Painting is Useful in Animation School
Computer Animation Captured Merola’s Interest
Eric Merola was recently hired to be the director of animation at FlickerLabs, an animation studio in New York City. Merola’s portfolio is large for his age and includes a lot of artistic work outside of animation. Among his latest credits are some animated shorts for The Cartoon Network and a series of animated commercials for the Volkswagen Passat. As surprising as it may sound, Merola did not graduate from an animation school. He majored in painting and graphic design in North Carolina, and ultimately moved to New York after selling a number of his paintings after graduation. He became interested in computer animation once he started working for advertising agencies in New York.
Animation Schools Need to Focus on Visual Art
Merola’s success as an animator is not common. Most great animators learn the craft in animation school. His rise in the animation field shows that good animation comes from well-honed artistic talent. Unfortunately, many fly-by-night animation schools teach students how to navigate through computer animation software, but they don’t help their students become better artists. The best animation schools know that students need to develop their abilities as visual artists and learn how to navigate through computer animation software.
If you want to get into the animation business, look for reputable animation schools that offer drawing and painting courses. These courses will help train your artistic eye so that when you do hit the computers, you can use them as a tool instead of a crutch.
Source
Top Animator Has Painting Background
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, Illinois. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.
