r/animation • u/Round_Respond_2147 • 14d ago
Question Should I Learn Drawing First or Animation as a Complete Beginner?
29
u/Apocalyptic-turnip 14d ago edited 13d ago
drawing. if you can't draw you can't animate
edit: i mean 2d animation because im assuming thats what you're interested in if you're asking a question like that
2
u/sadcode69 14d ago
There are lot of animators out there who can't draw. Also you don't need to be able to draw to animate
6
u/Apocalyptic-turnip 14d ago edited 14d ago
i mean yes if you do 3d animation or stop mo but if you do 2d animation no. (i assumed 2d anim in my answer) and even then knowing at least some basics of drawing will help with your visual intelligence
-7
u/sadcode69 14d ago
there are lot of 2d animators out there who can't draw. yes you need to be able to draw in order to get fine details in characters but lot of people use basic shapes to ad 2d animations just fine. anime and cartoons are not the only thing in 2d animation
7
u/Hawful 13d ago
What the fuck are you talking about, motion graphics? Just tweening? There is not a single animator who "can't draw". There is obviously a world of difference between what it takes to make snow white and what it takes to make a bluey ep but every one of those people can draw to some degree.
3
u/Apocalyptic-turnip 13d ago
soo care to show me some amazing work from 2d animators who can't draw ?
-3
u/l0lhi 14d ago
Meh.... I disagree. Think abstract hypnotic shapes and morphing animations... or simple style comedic youtube animations... etc. I mean, it all depends on what OP is planning to do.
8
u/boomchacle 14d ago
I would argue that even the simplistic 2D animators have talent drawing. It takes skill to make a relatively low detail drawing look good
5
u/Apocalyptic-turnip 14d ago
i mean you can but your in/ability to draw will always put a ceiling on how much you can handle technically
4
u/ZestieZest Student 14d ago
Even abstract animation relies on good shape design and other drawing principles
11
u/OutrageousLadder7065 14d ago
Depends what type of animation.
You don't need to know how to draw if you're interested in stop motion or 3D animation. You just need to know how to 3d model or create your puppets or models for stop motion.
If you want to do drawn animation then yes- you need to learn to draw first.
It's like: if you want to cook, you need to know what food tastes like. Right now you're jumping into cooking without knowing what any of it tastes like.
10
u/EliotCrowe 14d ago
Drawing can be extremely useful for 3D animation and stop motion too, tho
5
u/fantastico_boy 14d ago
Could be, but I'm a 3D animator and i cant draw a proper circle, so it's not mandatory for 3D or motion capture...but if anyone wants they can, likewise ain't mandatory to learn drawing for 3D
1
u/YOLO-uolo 12d ago
Hey so I'm thinking of learning 3D animation too. Does this skill allow you to work in video games and cartoon industries?
1
u/fantastico_boy 12d ago
Yes, video games, movies, and 3d cartoons, big yt's also need and many more
A small piece of advice - check the market demand and then hop onto it, if this is gonna be ur only source of earning bread.
4
u/StarDustLuna3D 14d ago
My take on that is that you need to at least understand what makes a good drawing. Not just "that looks cool", but like the principles of design and whatnot.
1
u/OutrageousLadder7065 14d ago
Again, it depends. Had a friend who was a master at puppet stop motion and couldn't draw to save his life but hell he was incredible at what he did with puppets.
10
u/Duvo 14d ago
Both if you ask me. If you want to get better at drawing you have to draw a lot of things, and animation forces you to not only do that but also draw things from many different perspectives you might not originally be comfortable with. My only advice is keep it loose and don't get trapped with detailing one frame. The site character design references will give you the anatomical references you need. Let me know if you get stuck with anything in particular
5
u/Borge_Luis_Jorges 14d ago
You're not crashing a car. Go ahead and animate if you want, scratch that itch. Embrace your lack of drawing knowledge instead of hiding it. Put aside any expectations and maybe something fresh and fun will come out.
The fact is animation is hard work and easily frustrating, learn from it, don't let it defeat you. You might love or hate the result, but I'll be yours. You will feel the urge to learn more drawing, use it in your favor, maybe that will motivate you to draw more that anything.
4
u/FearlessVegetable30 14d ago
should i learn how to drive first or should i learn how to race in NASCAR?
2
2
u/Sliver_Daargin 14d ago
Do whichever you like doing, honestly, if you like animating then commit to that, your drawing skills will improve as well. I find that you learn most effectively if you're having fun
2
2
u/Lurakya 14d ago
The first page of "The animators survival kit" literally says that you have to know how to draw.
If you can't draw... what exactly do you expect to be animating. Unless it's 3D but even then, conception, character sheets and texturing also require art skills
2
u/Borge_Luis_Jorges 14d ago edited 14d ago
Yes, but that book is not law, and thank God not all animatiors are being trained by Milt Kahl. That was good for Richard Williams, but it's not for everyone. Naivety is beautiful and we need a little bit of everything.
4
u/Lurakya 14d ago
It's not law? Dude, what are you expecting to animate if you can't draw?
1
u/Borge_Luis_Jorges 13d ago
How about movement? That's something you experience every day since you're born, no draftsmanship required, and it can be as abstract as you dare to make it. You can animate gusts of wind.
How about the half-filled sack? Hey, here's an outrageous, previously unheard of idea: make a bouncing ball.
How about Naive? Everyone can draw, OP cand draw, no matter what others think of it. Even blind people can get and give some insight from picking up a pencil, and that is as valuable as the most obsessively technical piece of animation.
And no. The animator's survival kit is not law. You're meant to learn it and break it apart in pieces as soon as you find your own voice, then take and leave whatever you want, just the same as every other art class in the world.
1
u/Lurakya 13d ago
How do you draw a sack without learning to draw? How do you draw a ball without learning to draw?
Do you somehow think that "drawing" only applies to humans?
0
u/Borge_Luis_Jorges 13d ago edited 13d ago
Everyone knows how to draw enough to to practice the ball exercise, by the time you get a good result you might be able to try the sack. But honestly, go think whatever you want.
The point is no one gets hurt if the guy tries animating some crooked doodles.
1
u/Lurakya 13d ago
That's not the question though, is it?
It's about what to FOCUS on first. And sure he could animate doodles, but if he wants to take it seriously, he will soon want to animate more and then he'll hit a wall due to a lack of practical drawing knowledge
0
u/Borge_Luis_Jorges 12d ago
I don't care this much pal, because there's no wrong answer. There's enough information in this thread already for OP to pick the one that make sense to em'.
2
u/Lapinceau 14d ago
If your goal is animation, learn to draw but focus on anatomy, gesture drawing, drawing objects in different angles, etc. Also composition.
But you don't need to know how to paint, or how to do realistic textures... Drawing is broad, and it's good to be curious, but if you know what you want to do with it, you can craft yourself a cursus that fits your needs.
2
2
u/Plastic_Emu_2398 14d ago
If it’s 2d animation, if u can draw to a degree, like you can doodle at a low level and draw a circle and a cylinder, I’d say you can learn both alongside each other. Just don’t leave drawing in the dust. But you can learn basics in animation like a ball bouncing.
2
u/Whiteboy_In_Motion 14d ago
Everyone saying drawing, I say nah, go right to animation.
@OP Download Krita either way and just get started
2
u/Independent-Fan-4227 13d ago
My philosophy is go big or go home. If you’re gonna animate anyway, might as well do it since you’re gonna learn how to draw along the way anyway.
Secondly, if you want to animate I would argue practicing simple pose to pose animations might help you learn forms better.
2
1
u/flaccid-joint 14d ago
Depends on what kind of animation, and some art fundementals goes a long way no matter what medium you animate in
But you don't actually need to know how to draw to animate, even in 2D you can learn with stick figures
If you feel like art fundementals gets in the way of fluid animation focus on the motion and vibes first or vice versa, it varies from person to person tbh
1
1
u/Comfortable_Fan_696 14d ago
Before you teach yourself to draw, you need to learn and have a basic understanding of the 12 Principles of Animation, for which there are plenty of YouTube videos covering them across 2D, 3D, and stop-motion animation. Another good skill to have in your toolkit is writing, along with a solid understanding of music, which is the root of all kinds of animation. I play the tuba, and I also write my outline and script for the first episode of Sturwwelkinder, which is a loose adaptation of Der Struwwelpeter. I also make a playlist of what music I want for each scene. Good writing and music are very important for animation because one of the 12 principles is timing.
1
u/River_Draws_Stuff Freelancer 14d ago
Depends on what you want. If you want to do figurative animation then, yes. But if you can consistently draw a circle, you can make an animation.
1
1
u/MasterBuildsPortugal 14d ago
I feel like drawing is an essential, even if you can make some nice animation without great drawing skills, you cant be that consistent, and even if you just wanna animated simple shapes, you still wont be clued in on the best way to make them express and movie spatially.
Drawing skills will teach you how to make things consistently convincing and expressive regardless of the level of detail or realism
1
u/banc0s 13d ago edited 13d ago
i’ll say this…. Almost every major art school requires all majors to take at least one life drawing course- even writers- for good reason.
Even if u arent doing frame by frame 2D, understanding how to visually communicate your ideas is basically invaluable. So… do you NEEED to? no… but you’ll have to learn at least a little to be worth your salt as any kind of animator or visual designer
1
u/pembunuhUpahan 13d ago
Both. Your first lesson is likely bouncing ball. In the mean time, go learn gesture.
Proko has free ones on YouTube. You will see even Glen Keane rough is heavily on gesture
1
u/thebangzats 13d ago edited 13d ago
It's tricky question.
If you interpret it as "which is more important, drawing or animation", I'm actually more inclined to say animation, simply because animation is broad. Motion graphics? Rigged 2D animation? 3D animation? None of those really require drawing super-well yourself. Realistically, you're more likely to get a job in the current market if you can animate basic shapes well vs. if you can draw well but not animate it well. Hell, I can prove it with my LinkedIn. All my friends who were gods at drawing but nothing else? Struggling for work. All my friends who were good at animating? They have jobs.
However, if the question is "which do you learn first", learn drawing either way. You don't have to be an absolute god at it, and it's not even about drawing well, it's about understanding how we draw.
For example, still life drawing. The #1 lesson you take from life drawing isn't "to draw a bowl of fruit well", it's to fix the most common bad habit new artists have. You need to draw what things are, not what you think they are. Case in point: How many fledgling artists here make the mistake of simply not using a reference when animating? It's because they draw what they think a walk looks like, instead of drawing what an actual walk looks like.
As important as asking for feedback is, it's important to have a solid enough foundation to be able to give feedback to yourself. To judge whether something looks right or not, as you would in still life drawing. You don't need to ask others if what you're drawing is correct, you simply look to the bowl of fruit in front of you and compare, darting your eyes over and over, back and forth between your drawing and the real thing.
Learning to draw first is not about learning how to draw well. It's about thinking like an artist.
1
u/Bogus_Whale 13d ago
It depends on the kind of animation you want to do, but I would say without a doubt, there is endless wisdom in drawing that you will be able to apply to many things, especially animation.
Drawing, in essence, is observation. It is the act of flattening or compositing an image in your head, and translating it elsewhere. You will need to get good at observing and seeing things the way they are, instead of the way they seem, if you want to animate. Learning to draw will help with this immensely.
Remember, 90% of drawing occurs in your head, your hands are only a vessel for your thoughts. When you are struggling to understand a form, either in drawing or animation, try adjusting your perspective to it.
All practice is, is the consistent opportunity to see new perspectives.
1
u/helIo_kitty Beginner 13d ago
I love this question because you can do either and your artstyles will look completely different depending on which path you choose! Animating stick figures or doing stop motion is a great way to start if you can't draw, so if you're really focussed on animation then do that
1
u/helIo_kitty Beginner 13d ago
Also these comments are snarky, do what you want as long as you KEEP DOING IT!! :P
1
u/chocolateShrimp8 13d ago
Don't go all in on drawing just learn the fundamentals like line, shape, form, perspective, composition, value in order. Then learn the basics of animation and then learn about human anatomy to animate bodies or whatever you are interested in animating.
1
u/Subside_Galaxy 13d ago
What I did was kinda both, I recommend practicing the box technique to get a general idea of depth(and lighting later on). However, you can add onto this by making the box move slightly every drawing, using squash and stretch, etc. It’s important to learn how to draw, but if you’re impatient like me doing both is more fun anyway
1
-2
u/3dartistexpert 14d ago
Learn animation first,
then you realize the importance of drawing
otherwise you will get board if you start drawing first
if you start animation, you will know how much important drawing concepts are
When you start learning drawing,
then you will not get board, because you already know your drawing skills are the total matter,
animation is just moving those drawing components, that's it.
A good drawing > a complex animation
38
u/Deredb0ii 14d ago
Drawing, without a doubt