Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum, and a lifelong lover of animation. I'm currently about to enter university in the UK as a mature student to study animation and was hoping I could ask some advice here. I did a search for similar topics but couldn't find one quite answering my specific question. So hopefully this isn't too much of a repeat topic!
I've basically got a choice between doing an undergraduate degree in Illustration with Animation, which encompasses both 2D and 3D animation, as well as traditional and digital illustration, or a degree specialising in 2D Animation and Character Design.
I've seen a few posts on other forums asking whether it's best to study 2D or 3D animation, most with very mixed responses. I suppose my question is partly about which is better to study, but I'm mostly trying to decide whether it's better to focus on one area or take the opportunity to learn both.
My personal preference is definitely 2D animation, which has inspired and influenced me throughout my life. I am so passionate about it, and have just come off a whole other trajectory of studying an entirely non-arts related subject, due to realising I need to follow this passion. However, I think I would also like to learn 3D modelling and animation, and was thinking it would be useful to know how to do that in terms of getting a job, as 3D animation is so popular, or even applying it to things like video game character design etc.
The other thing is that I am also working on a graphic novel, which I could produce for a module on the course if I did Illustration with Animation. I just keep thinking that maybe it's a bad idea to spread myself too thin over too many areas, that I should choose one area to focus on to ensure my talents progress to their full potential in that area so that I will be more employable in the end.
I don't know much about the industry itself, I am just now beginning to research that side of things. Before now the idea of actually making my drawings come to life was a complete fantasy, a dream since childhood that I thought I would never be able to achieve.. let alone the possibility of actually becoming a professional animator. I also read that it can be a hard industry to break into, but at this point I just want to follow what I have always wanted to do but told myself I never could.
People seem to say follow your passion, which would lead me towards the 2D course, and while I definitely would like to play a hand at keeping 2D animation alive (curse the words '2D is dead'!) I'm also aware of the practical aspects of doing the course not just for enjoyment but also in order to become employable in a fast-changing industry.
Any thoughts or advice would be vastly appreciated, and I hope you will excuse the noobishness of this post. I hope to become an active member here over the next few years, and share my creations with all of you!
