So you want to be an Animator or make 3D Games...

High  school students who want to be animators

Animators, whether 2D or 3D need strong drawing skills.  If they are really serious about a career in the Animation Industry and not just interested because they like Anime or enjoy playing video games, then they need to really get serious about developing realistic (by Western standards) drawing skills including learning a lot about human anatomy.  Copying the work  (drawings) of highly skilled artists to learn as much as possible; not only the anatomy but the nuance of line quality and shading technique is by far the quickest way to begin to develop personal skills.

If a person has gotten good at fantasy drawing or Anime they have probably done a lot of copying to internalize the various stylistic elements common to each of these areas, and this is a good thing.  The only problem I have noticed at the post secondary level is that some individuals who have developed these skills want to continue to utilize only what they have already learned rather than ADDING TO their knowledge and skill set. 

Imaginative Range (all the ideas, images, memories, experiences) that an individual possess can only come as he or she experiences the world.  And this takes time.  But, High school students can jump start the process (especially in the visual realm) by drawing and copying things that are outside their comfort zone.  That is, not just being satisfied to copy and draw their favorite characters and in their favorite genres, but branching out and learning about new, unfamiliar things.  Everything new and previously unexplored that we delve into will expand our imaginative range and increase our basis for creative output.

So, My advice for those who seriously want to be animators is to work on their realistic drawing skills, move on from already established competencies, and explore ideas outside their favorites or comfort zone.

Carl Jackson, Instructor, Seattle Art Institute