Discover how a mentor might help to accelerate your character animation progress.
I’m excited to start offering a limited number of one-on-one mentorships for those who are serious about progressing their animation by working directly with me.
I’ve often argued in the past that, depending on your style of learning, it’s possible to gain all the knowledge you need to start a career in animation without having a mentor.
But, whilst mentors may not be essential, I do believe they can be incredibly beneficial.
Having a mentor to guide your animation training works in much the same way as having a personal trainer to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Whilst you can certainly get fit through regular exercise, a personal trainer can motivate you, give you focus, and help improve your technique.
When I first started animating in a studio, the quality of my work increased dramatically.
A key aspect of this was feedback.
Receiving feedback on your animation is always helpful, regardless of your skill level. As a professional, you’ll receive this constantly and it aids rapid progression.
As I’ve said before, criticism is something you should actively seek out, and a mentor can be an ideal way to receive professional feedback if you are not already working in a studio.
Another way that I progressed was through learning professional workflows. It can often be hard to find information on how professional animators really work. This is something which mentors are able to share, saving you from figuring it out the hard way.
The other key benefit of a mentor is they’re likely to have insights on how to tailor your work when applying to studios. Learning from the experience of others, or gaining inside information, can be invaluable when searching for employment.
There are a number of excellent mentored online animation schools but, aside from being expensive, there are two potential downsides to be aware of.
First of all, they follow a set curriculum.
This can actually be great for beginners who want to be guided from the basics through to more advanced animation, but it doesn’t offer an experience tailored to your individual needs or goals.
Secondly, your time with a mentor is shared with the rest of your class.
Whilst you can benefit by hearing the feedback given to others, the time dedicated to your work or questions is far lower.
The obvious alternative to group based mentorships is a one-on-one option.
These can be harder to find, and may be expensive, but they offer the potential for a fully tailored experience.
This provides the option to learn the basics yourself and then seek a mentor to help push your work to the next level. Taking this approach can actually save you a significant amount of money over a mentored class, whilst still gaining many of the same benefits.
Whether you’re struggling to understand certain concepts, or you need specific assistance with something more advanced, a one-on-one animation mentorship means your time will not be shared with others and you can get the exact help you need, when you need it.
Over the years, I’ve personally mentored many students and professionals but, when I started Into Animation, I intentionally prioritised creating affordable, self paced, courses rather than offering mentoring.
I wanted to offer an alternative to the many expensive animation schools, providing something that might appeal to those seeking a career in animation, but also those hoping to create higher quality animation for personal projects.
Whilst that focus isn’t changing, and I plan to continue creating new courses, I also feel the time is right to start offering mentorships for those who are looking to push their animation further.
Whether you’re struggling with certain principles, trying to build a showreel, or you’re working on a personal short film, the Into Animation Mentorships will be 100% tailored to your needs.
Mentorships will typically take place in four week blocks with a 1 hour session each week, although, as with everything, this can be adjusted to specific requirements.
The duration is intended to be long enough to provide several rounds of feedback and really help you to finesse your work, with time in each session to discuss work in progress, answer questions and agree on the next steps.
Whilst a mentorship is obviously more expensive than my animation courses, I still feel that the pricing is very competitive when compared to other one-on-one mentorship options.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you can find the full details over on the Mentorship page.
Whilst an animation mentor may not be essential, they can accelerate your learning, provide professional knowledge, and ultimately help you to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.
