Common questions about the differences between animators and other types of artists asked by our readers:
Animators use computer programs and illustrations to create graphics and animation (images that appear to move). They work with a team of other animators and artists to create a movie, game, or visual effect. Some animators create their work primarily by using computer software or by writing their own computer code. Other artists and animators prefer to work by drawing and painting by hand, and then translating the resulting images into computer programs.
Illustrators create pictures for books, magazines, and other publications and for commercial products, such as textiles, wrapping paper, stationery, greeting cards, and calendars. Illustrators increasingly use computers in their work. They might draw in pen or pencil and then scan the image, using software to add color, or they might use a special pen to draw images directly onto the computer.
Game artists create 2D and 3D art for video games. They design characters, map out backgrounds, create textures, and choose colors to create the look and feel of games. Game artists use computer software and traditional hand sketching to create game art. Animators use computer programs and illustrations to create graphics and animation (images that appear to move). They work with a team of other animators and artists to create a movie, game, or visual effect. Some animators create their work primarily by using computer software or by writing their own computer code. Other artists and animators prefer to work by drawing and painting by hand, and then translating the resulting images into computer programs.
Cartoonists draw advertising, political, social, and sports cartoons. Some cartoonists work with artists who create the idea or story and write captions, and sometimes the cartoonist will write captions themselves. Most cartoonists have critical, comic, or dramatic talents in addition to drawing skills. In the animation industry, cartoonists render drawings of characters, environments, and objects for small and large-scale productions. Additional duties may include developing moods and color patterns, dramatizing action, and create and paint background scenes. Cartoonists may draw characters and scenes manually, on the computer or a combination of the two.
Animators use computer programs and illustrations to create graphics and animation (images that appear to move). They work with a team of other animators and artists to create a movie, game, or visual effect. Some animators create their work primarily by using computer software or by writing their own computer code. Other artists and animators prefer to work by drawing and painting by hand, and then translating the resulting images into computer programs.