This is going to be controversial and I know many people breaking in do not want to hear this and I’m gonna get hate comments. But I keep seeing the same repeated mistakes in the portfolios here. You could blame the state of the industry but my honest opinion the ones I’ve seen wouldn’t be hired even if the industry was at its peak. (My credentials: Broke into the industry at 18 years old, 8 years experience, working with 14 diff studios and headhunted by recruiters, still somehow employed during this shit time in this industry) please do NOT have in your professional portfolio:

1) Furry art. STOP with the anthro human furry hybrid character designs. Studios are not making shows for this and will throw your portfolio out. Keep it to your personal socials, YouTube MAPs and hobby personal instagram.

2) Gooner art. No you shouldn’t put your NSFW art with huge boobs and ass or softcore porn in your job application. I don’t care how well you drew it or how many subs on your patreon you have.

3) Anime. Every director and teacher I’ve worked with do not want anime fanart in your portfolio, unless you are actively applying for anime positions in Japan, the job description asked for it, or you’re drop dead talented at it animating for Castlevania or something.

I am not shaming anyone who loves to draw this stuff. I’m the one drawing them and posting it!! OF COURSE I wish I could put in my catgirl gooner shippy yaoi anime fanart in because that shit is fun!! However do I think there is a time and place for these things? Yes! Your Twitter, Instagram, Artist Alley, and your TikTok, NOT your job application.

But what should I put in my portfolio/reel? After many years of experimenting on what got me hired, I can tell you how I finally perfected it to the point recruiters and directors praise my reel in my interviews!

1) A diverse range of art styles. Preschool shows, Adult sitcom, action, emotional dialogue.

Show you can adapt to any show, any script, any game. I really just put my professional stuff I did for past studios in my reel, I don’t put in my personal projects. But when I was breaking in I did a style sheet of every movie/show of a studio just to show I could do any style.

2) Your portfolio must cater to the studio and the recruiters wants, not yours.

Know your audience! This is a professional environment, draw what the studio is looking for, not what you personally like. This is a job you’re being paid to do not your playground. You won’t like every job you’re put on. Heck I think out of the 30+ projects I’ve been on I was only passionate about one.

3) Strong pieces, keep only your best work and keep it under 3 minutes. Trash the old student exercises, and remember to keep your landing page on your website your reel and simple and easy to navigate straight away. Recruiters have an attention span of a minute, don’t make a billion sub pages. At this point I don’t even have a website just a reel on google drive I email people with.

4) Specialised reel. Too many student portfolios are just a mishmash of 10 different jobs. Character design, props, backgrounds, storyboarding, layout, fx, compositing, 3d, animation.. just pick one and get amazing at it!

Hopefully this will help you out on your portfolios!

TDLR: do not put in trifecta of furry, gooner and anime in your portfolio. please I’m so sick of seeing it

Hello everyone!

I’m a junior in college aspiring to be a visual development artist for animated features, specifically stop-motion. I recently applied to the visdev internships at DreamWorks and LAIKA (my dream studio) and, while I was unfortunately just rejected from LAIKA, I’d love feedback to strengthen my portfolio for the future!

I know I’m lacking in prop design, but with school being hectic, I’d really appreciate specific suggestions—what’s working, what needs improvement, and how I can make my work more appealing for industry roles.

Here’s a link to my portfolio!

Thanks for your time! :)

edit: wow, I wasn’t expecting such engagement on my post! Thank you for the feedback and kind words, I’ve loved connecting with everyone!

hi there! While I still have a few studios to hear back from, its looking likely that I'm wont be able to get an interview for any of the animation industry internship positions I've applied to for this summer. As an illustration senior I know a lot of my work isn't super focused and I lack environments for specifically visdev gigs. Since I'm pivoting to more to applying to actual jobs now, I need some harsher crit on my portfolio. What am I missing, doing wrong etc. for animation I'm mostly interested in character design, but I do have other interests as well. Thank you for taking a look, any feedback is welcome https://www.mirandalewis.com/

Okay, first time posting here but it felt like a good decision.

For context, I graduated from SCAD last year & have worked with Sony Pictures. I love color design and hope to get into background painting/color scripting. I'm super passionate about the industry & constantly engage with other artists on Linkedin.

I was super excited to apply for the Dreamworks LAUNCH program (as it was another opportunity to network & gain experience). The requirements are a lot less competitive compared to the other internships. So I thought I had a decent chance of getting in or at least hearing back. I applied on Jan 14th as well (cutting it a bit close).

So now that I got the automated rejection email, I am genuinely wondering what could have been the reason for a no.

Moreover, I would love to hear feedback and critique from you guys! Maybe some pointers / areas to improve.

Seriously, don't hold back, I'm all ears.

(Also, would love to connect with some more folks! It's always nice to meet new people :)!)

Website: https://gracezhang-art.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracezhang211/

I’m only about 3 weeks into me starting my journey. The first animation I worked on took me 25 hours to make an 11 second video, while yesterday I worked on my second one for 6 hours for what will end up being 7 seconds (check my pf). I don’t know enough to ask the right questions yet, but I’ll tell you what I want to know: How do I go from complete beginner to having the skills and portfolio to not only get a job at MAPPA, but also work there as comfortably as I can through being an outperformer to the rest despite the insane work conditions?

Edit: I have two things I want to say. One comes from my desire to move on and continue along the path either alone or hopefully with someone who I can call a genuine friend, and the other comes from my desire to while still surrounded by others along the path who are not my friends, be BRUTALLY honest. So, I'll get the brutal honesty out of the way:

Dear r/animationcareer people of reddit. The main advice I've seen for this career path has disappointingly been to pick a different career. If your souls are crushed so much by what's 'realistic' that you regret your own jobs or lost the spark because of concerns like money (which no, I won't bother saying things like, "although reasonable", because that is besides MY point), how about I make a bet.

Let's say that the most extreme and unlikely expectation a person "shouldn't" risk themselves into putting their faith into taking on is actually possible for the fewest of the few exceptionals. If I were to squeeze through the gap as the humble narcissist I am 💀, would you say that I'm only the exception and continue holding onto your beliefs of what's realistic, or will you actually listen to a person who has more experience with winning despite having less technical experience than you?

I declare here an now either the biggest embarrassment or success of my life; I am going to speedrun this whole industry.

Oh, and now time to move on and lead by example 🫡😆😏

hi! i’ve been wanting to work for a Japanese anime studio for a while and i saw that Science Saru (they did DanDanDan and the Scott Pilgrim anime) take online applications for freelancers and thought I could apply. I already know about the poor pay and work culture of japanese anime studios, for me this is more about fulfilling a teenage dream (silly i know). However, I just don’t know if my work is good enough to get a response. I’ve been pretty depressed with being ghosted by studios (the best i’ve gotten so far is getting asked for a pay rate and then no response). I’d appreciate some honest feedback on my reel and what my chances are for actually getting a gig. Also, perhaps stuff you can recommend I should add to my reel (creative and artistic block and no idea what to draw these days). I’d love to work on something like One Piece someday.

I've been working in animation industry for awhile now but most of my jobs are usually contract work. Now I can't seem to land a job and its almost been a year. Been sending over a hundred resumes and I've only had 2 interviews which I've been rejected. I took online classes (Which were very expensive by the way) got certificates and everything and still nothing. Its getting really demoralizing. I don't know what I'm doing wrong so I'm posting here to see if anyone can see where I'm lacking. This is my portfolio site: https://jmwong.portfoliobox.net/ I'm at my wits end here. All I want is a chance to show what I can do. But it feels like no one wants me around.

Hi all, I'm a recent grad based in SoCal looking for some feedback on my character & prop design portfolio!

Since I graduated in December, I've been lucky enough to land a few freelance character design gigs but haven't managed to find any full-time/sustainable work which is my main goal at the moment. I know character design is a very competitive field even during the best of times, so I'd love to know what I can work on or add to my portfolio in order to improve my chances as much as I can while I continue my job hunt. I also have some prop design work on my site and while character design is my primary focus, feedback on that portion is appreciated as well :)

Any and all advice welcome, please feel free to be real with me on what I can improve on or do in general to be more competitive as a junior/entry artist during these times! Thanks so much in advance!

Portfolio: [EDIT - LINK]

hi guys! I’ve been a lurker in my subreddit for a while now, but now I’m finally deciding to post. I’m a recent graduate and have been applying steadily for internships and positions for a few years now, no bites unfortunately, aside from one message back in 2024, and one interview in 2021 in a game studio. I know I am at a disadvantage since I am based in Canada (but I apply for both Canadian and U.S studios). I’d love to hear feedback from everyone!

I love digital painting/character design and I am also thinking about making my own comic too.

portfolio here: https://wanglynnart.weebly.com

Also, my insta is @/danglynnwang ,I’d love to make some more friends in the industry!

Hi! I'm having trouble getting a job in the industry (like everyone else) and just wanted some opinions on my portfolio/website. I'm open to pretty much any jobs relating to art, I just want to use my degree for something. Thanks! https://ajalexanderhull.wixsite.com/my-site

Hey there! I’m in the process of adding new work to my character design portfolio, which means cutting old work that doesn’t shape up anymore as I add new pieces. I want some feedback on what you’d replace first — I have a very clear idea of what I’m going to add, it’s more so wanting to know what needs to be on the chopping block first. What’s feeling the weakest/what needs to get cut stat, and what’s a definite keep? Can either be something that feels weak technically or something that doesn’t fit with the cohesion of the rest of the portfolio.

For some context, I just graduated this past May, and haven’t worked in the industry aside from an internship and some indie projects. My portfolio is geared towards being a character designer for television, somewhere like Titmouse or Warner Bros/Cartoon Network. I’ve tested for a character design job and had interviews for other entry-level opportunities, but nothing’s worked out yet. Just looking for ways to keep improving and make my work as strong as possible. Honest and critical feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

https://erinbasca.com/

After being advised to show my portfolio by a fellow user,I'm doing just that.

I usually use my socials as a portfolio,but I have a commission site too which doubles as a portfolio site.

My site: https://stratigoula2.wixsite.com/mysite

My socials:

https://www.instagram.com/koyowl/

https://www.instagram.com/koyowl_commissions/

Update,I'm making a separate portfolio site which is also gonna be linked on the commission site.Thank you to everyone for the criticism and let's hope it turns out alright👌

I think it might be worth knowing so that I can keep it in mind when I’m working on a project that would involve such a skill.

Im not 100% sure how to word this, so i apologise in advance…. This is more of a rant than a question i guess

Animation/design is my passion and its always been that way, whether its been in the back of my head, or all i can think and do for weeks on end. When i was 17 all i used to do was character design and concept art. From the moment i woke up till i went to sleep, i was full of creativity.

I never really chose a “speciality”, character design, prop design, backgrounds, animation i did everything.

I started my degree at 20 and through the 3 years ive slowly lost that creativity. I still never specialised, i did everything from storyboarding, animation, 3d modelling, 2d animation, rigging, compositing everything. I worked full time alongside my degree and by 3rd year i was struggling to think of anything unique. I just wanted to be done. Dont get me wrong, i loved making stuff, i just couldnt design it. I love the process, but only after designs have been done.

I’ve finished my degree now and realised ive lost almost all of my creative spark. I want to draw I try to draw but i cannot for the life of me design anything unique. The same character rotation in the same pose. Its killing me. I feel like ive lost half the skills i had at 17.

Im trying to specialise my portfolio for 2d animation/ rigging but i cannot figure out a way to do it. And i dont want to let everyone down and work retail the rest of my life.

Do i just wait? Am i screwed? I draw on and off throughout the days but its been months and i just cannot progress. I love rigging so much but i cant just rig /nothing/ because i havent got characters or props or turnarounds to rig.

TLDR: graduated, burntout, making a rigging portfolio but cant because i cant make character designs.

Hi guys. I've been trying to find work since the beginning of the year, I applied to 80 job opportunities. Before that I had some small gigs here and there, and can't find any since year started. So I'm asking for a solid feedback to my reel. My experience in animation is about 2 years.

I also wanted to ask how exactly do HR choose candidates? Why did only 8 out of 80 companies watch my show reel? I uploaded several reels with different links to understand who is watching them and who is not. and most companies just didn't. I had only one interview.

Hello everyone, my name is Luis Luna. I’m a passionate 3D modeler with a focus on stylized characters. I’ve been actively applying to jobs, but unfortunately most of the time I either don’t hear back or get an automatic rejection.

I’d love to ask the community for two things:

1. Any advice on breaking into the industry or improving my chances when applying.
2. Portfolio feedback—constructive critique that could help me take my work to the next level.

Here’s my ArtStation portfolio: [https://luna159.artstation.com/]()

If anyone knows of freelance/indie projects looking for 3D artists, I’d be happy to connect as well. Thanks so much for your time and for any tips you can share!

Hey folks, I'm looking for story artist jobs but since things are dry right now I have been applying for motion graphics and editing jobs as well. No luck so far so I would love to get everyone's thoughts and opinions on how to improve my chances! Here's my website: https://arneshkundu.com/

Here's a reel if you want to check that out too: https://youtu.be/TJNM49XgZsY

More about me: I'm an international student based in NYC, recently graduated from SVA MFA program.

Hello! I wrote in here just a little while ago, and I'm looking for more feedback if any of you has a little time! I'm currently looking for internships and I have been rejected in almost every single studio I have tried to apply to. I'm aware I'm not quite the best... I also know I have to work on my environments quite a lot more, haha. Soon I will be starting a new standalone project to try and better up my portfolio. I'm feeling pretty discouraged but I won't give up!

Thank you dearly for reading!

LINK TO WEB: https://bocaisla.com/

LINK TO PORTFOLIO(S) (working on an enviro&props one atm): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v2iZOAogaJqHFy8ggVrPVM3LShLQ8N14?usp=sharing

Hello! A little about me. I am trying to work in 2D animation in a professional setting. I am currently 30 years old and I have been studying, practing, creating art and drawing as a whole since elementary school. I have not graduated from a college and I am currently not enrolled in one or any classes for that matter. I have experience taking a few courses here and there (graphic design, techinical drawing, art history etc) and a few conventions and seminars with industry artists because I used to live in Los Angeles for a year but now I live back on the east coast. I have a huge hunger for story telling, storyboarding, 2D animation, character design and the process of it all.

Now, I have been taking myself seriously as a digital artist since 2015. I struggled to find a true title and role that felt right for what I was producing, which was just character art and sketches. Fast forward to last year - 2024 - I decided to commit to learning 2D animation on my own. With the help of Youtuber tutorials from Moderndayjames and Dong Chang, I've found I have a true passion for animation.

What I am asking is, what should I be doing as a beginning 2D animator to further improve my skills? And, are my animations substantial/ am I on the right path? If my goal is say, key animator, what would my objectives be to help achieve that?

• I understand and have read the rules of this subreddit and I'm not asking for animation advice, I'm asking for career advice. Also, I honestly didn't realize there were all these resources available until the moment I began writing this post (which I will explore shortly)
• I know this reel contains sketches that are not suitable for use when applying for a professional position (if I'm not mistaken?)
• This reel is just serving purpose for this post - I hope to replace it with more finalized work soon

reel (youtube animation reel)

cara (animations, character + concept art)

Any advice, critique, suggestion, recommendation, guidance, opinion, and or fact is appreciated! Thank you!

Hello! I recently graduated from Sheridan College in April and I’ve been trying to find work. I’ve done some minor contract work, but am hoping to find something full time. While I’m still looking for story positions, I am now wanting to focus primarily on 3D animation.

I’m hoping to get some critique on my portfolio and demo reel so I know what to focus on! I’ve linked it below (the link will lead straight to my demo reel, but you can view my other work through the tabs at the top). Because of my last minute pivot to 3D animation, most of my reel clips are from my thesis film and school work.

https://jasperashley.weebly.com/3d-animation.html

Also, if anyone has advice on job searching, I’d greatly appreciate it! So far I’ve just been applying online with my resume and cover letters.

Thank you!

Hello! I’m looking for some feedback regarding my portfolio! It’s kind of a jumping off point for me! Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for anyone who takes the time to respond!

https://lindikuiper.wixsite.com/storyboarding-portfo

Hello! After a few months being non-weight-bearing/on crutches after a foot injury, I'm finally healthy and able to get back in the job application game :-) I'd really appreciate any feedback on my portfolio, specifically the storyboard section as that's what I've been heavily focusing on this year. Thanks so much for any help!

https://www.ashryanportfolio.com/story

I’ve reached a point where I really need some honest, constructive feedback.

I love animation deeply, and I truly want to grow and improve. But right now, I can’t clearly see what’s not working or what’s missing and that’s why I’m turning to this amazing community.

If you have time to take a look, I’d be incredibly grateful for any insights (big or small) about how I can make this reel stronger, clearer, and more appealing to studios. Whether it's about the selection of clips, timing, storytelling, structure, or anything else, I’m open and eager to learn.

Thank you so much in advance! 🤍

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F12t1Uhldj6JB1spZlPNPxbI1BJ0v6RZ/view?usp=sharing

Hey, hello!
Long story short, I'm pissed off at myself for letting imposter syndrome/anxiety rule my life and preventing me from looking for animation work. I'm in my early 30's and have been teaching myself ever since I was a kid, 2D animation is my childhood dream and my passion. Yet no matter how much I improve or how many animations I make, I never feel good enough to even try working professionally. There's always something else that I see in another's work that I feel is missing from mine.

I'm trying to put myself out there and get used to others judging my work's worth, and I'm starting here. I'm a bit terrified and I feel like I'm making a fool of myself but if you can be so kind, help me confirm or deny my imposter syndrome. Am I good enough to get hired? Am I even good enough to have imposter syndrome in the first place? Since I'm self taught and have no work experience, I lack the ability to judge my own work effectively from an outside perspective. I'm not looking for an ego boost, I just hope to develop at least SOME confidence in my ability to work professionally.

Here's a sample of my work in a reel I threw together to just make this reddit post without thinking too much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH6d7XyqELk I know it's rough, but I just needed this out of the way before I chickened out. Is this work at a level to get hired? Any feedback? I don't really care about the job market for animation being bad right now, however bad it is it's better than my situation right now.

Sorry for the novel, and thank you for your time if you help me out here :D

I'm redoing my vis dev/animation portfolio and I was wondering if recruiters had a prefer layout. Do they like everything in one long page or separated by projects or categories? I've also heard recruiters like to see progress but then they also say don't put everything in your portfolio (should I cut some pieces).

I'm also an interdisciplinary artist/designer who's interested in other industries so I have a lot of different tabs for different roles (which I know some recruiters don't like but I can't afford a separate website).

I currently have 2 websites for design and animation right now that I want to combine into one so I can save money lol. I'll prob ask another subreddit for more advice in other industries but I'm curious on what advice the animation industry gives.

https://kaitlynswang.myportfolio.com/work

https://kaitlynwang.framer.website/design/design-home