Do i need prior knowledge in animation to take it in university?

Hi! I am currently a 16 year old A level student and i go to university next summer and i really want to do something art related.
I have always wanted to do animation but have no prior knowledge so i am open to other courses but am wondering if i could still do an animation course without any knowledge.

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

No, they don't assume any specific animation background.

It's worth looking into FAD courses (art foundation courses) as some have opportunities to do soke animation work which may give you sone more exposure beforehand. These are commonly taken by students to develop their portfolios more and have a year of just doing art and design based work rather than potentially mixed in with non art subjects at A-level.

Reply 2

moid

I would strongly recommend learning animation before applying to any of the decent animation courses in the UK because it would be highly unlikely that you'd get in with out that work in your portfolio - I know I don't let in applicants to one of my degrees (the 2D Animation one) without evidence of good animation in their portfolio. If you're not applying to a good animation course then you'll be fine without that skill.

You should try animation before applying to university to make sure you actually like it. Lots of people like watching animation, they like drawing a character... but until you've animated one, and gone through the entire process of linework, fill, backgrounds, editing, sound etc and realised that a minute of animation has 750 -1500 drawings in it (per character!) only at that point will you know that you like it (if you get through that and are still smiling and having fun then yes you should totally apply; you obviously want to be an animator and your fate is sealed). I would advise learning if you like animating before you spend a lot of money discovering that animation is really hard and you don't like it! Universities won't give you a refund... and you can find out if you like animation at home for free before spending a lot of money - there is free 2D animation software like Krita or even the 2D part of Blender (Grease Pencil) that you can use to find out if you like the subject! Get a copy of Richard Williams' The Animator's Survival Kit and start practicing!

By the way if you are thinking of studying 3D Animation or VFX or 3D Games Art then you won't necessarily need 3D Animation in your portfolio (although it's great if you do have it), having examples of 3D models you've made would be fine if you're not an animator - but do check with individual universities; some may have odd requirements.

Oh yes and no matter which type of animation degree you apply to, please practice drawing!

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 3

Kingston Reps

Official Rep

Original post by username6225183

Hi there!

I am a student at Kingston University London and would really recommend our Kingston School of Art if you are looking for an Illustration animation course or one of our other creative based courses. I really enjoy this university and it has got fantastic facilities and lecturers specifically catered for the arts.

Here is a link of a list of all the undergraduate degrees we offer to study and more information on these courses:
https://www.kingston.ac.uk/courses/find-a-course/undergraduate/faculty-listings/1-kingston-school-of-art/

This is a link to our information about the art foundation course:
https://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/art-design-media-practice-foundation-diploma/

If you were interested in Kingston University then I would recommend either heading over to our forum on The Student Room for more information on everything or replying to this message for more information so we can help you 🙂 I hope this helps!

-Yasmin (Kingston Rep)