3D animator to cartoonist
A 3D animator already meets 19% of what the cartoonist role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.9/ 100
1 How much of what a cartoonist is expected to do is already part of a 3D animator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cartoonist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cartoonist role treats 4 of its required skills as things a 3D animator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create animated narratives
- develop creative ideas
- maintain an artistic portfolio
- select illustration styles
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 4 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cartoonist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a 3D animator background worth leading with.
- already held create animated narratives communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held select illustration styles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain an artistic portfolio communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop creative ideas communication, collaboration and creativity
All 4 carried skills, including the 4 the cartoonist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adapt to type of media required
- still to learn create sketches required
- still to learn interpret illustration needs required
- still to learn practice humour required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- still to learn follow a brief required
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn analyse texts to be illustrated required
- still to learn follow the news required
- still to learn study media sources required
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cartoonist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to type of media practise this
- 02 analyse texts to be illustrated practise this
- 03 create sketches practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 4 skills that carry over
- already held create animated narratives skill
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held maintain an artistic portfolio skill
- already held select illustration styles skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
20 held skills the cartoonist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D lighting knowledge
- not needed by the target role 3D texturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role animate 3D organic forms skill
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role create 3D characters skill
- not needed by the target role create 3D environments skill
- not needed by the target role create storyboards skill
- not needed by the target role discuss artwork skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role holography knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
- not needed by the target role particle animation knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of animation knowledge
- not needed by the target role receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples skill
- not needed by the target role render 3D images skill
- not needed by the target role rig 3D characters skill
- not needed by the target role use scripting programming skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
Other moves recorded from 3D animator
Common questions about this move
Can a 3D animator become a cartoonist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A 3D animator already covers 19% of what a cartoonist is expected to do: 4 skills carry over, 4 of which the cartoonist role treats as required.
What skills does a 3D animator need to become a cartoonist?
13 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt to type of media.
How hard is the move from 3D animator to cartoonist?
Its learning distance is 76.9 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.