Poll: Is artistic talent required for animation?
Sunday August 17, 2008
I've mentioned before that sometimes my old animation school friends and instructors meet up for late-night coffee, which turns into rousing debates on the topic of animation. The last time this happened, the debate turned to the topic of art vs. animation, and whether they should be considered separately or together. Some argued that one must have some measure of artistic talent to be able to animate; others argued that with the advent of technology, it's really not that necessary. Others still said it's not the art style or quality, but the consistency of the animation, while still others (hey, we're a large group) said really you don't need any talent other than to be able to trace. What do you think?
Comments
Even in the most basic animation some artistic principles are applied. We often forget about design or color principles but these are always present even when they are not consciously applied.
The original South Park episode is a fine example of this. The creators had no or very little drawing ability. The original episode was created with construction paper cut outs. If you take the time to analyze it you will see design and color principles at work weather it was done on purpose or by accident doesn’t change that fact.
There is no animation that exists where some design principles are present. Like most art an understanding of artistic principles can only enhance the quality of the work.
Artistic ability doesn’t necessarily mean an ability to draw. There are some that have a basic understanding of artistic principles even without training that could accomplish animating something, but someone devoid of these talents couldn’t.