Cartoonist to special effects artist
A cartoonist already meets 39% of what the special effects artist role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.9/ 100
1 How much of what a special effects artist is expected to do is already part of a cartoonist’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 special effects artist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A special effects artist role treats 9 of its required skills as things a cartoonist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT software specifications
- adapt to type of media
- design graphics
- finish project within budget
- follow a brief
- follow work schedule
What stands in the way is 9 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A special effects artist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cartoonist background worth leading with.
- already held study media sources information skills
- already held design graphics communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held finish project within budget management skills
- already held adapt to type of media communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held graphic design arts and humanities
All 10 carried skills, including the 9 the special effects artist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 5 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 analyse a script required
- still to learn create moving images required
- still to learn develop animations required
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held convert into animated object optional
- optional, not held operate 3D computer graphics software optional
- optional, not held manage feedback optional
- optional, not held manage portfolio optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- still to learn digital arts required
- still to learn digital compositing required
- still to learn motion graphics required
- optional, not held 3D lighting optional
- optional, not held motion capture optional
- still to learn computer equipment required
- still to learn computer graphics required
- optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
- optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
- optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
- optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
- optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
- optional, not held Synfig optional
- optional, not held graphics editor software optional
- still to learn provide multimedia content required
- optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a special effects artist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held design graphics skill
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held study media sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held 3D lighting optional
- optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
- optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
- optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
- optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
- optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
- optional, not held Synfig optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held convert into animated object optional
- optional, not held graphics editor software optional
- optional, not held motion capture optional
- optional, not held operate 3D computer graphics software optional
- optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
- optional, not held manage feedback optional
- optional, not held manage portfolio optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
19 held skills the special effects artist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse texts to be illustrated skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role create 2D painting skill
- not needed by the target role create animated narratives skill
- not needed by the target role create original drawings skill
- not needed by the target role create sketches skill
- not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role follow the news skill
- not needed by the target role interpret illustration needs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain an artistic portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role practice humour skill
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role write captions skill
14 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 digital arts required
- still to learn computer equipment required
- still to learn computer graphics required
- still to learn digital compositing required
- still to learn motion graphics required
- optional, not held 3D lighting optional
- optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
- optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
- optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
- optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
- optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
- optional, not held Synfig optional
- optional, not held graphics editor software optional
- optional, not held motion capture optional
Common questions about this move
Can a cartoonist become a special effects artist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A cartoonist already covers 39% of what a special effects artist is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 9 of which the special effects artist role treats as required.
What skills does a cartoonist need to become a special effects artist?
9 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is digital arts.
How hard is the move from cartoonist to special effects artist?
Its learning distance is 63.9 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.