Career I love #2 - Animator

An animator, as we all know, is an artist who creates multiple images that give an

illusion of movement when displayed in rapid sequence.

Salary - The median expected salary for a typical animator in the United States as of right now is $46,825. But it really all depends on who you’re working for. Disney animators make twice as much, for example, topping at around $160,000. 

Education - Aside from talent, an animator's skills can be improved vastly by college and university training, such as the Bachelor of Arts degree in Animation, which provides academic and hands-on learning experiences. Associate degrees and certificates in animation also are available from professional schools (2 or 3 years in duration). But it really comes down to how good you are at it. The more credibility you have, the more likely you are to get a better job offer. 

Variations on the job - Animators can work in a variety of fields including film (which I like the most), television, video games, and the all mighty internet. Some artists contribute to animated cartoons, but they technically aren’t animators. They include layout artists, storyboard artists, and background artists. Still very important, but not quite at the tip top.

Expenses - Besides paying for school, there really aren’t a whole lot of personal expenses. Your employer will have everything necessary for you to complete your work. 

I’m not a fan of all types of animation, unfortunately. Newer TV shows that my little sister watches such as “Adventure Time” and “Regular Show”... well, they’re just not my cup of tea. I’m a big fan of claymation though, and it’s practically the best thing ever. Tim Burton & Henry Selick films, for example. I am a huge gigantic monstrous fan of them. Not all of them are directly set on claymation, but even the ones with human actors have some form of claymation in them. Some favorites of mine include: 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Corpse Bride

And lastly, James and the Giant Peach

(Which is one of my favorite movies of all time)

Modern Day Magic - The Work of Alexander Wells

Contemporary art, huzzah!

Alexander Wells is a 29 year old illustrator trying to make a living in the sea side town of Brighton, England. Apparently he's also a model, but we won't get into that.

Alexander attended the University of Westminster in London, and uses both traditional and digital mediums in creating images, which allows him to tackle a diverse range of briefs. 

His work seems to express the concept of imagination, and some of his work illustrates modern twists on well-known fairy tales.

Aren't they wonderful?

I think so too.

I'm really quite fond of the way Wells seems to block out reality in order to express a more imaginative side. He tends to stick to darker colors, hues, and values, but I think that works because it shows how boring reality actually is. His lines are always very smooth and they flow freely because there's almost always something "moving" in his art, such as the wind blowing a grassy meadow, or the waves in an ocean. The proportions seem to be odd in his work, but it fits perfectly. The biggest and most prominent parts of his work are often the things that he is trying to distort in some way, shape, or form. The second to last image, for example. A ship in the bottle is obviously not that large, but it makes you think about the inner workings of the mind & how people perceive things. There is most definitely contrast in his work, not only in color, but also in images. Take a look at the second piece. Black and white contrast, of course, but the actual piece as a whole does as well. Something incredibly small, joyful, and "safe" is flying around space, of of the most terrifying and unknown places known to man. You don't see that everyday.

Overall, I think Alexander Wells is a very promising artist. I can say without a doubt that I have fallen in love with his work, ideas, & style of art, and I look forward to more of him in the future. 

(Also, there's actually a blog right here dedicated to Wells and his work. Go look at it now.)
http://wellsillustration.blogspot.com/