim is by jumping in the water.
One of the best pieces I have ever received when it comes to art, was this…“Give up.” For the people who hear that, and choose to follow that advice, it’s the right choice. But for those who wanna say, “fuck you, I’m gonna prove you wrong,” and keep going anyway, it’s still the right choice.
That is rather encouraging to hear, given that the times I've been told to give up my natural impulse is "hey F-you! I'm going to work twice as hard just to prove you wrong, jackass!" XD
I was going to leave a long comment here. But I'll try to keep it concise: - My dream was also to get into Pixar. Learned to draw & animate, but I don't think I could make into it. - Found a job as a graphic designer, it's quite an easy job for me so I don't stress, I also work from home so it's super chill.. I've learned that it's alright to do a job that is comfy. There's no need to do grandiose things, just do what brings you joy! (and pays the bills - important!). - In my free time I can draw, and I get to draw whatever I want. Imagine all those people getting into big studios and being told to draw a rock a million times... This will never happen to me. - Doors are never closed. So if you just keep practicing, you'll get better. And maybe in the future you'll have honed your skills well enough to get into a big studio. - But also.. don't forget that the indie route exists! Don't just depend on getting hired, you could also create your own opportunities. - Loved your last illustration. The gal with the heart, it has such a good mood. Well drawn, well chosen lights + colors. Keep it up!
