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The term "performance art" comes as a loaded and convoluted one these days, something as confusing as it is fascinating. In its foundations, performance art refers to an artwork dependent on the presence of the artist hisself or herself, rather than an artifact made by him or her. But there's also something outside of what conventional notions of theater or other performance imply. There's a sense of the artist's autonomy in composition and endurance in performance, the work's social critique, the difficulty to replicate the action in presence and effect-these are the markers of a great work of performance art. We've collected The 25 Best Performance Art Pieces of All Time here-some are vaguely not safe for work.
RELATED: The 50 Most Iconic Artworks of the Past 5 Years
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The 25 Best Performance Art Pieces of All Time

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The term "performance art" comes as a loaded and convoluted one these days, something as confusing as it is fascinating. In its foundations, performance art refers to an artwork dependent on the presence of the artist hisself or herself, rather than an artifact made by him or her.

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1 - Deadlines are your friend

Putting pen to paper and coming up with a coherent text has never been an easy task for me, so when invited to participate in a "major book project" and to offer insight and advice to artists starting out in the field, I was flattered but hesitant.

Plagued by a horrible sense of direction, an inability to distinguish the forest for the trees and no knack for ordering stories, it gave me pause. After years of being on the semester plan, it's odd that I should be thrown into a tizzy by an assignment.

But since prioritizing has never been a strong suit, the only thing that forces me to focus is a deadline. Most people understand deadlines, but not everyone will be sympathetic when you're under one. If you're working on a project of your own, be happy that you're on a deadline-and be careful with whom you share your feelings.

2 - Start with what you know

If you're having a hard time getting the creative juices churning, try starting with what you know, whether it's a story from childhood, a collection of buttons or marbles, an old drawing or an anecdote-the objective is to get busy. Don't feel that you have to reinvent the wheel; be patient and hopefully something will come from it. If you're on a deadline, try not to indulge your insecurities; get the job done, and wait until the reviews come in before facing the self-fulfilling prophecy that you are indeed a fraud.

Drugs, drinking, dancing and dating helped me shed decades, after acting middle-aged for so long

Years ago, I was working on a performance for The Kitchen, a venue in New York. As my deadline loomed on the horizon, a sense of dread and panic took hold of me. In a rare moment of clarity, I realized that I was spending more time at my refrigerator than at my desk, and seeing as I was preparing for a show at The Kitchen, I figured why not make the performance site-specific, relocate my refrigerator and make it the central focus of the evening?

A title came to mind, and eventually took form. I met my deadline and did the show, which was followed by a review. Instead of praising me, the critic took me to task for using the phrase "avant-garde humour" to describe my work in the press release. He went on to carefully take apart my performance, demonstrating how many of the jokes were in fact wellworn comedy tropes, hardly avant-garde.

It was a total drag, but at least my self-loathing was momentarily redirected elsewhere. Some years later, I realized he was right and made a point never to use that term again when referring to my work.

3 - Balance

Before I was a performance artist, I was a young, very serious formal painter. For a few years, it was comforting to be alone in the studio-just me with the canvas, engaged in marks generating marks, colour adjustments, balance and composition, until I got it just right.

I was so involved with a particular approach to painting that I couldn't consider work outside my formalist purview. In fact, I would have dismissed the kind of art I make today. It wouldn't have seemed serious enough. This closed-off attitude worked fine until it didn't.

Time is an artist's most important resource

After long stretches of looking at a blank canvas and nothing coming of it except incredible anxiety, it became apparent that I needed to get out and distract myself from myself. Fortunately, this quest coincided with a reverse maturation process that I was going through at the time.

Drugs, drinking, dancing and dating helped me shed decades, after acting middle-aged for so long. In addition to losing years off my life, I no longer had the need for a large studio space. I felt lucky, portable and adaptable, able to work on any clean, flat surface. If a window was nearby to look out of, I was in the lap of luxury. Meanwhile, my painter and object-maker friends were scrambling to pay for their oversized lofts.

I worked a couple days a week cleaning houses and soon learned that I had a knack for it. It makes sense. I'm a tidy guy, and when I'm not running back and forth to the refrigerator, I'm stacking and ordering piles of papers in the studio. Since my spaces have always been modest, I'm able keep my piles to a minimum.

4 - Everything takes time

Time is perhaps an artist's most important resource. There are many artists who spend years going from residency programme to residency programme. I've only attended one residency, a two-week stint that was more like Club Med than the Rome Prize, so my opinion is based on limited knowledge.

Work begot work, as grants beget grants

However, from what I can tell, these professional residency artists have figured out a way to buy time in the studio and avoid dealing with the workaday world.

During the 1980s, public funding for individual artists was much more available than it is today. I was fortunate enough to benefit, and it wasn't until the early 1990s that I realized the gravy train had dried up and I was up to my ears in debt.

With no visible skills or idea of how to earn a living, I was ready to seriously consider teaching. I got one class and then another; work begot work, as grants beget grants.

I'm not familiar with residencies, but I get the feeling that the same might be the case with them: residencies beget residencies. A particular group of artists seems to turn up at residency after residency, similar to the festival/biennial phenomenon.

A specific skill-set is required: terse application prose coupled with a proven history helps ensure acceptance. It's not unlike the professional tennis circuit where familiar names lend legitimacy.

Face it, people in authority have much on their minds and on their plates, so endorsing someone already vetted is easier and safer than stepping out on a limb for someone new. Good luck in your attempt to buy free time in the studio.

5 - Read emails carefully

A hasty glance may cause unnecessary complications, missed opportunities, or a waste of your energy. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped reading letters that start with "I regret to inform you..."

Many of these same letters also offer consolation and hope for the future. Be sure to scroll down and read your emails carefully, if not at first then later. When the email came inviting me to take part in this project, I immediately noticed the subject box: An invitation to contribute to a new Phaidon publication.

I still go through incredible insecurity every time I feel as if I'm being held accountable for what I teach

When I finally realized it wasn't a solicitation for a benefit but a book project, my interest was piqued. The project had a working title of Art School and the editors were assembling wisdom from some of the "world's most respected artists." As I mentioned previously, I was flattered and continued to read.

They were looking for 1,500-2,500 words, accompanying images, readings, a resource list and images of my own work. The more I thought about it, the more work it seemed to involve. I closed the computer and looked inside my refrigerator. A week later, I reviewed the email and began to fixate on the title, Art School. The mere mention of the word "school" and the thought of administrative chores sent me into a familiar panic.

Why is it, after twenty years of teaching at the college level, which I got into based on decades of experience as an artist, that I still go through incredible insecurity every time I feel as if I'm being held accountable for what I teach, its value and effectiveness in preparing young artists for life beyond the institution?

6 - Don't throw anything away

Keep a notebook-and I mean keep it. You never know when it will come in handy down the line.

Hold onto your stuff for as long as possible

Stacking notebooks on a table can give one a sense of accomplishment. Looking through old notes and transcribing them into newer, thicker notepads can also provide distance from projects that never came to fruition; in other words, a productive way to avoid a sense of futility.

Obviously, notebooks are easy to store and don't take up much space, unlike storage for sculptures and installations. Sounds expensive? It is. But let's say some interest in your older work does develop-try replacing time-stamped materials and lost objects years later.

eBay is great for some things, but unless you have unlimited amounts of money and time to spend online, it's best to hold onto your stuff for as long as possible. If you can't bear to look at it, buy a tarp, cover it up and guard against possible future water damage.

7 - Less is more

After paying out heaps of money on storage for old props and materials, i.e. refrigerators and cinder blocks, I've increasingly come to appreciate Mies van der Rohe's aphorism "less is more."

It's a good rule to invoke, especially if you're contemplating a trajectory in performance art: a little bit of skill or modicum of talent can go a long way in the art context. If you're considering milking the quotidian, a simple activity with a beginning, middle and end can be very seductive for an audience familiar with watching paint dry.

You'll be surprised by how many layers of your onion an audience is willing to unpeel and discuss. Would you rather lug a fanny pack or steamer trunk from one venue to another? Be practical-the exchange rate for the metaphors you can pack up in either is pretty damn close.

8 - If it ain't broke, why fix it?

There's a certain beauty to being a hack. It implies that one has found a way to get the job done efficiently.

A hack avoids anxiety when an assignment is presented. Why it's considered a pejorative term escapes me. I'm impressed when someone can deliver without much effort. My own drawing (and possibly writing) style has changed very little since I was a child.

I'm not sure if it's because I immediately jumped into abstraction and refused to learn how to render the figure, or because of complete ineptitude. In any case, I somehow made it work for myself and, along the way, figured out how to make mistakes seem like ideas.

My only advice is to find a way to support yourself that does not make you feel compromised

Fun at Home, a crayon drawing made when I was eight years old, shows surprising sensitivity to symmetry and balance, both still important to me to this day. Fortunately, there's an accompanying essay to explain that the picture is of my father giving me my allowance. If one were to look only at the drawing, one would be hard-pressed to know what kind of exchange was going on between the two figures: dancing, waving, a stand-off?

I learned a lot from my father, but one thing I learned for sure is a concern for time. My father was a businessman. He was obsessed with time and judged people's characters according to punctuality. Obviously, I didn't follow in his footsteps, but he provided a model and a way to think about business in relation to survival, failure and/or success.

I wish I had more to say about money, like how to earn it or manage it, but I don't. One important lesson that artists should learn is not to expect to draw an allowance from their art.

Very few make a living from their work. If they do, more power to them. My only advice is to find a way to support yourself that does not make you feel compromised, and if you're lucky, makes you comfortable and happy.

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Eight tips on creativity and work from a professional performance artist

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Putting pen to paper and coming up with a coherent text has never been an easy task for me, so when invited to participate in a "major book project" and to offer insight and advice to artists starting out in the field, I was flattered but hesitant.

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While the terms 'performance' and 'performance art' only became widely used in the 1970s, the history of performance in the visual arts is often traced back to futurist productions and dada cabarets of the 1910s.

Throughout the twentieth century performance was often seen as a non-traditional way of making art. Live-ness, physical movement and impermanence offered artists alternatives to the static permanence of painting and sculpture.

In the post-war period performance became aligned with conceptual art, because of its often immaterial nature.

Now an accepted part of the visual art world, the term has since been used to also describe film, video, photographic and installation-based artworks through which the actions of artists, performers or the audience are conveyed.

More recently, performance has been understood as a way of engaging directly with social reality, the specifics of space and the politics of identity. In 2016, theorist Jonah Westerman remarked 'performance is not (and never was) a medium, not something that an artwork can be but rather a set of questions and concerns about how art relates to people and the wider social world'.

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Tate glossary definition for performance art: Art for which the artist uses their own body as the medium and performs an action or series of actions which become the artwork

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Send your views through the roof with gorgeous animation you made yourself. Use the Biteable animation maker to create jaw-dropping content for your social channels, site, and product pages.

What animation do you want to make?

Getting started

Why make animation?

Animated videos are a great way to captivate your viewers with rich, colourful, and playful scenes. Sounds like something you'd like to do? It couldn't be easier to make it happen with Biteable's online video maker.

Go further, faster

No doubt about it, you'll take your business further when you make eye-popping animations, but don't take our word for it: here are some stats that back us up:

Businesses that use video make money 49% faster than those that don't

Using video in your marketing strategy can double your conversion rate

Websites with video get 41% more traffic than those without

The internet is packed to the brim with video. The more content you're putting up on the web, the more people you'll reach. It's that simple. And the Biteable video maker turns a daunting task into a super easy one.

Don't take out a mortgage for it

Animation is traditionally expensive, but with Biteable you can make animation on a shoestring budget. Making an account for Biteable's online video maker is free, giving you access to thousands of clips made by our talented team of video makers.

Happy with your video? Export it and share to social without a hitch. If you want to revisit it later to remove the watermark or access more features, you can upgrade your membership to Premium for a relatively small fee.

Animation rules the nation

No matter what style you're looking for, Biteable's in-house studio of professional animators have created a massive library of clips for you to choose from, with cartoon characters, infographics, claymation, abstract shapes, and a whole host of other 2D and 3D styles.

The Biteable video maker will help bring your vision to life and doesn't require you to fork over thousands of dollars. You'll be able to tailor an awesome animated video to your brand and have it up on the internet in no time.

Put your best (business) foot forward

Have a business people just need to know about? Make a quick intro video to post on your homepage and share on social media. Tell your visitors who you are, why they should care, and how to find you.

You don't need get bogged down in the details - after all, this animated video is just an introduction to your business. Sum yourself up with an animated template that suits your tone.

Get started straight away

Making animation should be effortless. Make an animated video quickly (and for free) using one of our professional templates. Choose your favorite, change a few words and be ready right away, or customize it further with more scenes from our enormous library.

Biteable makes it easy. Our templates are put together by marketing professionals who know how to sell your brand. All you need to do is make it your own with text and a logo.

Capture viewers with playful scenes

Get your audience to stick around. Make your animated video fun with colourful characters. Piece them together in creative ways to tell different stories related to your brand. It's simple to craft clever animated marketing videos and product promos with our online animated video editor.

Captivate your viewers with lively animated scenes. You'll probably even have people asking how the heck you did it (trust us, it wouldn't be the first time).

We made one animated explainer video that's awesome and people love it. Everyone wants to know how we did it!

This is a dream come true. It's unbelievable how the software is easy and intuitive, and the quality of the animation is amazing!

Keep your animation style consistent

Biteable's team of in-house animators are making new scenes daily. With so many good ones, it can be tempting to use as many as you can. However, your animation will look far more professional if you stick with similar animation sets - you don't want it to look like you've cobbled together a bunch of mismatched clips.

Luckily, our template library groups similar animation scenes together so you'll spend less time picking and more time editing your masterpiece.

Shorter is (usually) better

It's a tried and true rule that you want to keep your content on the internet short and sweet - the same goes for animation. Just as you want to pare your scenes down to the bare essentials to tighten your video, do the same with your brand message. What are you trying to say? What is the simplest and shortest way of saying it?

Here's a tip: don't put more than one idea or bullet point on a single scene. That way, your viewers will be able to easily take in the text on screen and the animation accompanying it.

Customise the theme

Whatever colors or music your brand uses, you can use them your animated videos. The Biteable online video maker allows you to choose your own colors and upload your own music (but also has a library of pre-picked colour combinations and songs if that's what you need).

Further reading

Want to give your animation that extra polish?

The Biteable Blog is loaded with handy tips from industry leaders so your animation stands out from the pack with an extra-polished punch.

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Online Animation Maker | Stunning Videos. Ready In A Snap | Biteable

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Send your views through the roof with gorgeous animation you made yourself. Use the Biteable animation maker to create jaw-dropping content for your social channels, site, and product pages. Getting started Animated videos are a great way to captivate your viewers with rich, colourful, and playful scenes.

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What is 2D Animation?

2D animation is the art of creating movement in a two-dimensional space. This includes characters, creatures, FX and backgrounds.

The illusion of movement is created when individual drawings are sequenced together over time. One second of time is usually divided into 24 frames. Depending on the style of animation there can be as many as 24 unique drawings in one second of animation (24fps) or as little as two. Conventionally animation is done on "2s" meaning there is a drawing every 2 frames (12fps). This allows artists to save on production time/costs and gives 2D animation its unique look.

Dialogue example by CG Spectrum's 2D Animation Mentor Scott Claus (who worked at both Disney and DreamWorks)

While this process is sometimes referred to as traditional animation, mainstream 2D production has evolved from hand drawn processes using pencil and paper to the implementation of digital techniques using computer software like Toon Boom Harmony or Adobe After Effects.

2D Animation Today

2D is a popular and diverse medium that's making a massive comeback. It can be seen prevalently in TV shows, video games, feature films, advertisements, mobile apps and on websites. Popular modern examples of 2D include TV shows Rick and Morty and F is for Family. Social media platforms like Snapchat are launching 2D animated series with snappy 1-3 minute episodes. And there's even been a recent surge in 2D platform video games such as Cuphead.

"Animation is used for everything online (advertising, entertainment), even if you don't realize it initially," says Scott Claus, 2D Animation Mentor at CG Spectrum. "The medium is evolving quickly. Television animation has taken off, and streaming services are constantly looking for new content."

Demand for 2D animators who can create entertaining and engaging content has grown significantly in the last decade. There's a need for skilled and enthusiastic artists who love motion graphics and are adept at creating original and appealing content.

So what does a 2D animator actually do? What are the job prospects? What can a junior artist expect to earn vs. an established one? What's the best 2D animation software?

We've done the homework and gathered everything you need to know about the industry to help you prepare for your future.

Rick and Morty - Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Television

What Does a 2D Animator Do?

2D animators convey stories or messages by making their characters, objects and backgrounds move in a two-dimensional environment.

Besides drawing, they must also be excellent storytellers. They are responsible for clearly communicating a story or message by moving characters in a way that engages viewers. (Anyone interested in becoming a 2D Animator should get to know the 12 Principles of Animation, which are covered in detail in the 2D Animation course)

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While most of the work is done on computer, traditional hand-drawn techniques are still a useful skill set to have.

Additional responsibilities may include:

Sketching designs

Designing characters

Developing storyboards

Creating special effects

Animating scenes

Transitioning backgrounds

This job is just one part of the production pipeline, which is divided into three parts: pre-production, production and post-production:

In pre-production, a project is in its early stages and the team may be working on story and character development, writing scripts, recording dialogue, storyboarding, background layout, and character animation.

In the production stage, animators breathe life into their characters and objects by giving them movement. The figures are then colored and processed ("digital ink and paint") and composited over their appropriate backgrounds.

Post-production is the final stages of adding sound and editing to ensure the project looks sharp and flows seamlessly, and then it is exported in the final format.

Depending on the project and the size of the studio or agency, animators may work with a number of other people, so strong communication and people skills are a must.

Career Opportunities

Being such a diverse industry, animators can choose to work on feature films, TV shows, video games, as well as for production companies and advertising agencies who produce 2D content for advertisements, mobile apps and websites.

It's important to note that if you're studying 2D animation, you won't necessarily become an "animator". There are many types of jobs in this industry. And with technology evolving so quickly, new jobs are being created all the time.

Some of the many different roles include:

Animator

Animation Supervisor

Animation Director

Games Developer

Character Designer

Storyboard Artist

Illustrator

Graphic designer

Motion designer

It is also possible for 2D artists to transition to 3D if they choose, though it can be more difficult to switch the other way around.

2D Software

There is a range of software to choose from. However, if you are looking at animating professionally, learn to use industry-standard software that major studios are using. It will increase your chances of getting hired.

At CG Spectrum, students learn to use Toon Boom Harmony. "It's amazing software," says Mike Wiesmeier who used Harmony when he worked on F is for Family. "You can do everything in it besides editing. Rough animation, colouring, effects... You can animate sparks in the air, and then make them glow. It's a node system, so it's visually clear what you're building. Many productions are using Harmony, it's the industry leader."

Software commonly used by professionals include:

Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Storyboard Pro

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Photoshop

Flash

Encore

While it can sometimes be daunting learning new software, once you get the hang of one program, it's a lot easier to transfer your skills to the others. You can find free trials for most software, including Toon Boom and Adobe. Learn more about the best 2D animation software.

What are the Salary Expectations?

Average salary expectations can be between USD $43,000 for entry level up to an average of $74,000 for mid-level. Salaries depend on experience, location, and industry. Senior and technical animators may be able to exceed the top of that range with their years of experience and knowledge.

Annual Animator Salary Averages

Entry Level Average

Mid-Level Average

US (USD)

43,000

74,000

Canada (CAD)

35,000 - 50,000

59,000 - 77,000

Australia (AUD) / New Zealand

48,000

50,000 - 95,000

UK (GBP)

24,270

36,000 - 47,500

Note: These wages depending on the seniority of the role and can be considerably higher than the averages listed.

Sources: Payscale.com; Glassdoor; The Globe and Mail; Graduate Careers Australia; OzAnimate.com; prospects.ac.uk; gameindustrycareerguide.com; neuvoo.ca; graduate-jobs.com; ziprecruiter.com; Indeed.com; Australian Bureau of Statistics; Statistics Canada; adzuna.co.uk; cwjobs.co.uk; LinkedIn; instantoffices.com

The Future of 2D

Mike believes that while 3D isn't going anywhere, we're in the midst of a shift towards more 2D. With recent awards going to Rick and Morty and Mary Poppins Returns, it's clear there is still a place for 2D.

Artists are constantly pushing the boundaries, experimenting with new styles and effects, and audiences are responding. As the medium continues to grow, so will the need for skilled artists.

When Mike started working at The Walt Disney Studios everything was done on paper. "Back then I couldn't even imagine drawing on a screen. I now draw on a screen and hit the play button to test my animation," he recalls.

Mike says what's made this possible is technology, specifically Toon Boom Harmony and Storyboard Pro, which simulate working on paper. "You can do all the things you could do on paper, but better,' says Mike. "The time you save with today's software is really driving this renaissance. There are job prospects you can't even imagine right now because the technology is changing so fast."

Ready to Become a 2D Animator?

Get 1-on-1 mentorship from former Disney and DreamWorks animators at CG Spectrum! Besides mastering the technical skills of 2D, you'll learn invaluable industry lessons and job skills that can't be found in a book.

Enroll now and turn your creative passion into a career!

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What is 2D Animation? | How to Become a 2D Animator | CG Spectrum

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What is 2D Animation? 2D animation is the art of creating movement in a two-dimensional space. This includes characters, creatures, FX and backgrounds. The illusion of movement is created when individual drawings are sequenced together over time. One second of time is usually divided into 24 frames.

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As you pursue your 3D animation and visual effects studies with NYFA's Animation School, it's important to understand the history and techniques that shaped the field of animation and led to the development and popularity of today's advanced technology. Whether it's the cartoons we re-watched as a kid or the flipbooks we bought, the cute adverts on TV tempting us to buy certain products or even the "Madagascar" and "Ice Age" films we love to watch in 3D, animation is an integral part of how we understand storytelling. As you develop your 3D animation and visual effects skills, understanding the principles of other types of animation can open you to new ideas and inspirations. After all, animation is more than cinema - comics, games, graphic novels and even some toys borrow from this tradition. And your animation work can find inspiration in all kinds of places, as well.

Broadly speaking, there are five types of animation. As you develop your animation skills, interests, artistic vision, and software expertise, you can learn to draw from various theories and traditions in animation as you develop your own signature style. 1. Cel (Celluloid) Animation

This is the original hand-drawn cel animation where the artist literally has to draw thousands of images on special paper and have them photographed, frame by frame. Before the digital revolution, traditional animation was the norm of the industry, including Disney. Traditional animation is a great skill to have in your arsenal, especially if you particularly enjoy traditional media: color pencils, glass painting, water colors. The main drawback to traditional animation is that it's a very lengthy process. However, don't let the old-world flavor of this style put you off, as there's plenty of inspiration to draw upon within this style of animation: take a look at A-ha's music video "Take on Me" and the breathtaking Aleksandr Petrov film "The Old Man and the Sea," based on the Hemingway tale. 2. 2D Animation

This is vector-based animation, and has two distinct advantages: it is cheap and easy to access. You need a basic understanding of key frames and know how to use Adobe Animate CC. 3. 3D Animation

3D animation and visual effects are, quite simply, the way of the future. 3D animation operates on different principles, and is more akin to puppetry than traditional animation. For this, you need to learn how to digitally model a character, sculpt it perfectly and give it a skeleton that you can move and manipulate. You'll have to pose the model at certain frames, and then let the computer do the rendering. Why is 3D animation so important to understand? Those who want to break into the industry frankly must master the ins and outs of 3D animation. CGI has become the norm for all blockbuster animated movies and in certain live-action sequences which requires a lot of VFX, because of its attention-to-detail and realism. This is why NYFA focuses on 3D animation and VFX, offering aspiring animators the training they need to develop professional skills.

4. Motion Graphics

This visual effect technique involves moving graphic elements such as text or logos, mostly using software such as After Effects. Works Best For: Those working in the advertising industry or doing multimedia projects, or even designing the opening of film titles. 5. Stop Motion

Stop motion is like traditional animation, except instead of drawing, you have clay models and a set that you have to carefully manipulate to produce animation. Stop motion can also be done with puppets, cut-outs, silhouettes and even action figures. In the past, stop motion was used as a form of special effects for live-action films, and has largely been replaced by 3D animation and visual effects work. However, there are filmmakers - like Tim Burton - who work almost exclusively with stop-motion. Think: Laika Films' "Coraline," "ParaNorman," and recently "Kubo and the Two Strings." For aspiring animators, stop motion can be a wonderful medium to make art, on your own terms. Stop motion has its own flavor, which can't quite be reproduced in any other medium, and is extremely labor intensive - much like cel animation. Understanding stop motion can also unlock a deeper appreciation for 3D animation and visual effects. So, as you create your own original animations, think of the film or clip that you'd like to make. Ask yourself, what should this creative product look or feel like, and how can I best achieve that? Think about your artistic skills and the great history and traditions of animation you can draw upon and experiment with inspiration from all animation styles. Ready to learn everything you can about animation? Check out NYFA's Animation School.

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5 Types Of Animation: Finding Inspiration In All Styles

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As you pursue your 3D animation and visual effects studies with NYFA's Animation School, it's important to understand the history and techniques that shaped the field of animation and led to the development and popularity of today's advanced technology. Whether it's the cartoons we re-watched as a kid or the flipbooks we bought, the cute [...]

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When Land art emerged in the 1960s and '70s, it was a time of rebellion, liberation, and general disdain for mainstream society. The feminist movement was on the rise, environmental concerns were gaining more attention, and there was a growing defiance against the commercialization of society and the traditional that dominated the art world. In the midst of turmoil, artists looked to nature to reflect a simpler, less commercial existence and inspire a shift away from consumerism. This shift came to be known as Land art, also known as Earthworks or Earth art.

What is Land Art?

Land art is any work of art that blends with its environment, generally resulting in large-scale pieces that are integrated directly with nature and most often made up of site-specific elements. While contemporary works of art were transportable and sold for profit, artists of the Land art movement reject commercialization and instead created large-scale installations in rural areas that often speak to the power, expanse, and beauty of nature. In the '60s and '70s, this forced audiences to travel to remote areas in order to view these works of art, which reinforced an interest in rural living over urban areas.

What is the Difference Between Land Art and Environmental Art?

While similar in nature, there are a few key differences between Land art and Environmental art. Land art refers to art that is rooted in the site in which it was created, often with surrounding elements integrated directly into the piece. This rendered examples of Land art unmovable without losing its main message. Environmental art, in contrast, refers to an indoor or transportable piece that includes natural elements or speaks to a current environmental or social issue.

Environmental art often incorporates science or politics into each piece as well, such as in the example of Chris Jordan's Midway: Message from the Gyre piece , which highlights the detrimental impact of mass consumption on our environment.

A Brief History of Land Art

While the framework for Land art is rooted in examples from art history including Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, the ancient pyramids in Egypt, and the Nazca Lines in southern Peru-which began decades earlier-the modern movement itself didn't take hold until the 1960s. In the Land art movement, while many artists still drew from ancient works, most had roots in either conceptual art or minimalism.

One of the most notable examples of early exhibitions solely dedicated to the movement is Earth Art , a 1969 exhibition at the Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Curated by Willoughby Sharp, a local activist and artist, the exhibit merged art and activism, questioning the need for boundaries in art and society. As this pivotal exhibition gained acclaim, so did the Land art movement. While the popularity of the movement took hold in the United States and the United Kingdom, Land art in the 1960s and '70s emerged in rural areas across the globe. Popular Land art practitioners included Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, and Andrew Rogers. The movement, however, began to wane in the mid-1970s when the economy stalled and private funding was not as readily available. Even though the traditional forms of Earthworks are less common today than they were in the mid-20th century, guiding principles and characteristics of Land art can be seen in contemporary art movements such as Ecological art and environmental .

Key Characteristics of Land Art

The guiding principles of Land art include communicating a respect for the earth, bearing a crucial connection to the site of the piece, and a thought-provoking message to inspire social or ecological change. By following these principles, Land artists helped to promote a more positive relationship between the audience and the earth, which was especially important during a time of such rapid urban development.

One problematic aspect of Land art was its lack of accessibility, which contradicted the ideology of the movement in which art belongs to everyone. Because of the remote locations selected for many key works, it wasn't possible for everyone to view them in person. To help capture their essence in situ, photography and videography were used to capture the installations, which was then presented in more accessible locations such as museums and galleries. Although photography and video prevent a viewer's complete immersion in the piece, the message behind the work was clear and helped expand Land art's influence to a broader audience.

Famous Land Art Examples

Richard Long, "A Line Made By Walking" (1967)

One of the first examples of Land art, A Line Made By Walking, was created by artist Richard Long in 1967 by walking the same path over and over again in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Due to the ephemeral, fleeting quality of the work, it was unable to be commercialized and was applauded for having redefined the definition of what art could be.

Michael Heizer, "Double Negative" (1969)

Combining elements of both of minimalism and conceptual art, artist Michael Heizer created the site-specific piece Double Negative in Moapa Valley, Utah in 1969. Using dynamite, Heizer created a 30-by-50-foot-wide gap in the earth, which drew attention to the negative space between the two sides of the gorge. By working with what isn't there-even though this destruction was man-made-this piece underscored human impact on the environment.

Robert Smithson, "Spiral Jetty" (1970)

One of the most notable pieces of Land art is undoubtedly Spiral Jetty, which was created by sculptor Robert Smithson in April of 1970, and is considered to be his greatest work. Using natural materials including black basalt rocks, salt crystals, and earth, Smithson documented the construction of the 1,500-foot-long spiral in an eponymous film. Nestled off the shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the piece is a testament to the fleeting beauty of nature and the importance of preservation, as Spiral Jetty was created to eventually be washed away by the earth's natural erosion.

Nancy Holt, "Sun Tunnels" (1976)

Using nature as her medium, Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels challenged the traditional definition of what art could be by re-framing how we view the natural world. Resting in the middle of the Utah desert, Sun Tunnels are comprised of four carefully placed concrete cylinders. The audience is invited to step inside these tunnels and perfectly view the sunrise and sunset during the summer solstice and winter solstice. The cylinders are also adorned with holes so that constellations, such as Perseus and Capricorn, can be viewed inside. By using concrete, a mundane and industrial material, Holt was able to draw the viewer's attention away from the cylinders themselves and to the beauty of the landscape, encouraging them to see the world in an entirely new way.

Walter de Maria, "The Lightning Field" (1977)

Similar to Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels , The Lightning Field was created by Walter de Maria in 1977 and used unconventional materials to draw attention to the power of the natural world. The piece is comprised of 400 steel poles arranged in a grid across a large field in Quemado, New Mexico to attract lightning during storms. Subject to the unpredictability of nature, this display can take on many forms depending on the weather, which is intended to highlight earth's ephemerality and fluid climatic conditions.

Agnes Denes, "Wheatfield - A Confrontation" (1982)

In 1982, amid the towering skyscrapers of New York City, Agnes Denes created a Land art piece that deviated from the more traditional characteristics of Earthworks. Rather than setting her composition in a remote location, Denes chose to feature it on a $4.5 billion plot to comment on the world's twisted morality. On the plot, Denes planted and successfully harvested over 1,000 pounds of wheat during a four-month period, which was then donated to famished countries. Her work called for a return to compassion and community.

Marinus Boezem, "The Green Cathedral" (1987)

While the Land art movement predominantly took place in the United States and United Kingdom, its influence spread across the globe. One prominent example of the movement's influence is The Green Cathedral , created by Marinus Boezem in April of 1987 in Southern Flevoland, Netherlands. By using Lombardy Poplar trees to recreate the likeness of Notre-Dame Cathedral in France, Boezem developed a stunning and immersive installation that proves nature's beauty can easily rival man-made structures.

Andres Amador, "Earthscapes" (2004)

Calling upon geometric and free-form shapes, artist Andres Amador's Earthscapes are patterns drawn in the sand. His first Land art piece took shape on Ocean Beach in San Francisco in 2004, and its fleeting beauty was captured on camera just before the tide washed it away. He has since created hundreds of Earthscapes around the world. Amador hopes that his designs will remind other artists to bring back joy in their work.

Andrew Rogers, "Bunjil Geoglyph" (2006)

The was created on March 3rd, 2006 by artist Andrew Rogers as a tribute to the indigenous people of Wathaurong, Australia. The work depicts Bunjil, a mythical protector and spirit of the Wathaurong Bunjil Geoglyph aboriginal people in the form of an eagle, to both honor the land's rich history and ensure its preservation for years to come. Constructed in You Yangs Regional Park in Victoria, Australia, Bunjil's wingspan covers 100 meters of land and was made primarily with rocks found in the area.

Lita Albuquerque, "Stellar Axis: Antarctica" (2006)

The first site-specific artwork in Antarctica, Stellar Axis consisted of 99 blue spheres that correlated both in size and location to the stars above. However, as time passed and the earth and stars began to shift from their original position, the piece served as a reminder of the importance of honoring our earth's past and preserving its future. Land artist Lita Albuquerque unveiled this piece in 2006 after years of work, in hopes of reviving society's connection to something greater.

Michael Grab, "Stone Balance" (2008)

Michael Grab, an artist and photographer, is best known for his Stone Balance pieces created in various environments and climates beginning in 2008. What started as an experiment in Boulder Creek, Colorado has now become a global event, as Grab travels and builds these pieces in remote and well-populated areas around the world. His works are created for temporary enjoyment, and their eventual destruction is a reminder of the fleeting nature of the world and infers the value of staying present.

Maya Lin, "Storm King Wavefield" (2009)

Juxtaposing elements of nature are brought together in this imposing and impressive work by artist Maya Lin in the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York. Bringing the fluidity of water to a grassy knoll that is inextricable to its surrounding environment, Lin created an Earthworks piece that is both intimidating and accessible. While from a distance the rolling hills seem larger-than-life, up close they are an inviting and beautiful depiction of nature in unique forms.

The influence of Earthworks pieces can be seen across decades and genres of artists' work. Land art challenged the standards of traditional art, encouraging artists to explore social and political issues through their work. This integration is a hallmark of contemporary art⁠-including newer movements like the Sustainable art⁠ movement-as consumers and artists alike become more environmentally, socially and politically aware.

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12 Majestic, Must-See Examples of Land Art

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When Land art emerged in the 1960s and '70s, it was a time of rebellion, liberation, and general disdain for mainstream society. The feminist movement was on the rise, environmental concerns were gaining more attention, and there was a growing defiance against the commercialization of society and the traditional that dominated the art world.

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These mind-blowing works of art demonstrate artists' ability to work in harmony with the earth to produce sculptures that provoke important questions about the relationship between humankind and the environment. We explore fifteen prominent works of land art, from American genre pioneers like Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt to contemporary Canadian stone balance artist Michael Grab.

Late American artist Robert Smithson was a world-renowned land artist known for what he termed his 'earthworks,' the most famous of which is his sculpture Spiral Jetty, constructed on the shores of the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point, Utah. Comprised of over 6,000 tons of rock and earth from the site arranged in a counterclockwise coil jutting out 1,500 feet into the lake, Smithson's Spiral Jetty is periodically submerged by rising water levels and was last visible again as of October 2015.

New Zealand-based artist Martin Hill's oeuvre explores the relationship and potential for sustainability between human and non-human systems, focusing on environmental sculptures intended to eventually return to nature. His 2009 sculpture , a finalist in the 2016 Arte Laguna Prize land art category made in collaboration with partner Philippa Jones, is a series of non-touching raupo stems linked by flax threads held in suspended animation by the principle of tensegrity - one of the properties of tensegrity being synergy, or the effect of something greater than the sum of its parts. Though Martin and Philippa's sculptures are created to be temporary, prints of their ephemeral works can be viewed and purchased at the artists' studio and gallery in Wanaka, New Zealand.

Michael Grab began experimenting with the art of stone balance in 2008 while exploring Colorado's beautiful Boulder Creek, and what started out as a hobby quickly became a creative passion and meditative process for the Canadian-born artist and photographer. Using indentations on each rock to form a natural tripod, Grab has since created a number of his breathtaking, gravity-defying works of art across the globe in locations as far flung as Canada, Germany and Croatia.

Missouri-based artist Jeremy Underwood's work explores the often complex relationship between humankind and the environment, with a specific focus on the tension between physical terrains and the cultural ideologies humans project upon the landscape, and his Human Debris series is no different. Composed of several site-specific sculptures crafted from trash and debris found in Houston, Texas's waterways, Human Debris prompts viewers to question consumer culture and the all-pervasiveness of pollution.

The Clemson Clay Nest was a giant bird's nest constructed in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens at Clemson University by German environmental artist Nils-Udo in 2005. Crafted from various natural materials the artist found on-site including sticks, foliage, berries and earth, Clemson Clay Nest stood in place on the grounds of the Botanical Gardens for two years until the structure was deemed no longer safe and dismantled. Other similar works have been sculpted by Nils-Udo at sites including Germany's Lüneberg Heath and California's Red Rock Canyon.

In a corner of southwest Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, hikers are treated to a spectacular sight - Striding Arches, a series of three Dumfriesshire red sandstone arches dotting the landscape sculpted by British artist Andy Goldsworthy and meant as a celebration of and monument to the Scottish people. Goldsworthy has created other similar site-specific stone arches at locations such as the Cass Sculpture Foundation gardens in England and New Zealand's Gibbs Farm sculpture park.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's - an artist duo and husband-and-wife team hailing from Bulgaria and Morocco respectively - monumental work Wrapped Coast (1969) saw one and a half miles of coastline at Sydney, Australia's Little Bay swathed in meter upon meter of fabric and rope and involved a staggering 17,000 hours of production over a four-week period. Christo and Jeanne-Claude would return to this theme a number of times with projects including Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin and Wrapped Trees in Switzerland.

San Francisco-based artist Andres Amador creates his beautiful, but entirely ephemeral, earthscapes by painstakingly raking sand into entrancing geometric patterns, often over the course of many hours, before the tide washes them away. Though his chosen canvas is primarily the Northern California coast around his hometown, Amador has created his sand-based artworks at beaches across the USA and internationally at locations including New Zealand's stunning northwest coast as part of Capturing Impermanence - a collaboration between Amador and filmmaker Jonathan Clark.

Using only materials found in whichever environ he is currently working in, innovative Swiss artist Sylvain Meyer has the power to transform and enchant an otherwise ordinary, familiar landscape with his breathtaking sculptures and installations which so far have included a spider crafted from moss and a snake-like work crafted from chestnuts. His 2009 work Ondulation was a series of concentric circles crafted from earth found in the terrain surrounding the Alps' beautiful Mont Blanc.

Harvard University sociology lecturer by day and talented sandcastle artist in his spare time, Matthew Kaliner - also known by his moniker Sandcastle Matt - began producing his amazing creations in 2004 on Boston's north shore and hasn't looked back. Far from simple castles constructed with a kid's bucket and spade set, Sandcastle Matt's sculptures are striking, Gaudi-esque structures that seem to defy the laws of gravity. While a true artistic feat, Sandcastle Matt says of his works, 'I am motivated entirely by the sheer joy of playing on the beach, and making something out of what I can find that day.'

In the remote high desert of western New Mexico lies late American sculptor Walter De Maria's 1977 land art installation, The Lightning Field - a series of 400 stainless steel poles arranged in a grid shape designed to attract lightning strikes. Though the artwork is not open to the general public, The Lightning Field's commissioner and managing body Dia Art Foundation offer overnight trips to the site from May to October.

American artist James Turrell is known worldwide for his work with light and sound, and his magnum opus, Roden Crater - an ambitious land art project converting the cinder cone of a dormant volcano in northern Arizona's Painted Desert into a huge naked eye observatory - is the culmination of his oeuvre. Over 30 years in the making, the Roden Crater is as yet unfinished, though a select group of art aficionados were invited to visit the site for the princely sum of $6,500 in May 2015. Plans are in place to eventually open up the work to the public.

Nancy Holt, the wife of fellow land art pioneer Robert Smithson, gained acclaim across the globe for her large-scale public sculptures and installations before her death in 2014. Her best-known work, Sun Tunnels, is a series of four huge concrete tunnels laid in an X shape in the desert outside the ghost town of Lucin, Utah. Each tunnel is drilled with small holes laid out in the pattern of constellations (Draco, Perseus, Columba, and Capricorn, to be specific) through which visitors are invited view the surrounding remote landscape of the Great Basin Desert.

Contemporary American land artist Michael Heizer said of his 1970 work Double Negative, 'There is nothing there, yet it is still a sculpture,' and he wasn't exaggerating. Composed of two long trenches measuring 30 feet wide and 50 feet deep cut into Nevada's Mormon Mesa, the work is more a commentary on what has been removed from the site - that is, the negative space created by the trenches - than what the work actually appears as. Currently owned by Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art, Double Negative is open to the public and can be accessed by four-wheel drive.

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These mind-blowing works of art demonstrate artists' ability to work in harmony with the earth to produce sculptures that provoke important questions about the relationship between humankind and the environment. We explore fifteen prominent works of land art, from American genre pioneers like Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt to contemporary Canadian stone balance artist Michael Grab.

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Top 10 Land Art and Earthwork Pioneers - Artland Magazine

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Ten pioneers of land art who defined the genre. From the intimate to the monumental, learn about their innovative earthworks that set the standard.

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Land art was part of the wider conceptual art movement in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous land art work is Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty of 1970, an earthwork built out into the Great Salt Lake in the USA. Though some artists such as Smithson used mechanical earth-moving equipment to make their artworks, other artists made minimal and temporary interventions in the landscape such as Richard Long who simply walked up and down until he had made a mark in the earth.

Land art, which is also known as earth art, was usually documented in artworks using photographs and maps which the artist could exhibit in a gallery. Land artists also made land art in the gallery by bringing in material from the landscape and using it to create installations.

As well as Richard Long and Robert Smithson, key land artists include Nancy Holt, Walter de Maria, Michael Heizer and Dennis Oppenheim.

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Tate glossary definition for land art: Land art is made directly in the landscape, sculpting it into earthworks or making structures using natural materials found in the landscape such as rocks or twigs

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The Ultimate Resource for Video Game Design

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Designing Characters

1. Character Design-Conceptualizing Tutorial

This tutorial walks you through how one artist developed his concept for a " crossbow archer. " He starts with his idea, he shows his sketches, and he walks you through everything from form to color palette, to putting it all together at the end.

If you want to see how another artist takes a concept through to completion, this is a great video for you.

2. How to Create Characters

This video is another look at the character design process. How do you create characters when you don't have much to go on? If your client hasn't given you much background or ideas to work with, how do you even begin designing a character?

3. How to Create a Stylized Character Turnaround Sheet

This video from YouTuber CG Cookie Concept shows you how to design a character when your client knows what they want.

The character featured in the video was designed for a highly stylized world-sometimes designing a character when the theme is set in stone can be just as challenging as not having anything to work from. This video can help get you started.

4. Another Character Turnaround Sheet Tutorial

Didn't know what Turnaround sheet was? No problem, here's another tutorial to help you understand the how-to behind the sheet. Turnaround sheets are important if you're going to be free-hand drawing characters over and over from different angles and positions.

You want to make sure they look like the same character every time!

5. Pixar Character Design Tips

We haven't met a person who doesn't appreciate at least one Pixar film (if not, you know, all of them). This post on character design from the talented folks at Pixar gives you an inside look into their character creation process.

It's full of helpful tips for you to pull from. "Even though you might not notice, each character has a theme when it appears on screen. We want the audience to read each character instantly."

6. The Character Designs Reddit Forum

Curious about what other artists are doing? Looking for feedback on your own designs? Have questions about the process or the craft? Looking for inspiration or collaboration opportunities? Look no further than the Character Designs forum on Reddit.

7. More Design Tips!

This video from JelArts showcases 6 tips and tricks that you can use to help you design characters. She's pulled these tips from some online courses she watched in an effort to improve her own character design efforts. The video is quick and worth the watch.

8. Character Design Exercise

Nothing will help you get better at character design than designing characters (like, every day). So here's another video showing you how yet another artist builds characters from scratch. Flexing that creativity muscles will make it grow stronger, and that means even cooler characters in your future work.

9. Character Critiques

YouTuber Istebrak hosts character design challenges on her YouTube account. She'll give you parameters, and you need to design a character that fits within them. Then you can submit the characters you want critiqued.

She spends about an hour going over the submissions, talking about how well you matched the provided brief and critiquing you on your design. Submitting would be most beneficial, but simply watching to see what other artists create and how she critiques them would be helpful too.

10. Keep it PG! Character Outfit Designs

We bring YouTuber Jazza back into the fold to go over tips and best practices for designing outfits and costumes for your characters. He talks about design focal points, color choices and what they can mean, and more.

LEVEL DESIGN

11. Level Design Tips

Looking for five quick tips to get you started with your level designing? YouTuber Sykoo gives his top five tips for designing levels using Unity (which is what he uses in his videos). He recommends using Unity for level design because it looks good and it performs well.

12. Unity 5 Level Design Tutorial

If you watched the above video, you probably saw this coming. YouTuber Sykoo has an hour-long level design tutorial, which is separate from his " top 5 tips" video. As we mentioned, Sykoo prefers Unity. If you're looking for extra help with designing a level in Unity 5, this video is a great resource.

13. Ubisoft's Approach to Level Design

Ever wonder how the big companies do it? This YouTube video from the official Ubisoft channel will give you a glimpse into their level design process. It's a short video, but if you pay attention there are some valuable level design nuggets in there that you can incorporate into your own work.

14. Level Design Science Featuring the Halo Forge

Psychoduck, the man behind this FORGEHUB level design video on YouTube, has this to say:

"There is no single correct way to design a map, and everyone's process will be a little bit different. However, my goal is to outline a proven process which I have seen in action for years. Both within the forge community and in a professional setting at 343 Industries."

Psychoduck is easy to listen to and he knows his stuff.

15. Unreal Engine Level Design Crash Course

This video from the official Unreal Engine YouTube channel provides an intro to level design using UE. Jim Brown, the senior designer, shows you tips and tricks using the then-new UE4 toolset.

16. Unreal Engine Landscape Design

Once you know your way around the Unreal Engine, you can hop over to this landscape training video. It's close to two hours of design walkthrough and advice from Andrew Hurley, an Engine Support Technician. This video is also hosted by the official Unreal Engine YouTube Channel.

17. Unreal Engine Forest Tutorial

18. Telling Stories with Level Design

The GDC hosted Brendon Chung, the owner of Blendo Games, at GDC 2015. His 30 minute talk was all about using level design as a way to tell stories and guide the player through the game. It highlights the importance of recognizing the bigger role of level design, and how it fits into the overall framework of a game.

19. Negative Space in Level Design

We've looked at a lot of videos that show how to plan levels, how to design them and populate them, and how to use them to tell stories-but what about " nothing?" This video, also from a GDC session, features Jim Brown from Epic. He talks about new ways to think about negative space and the role it has in level design.

20. Tips to Design Better Maps and Levels

GAME DESIGN

21. Making Your First Game

If you've never designed a game before, then watch this video before you do anything else. It addresses some of the biggest problems beginning game designers face.

It's actionable, helpful, and it only takes five minutes to watch. There are other videos in this sequence from the same YouTube Channel, Extra Credits. Watch them all to set yourself up for success!

22. Designing Game Rules

This video from PAX South 2016 features two panelists, Brandon "Rym" DeCoster and Scott Rubin, both of GeekNights.

This panel discussion is about an hour long, and offers a "mechanical discussion of how game rules are (and should be) written, how players learn games, and why so few people are willing to read a 100-page rulebook (never mind the appendices)!"

23. What Makes Great Games Great?

Curtiss Murphy is a software developer at MobilityWare, and he makes Solitaire games (yes, just Solitaire games). This video looks at "the basics of game design and explains the science of deep engagement, also known as Flow (by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi).

It explores the four requirements of flow, what they mean in practical terms, and a simple way to visualize them so you never forget."

24. Make a Game Basics (Unity)

This video from YouTuber Brackeys walks you through designing a game in Unity. It's intended for beginners, and starts at the very beginning.

As in, Brackeys shows you how to install Unity and start a new project. There are more videos in the series, so you can take it one digestible lesson at a time.

25. What New Game Developers are Doing Wrong

Want to learn what to avoid? And not only that, but how to break these bad habits? Check out this video on the RealTutsGML channel to make sure you're avoiding these mistakes.

26. RPG Game Design Tips

Looking to make an RPG of your own? A bit nervous about getting started? This video features RPG game design tips from Tyler Sigman, the creator of Darkest Dungeon. (Let us know when you finish, we want to play!)

27. How to Make a Good Game

As you acquire the skills and knowledge you need to put your own game together, it's worth hearing a variety of opinions from developers and gamers alike on what makes a good game.

This "tips for developers" video from YouTuber UnfairReviews offers some helpful hints and things to keep in mind as you develop and design games.

28. Boss Fights!

This video comes from YouTuber snomaN Gaming and features the "building blocks" of good boss fights. Some boss fights are certainly better than others...what sets them apart?

29. Making and Self-Publishing a Game

What are you doing these next 12 months? A year is a long time. With the help of this video, you could make and self-publish your own game in that time. SomaSim's Matthew Viglione did just that, and he spends a half hour talking about his path in this GDC 2015 talk.

30. Game Design Innovations from 2017

STORY

31. Story Writing Tips for Beginners

Is this your first time writing a story for a game? These three tips from RPG Maker might make getting started just a bit easier for you. Stories can be tricky-there's a lot to keep track of. Planning and adapting can help, and these tips will show you how.

32. Bad Writing in Video Games

Ever wonder why so many games tell such bad stories? We've all played a game where the story just...stunk. This video from the Extra Credits YouTube Channel dives into bad writing, answering this game design mystery. Sometimes, you need to know what not to do in order to do something well.

33. How to Start Your Game Narrative

There's no " definitive answer" for how to start a game narrative. But there are tips and best practices. We turn once again to the Extra Credits YouTube channel for a help. This five-minute video walks you through the inextricable link between game story and gameplay.

34. How to Write Story for Games

Hearing how other game writers think about story and go about writing stories for games can be really helpful, no matter where you are in your writing career.

Sometimes you'll feel stuck, sometimes you'll feel stale-hearing some fresh points of view can help free you from those funks, and that's what you'll get in this video: fresh perspective.

35. How to Write a Great RPG Storyline

RPGs can become especially complicated, especially when they take a non-linear approach that you don't typically see in FPS campaigns, for example. If you're looking to write a great story for a role-playing game, this video series from 7DSystem could help.

36. Twine

Text-based games are a great way to practice your storytelling. Twine is an open-source game design tool for text-based games. It's an excellent tool for practicing weaving story threads and keeping the narrative intact as players make different choices in your game.

Since it's text-based, you get the benefit of not worrying about visual assets or gameplay, and get to tell the best version of your story.

37. How to Build a Fictional World

The official TED-Ed YouTube channel has this lesson from Kate Messner on building fictional worlds. Designing video games is like building a world, just as with movies or books. Immersion comes from a cohesive, compelling, and enchanting world.

Learning to build that world will help with your storytelling, and answer some questions about your character motivations before you even have them.

38. 10 Writing and Storytelling tips

Mark Crilley has YouTube videos designed to help you create books, comics, and more. And while those aren't " video games", the storytelling parallels between the two mediums warrant this video's inclusion.

This video features 10 tips that can really help you become a better writer, and a better game designer.

39. Coming Up With Story Ideas

40. Story Tips from Gears of War

The interview covers " Writing Gears and the Problem with Video Game Storytelling. " Want to hear how AAA games have their stories written? Give this interview a watch.

TIPS, ADVICE, AND MOTIVATION

41. How the Inventor of Mario Designs a Game

Ever wonder what Shigeru Miyamoto's design philosophy was? How he was able to have a hand in hit game after hit game? This video interview will give you some answers. This interview touches on story, immersiveness, and more game elements. It's worth a look.

42. Top 10 Tips for Being a Game Designer

David Cage has been in the business of writing and directing games for close to 20 years. Two of his most well-received games are Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.

In an interview with BBC, he gives 10 tips you can use to become a game designer. You'll hear about why you should be playing games, when to trust your instincts, and more.

43. Indie Game Do's and Don't's

Edmund McMillen, known for his work on Super Meat Boy (as well as other games), knows what it takes to make great games. He admits that he knows he's "not perfect and [he's] sure as the years go by this list will change.

But from where [he stands] right now, having made independent art/games for a living for the past 10 years, the advice below is crucial to all indie game designers, and all artists for that matter." If that doesn't convince you to give it a look, nothing we say will! Give it a look!

44. Don't Give Up

Rick Davidson is a career coach who spent time as an Indie Game Developer. This short video is designed to get you motivated to finish developing your game. Or, if you haven't started yet, this video will convince you to start! It's a quick watch, but sometimes the swift kicks in the rear are best.

45. Blizzard Game Design Lecture

Rob Pardo spoke at MIT in 2014, giving a presentation on Blizzard's core design values. Pardo also spends time talking about how to appeal to bigger markets. All of it won't apply to you right now, but some, like " gameplay first ", will.

46. Getting into Game Design

How did Todd Howard, one of the masterminds behind recent installments in The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, get into the video game industry?

This video interview with Game Informer answered that question. If you're looking for a path into the industry, or you want to take a peek into Todd Howard's head, this video is worth the watch.

47. Career Advice for Making Games

What should you learn if you want to be a game designer? Their answer: everything. You won't have time to learn everything-no one will. So watch the video for tips on how to deal with that, and for strategies to pursue your game design dream.

48. The Counterintuitive Secret to Fun

Games are all about having fun (except for maybe the Dark Souls franchise). Sometimes fun can be elusive. Sometimes you lose sight of fun as you get bogged down by other details, or hung up on the wrong elements of your game.

Ian Bogost has some advice for you. We won't spoil his secret, but we will recommend that you watch his video on the secret to fun.

49. Indie Developers Talk About the Industry

You can make games. It's right in the title of this video, and it's important for you to hear it. This video gives you the skinny on what the indie developer industry looked like about 5 years ago. It's continued to grow since then, but this video is worth a watch.

50. IGN's Top 100 Game Devs: Advice - How to Get Started

We're going to leave you with a torrent of advice from a ton of top game creators. Now, the good people at IGN put this video together about eight years ago, so keep that in mind as you hear some of this advice.

Technology moves so fast these days, and that will have an impact on the game industry, those already in it, and those aspiring to join it. Good luck.

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50 Excellent Game Design Tips & Tutorials | The Mega List

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Designing Characters 1. Character Design-Conceptualizing Tutorial This tutorial walks you through how one artist developed his concept for a "crossbow archer." He starts with his idea, he shows his sketches, and he walks you through everything from form to color palette, to putting it all together at the end.

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[Veteran indie game creator Edmund McMillen, known for his work on 2005 IGF Grand Prize winner Gish, Time Fcuk, and Super Meat Boy for WiiWare, shares his opinions and manifesto on making indie games, with 24 clear do-s and don't-s to make your art thrive.]
One of the most common questions I'm asked in interviews is, "Do you have any advice for independent game developers who are new to the scene, or tips for developers in general?" Well, I actually answered it this time: I came up with this list of indie do-s and don't-s.

Now, I'm going to make clear that I'm not perfect and I'm sure as the years go by this list will change. But from where I stand right now, having made independent art/games for a living for the past 10 years, the advice below is crucial to all indie game designers, and all artists for that matter.

Also note that when I refer to a "designer" or "artist," I include programmers. All aspects of art have a fine balance of the technical and creative; just because programming is viewed as a technical field does not mean it is void of creativity.

The creative is visible in the work as a whole rather than in the specifics. Light and shadow are vital technical aspects of illustration, but without creativity the piece is nothing more then a photocopy of the subject, void of any personal touch or presence.

This is a list for the creative designer who strives to be independent. This isn't advice on how to monetize your Flash game or survive financially by copying existing trends and juicing the public for their cash. This is a list for artists who are driven by the desire for creative freedom and/or to "just make some cool shit people will love."

Anyway, here's the list. Take what works for you and leave what doesn't:

When I say "be honest" I mean to speak from your heart. Don't be manipulative or condescending in your work; treat the player how you'd wanted to be treated. Honesty is extremely valuable when making art.

2. Realize you're making art.
Game designers are artists and have advantages over non-creative jobs; think about what they are and exploit them. Your goal shouldn't be to make tons of money. If it were, you would have gone to business school or become a doctor. This is a creative field and should be treated as such first and foremost. Financing your art comes later. This is probably your greatest advantage as an indie designer.

3. Design from the heart.
Write / design around things you're passionate about. Put yourself into your work and show the world who you are. What do you love? What do you hate? Why? All notable film makers have a stamp, something that appears in their work and speaks to who they are. These themes will always come through to your audience, giving your work a sense of your self.

4. Take big risks.
Try to innovate the hell out of anything you make. From how your game plays to how it looks, be unique and you'll stand out. Push your personal limits, try new genres, mechanics and aesthetics. Experimentation and risk are the keys to growing as an artist. Don't be scared of failure; you don't have much to lose and you'll only learn from your mistakes.

5. Don't bite off more then you can chew.
If you're just starting out, think small, then think smaller. If you start on something big you won't finish it and if you do you'll be burnt out and probably won't make another. A filmmaker never starts his career with a blockbuster movie. One of the easiest mistakes to make starting out is letting ambition drive you down a path you're not ready to travel. Slow down, take your time and start simple. Prototyping is crucial for all designers.

6. Practice (make lots of small games).
Make lots of small ideas quickly; build on the ones that work. If you look at any successful or "fully realized" game in the indie scene you'll note that it began as a simple prototype. If you get an idea that feels right, simplify it. Strip it to its core element; this element will become the glue that holds your work together. The stronger the glue the more you can add. On the opposite end, if the glue isn't holding, move on. Don't waste your time trying to fix something that won't work. If it's not interesting or fun in its primitive form, it's not going to be when it's finished.

7. Make the games YOU want to make.
Go with what moves you. If you're no longer feeling something, put it down and work on what you want. I've found that all of my best games were ones I made quickly and felt passionate about. The ones that sucked were ones I lost interest in but forced myself to finish. If things have gone sour and you feel yourself losing interest in a project, try looking at it differently. A simple change of perspective or reinvention of an existing mechanic can make all the difference when you're losing motivation.

Don't make something that looks or feels exactly like an existing work. When people experience something new they're more forgiving of its design, and in the end your creation will get more attention. This should be obvious, but somehow goes over the heads of most designers. If you notice a trend in aesthetics or play mechanics: DON'T DO THAT. Avoid trends; innovate and break new ground. Stop making goddamn ninja and zombie games and if you're making a shooter don't put it in space. Seriously.

9. Think critically.
99% of game design is critical thinking. Try to find holes in your designs: if you can't fill them, move on to something else. Before you set out to work on your project you should have already given plenty of thought to how it might NOT work. Start asking how these core elements cpi;d be exploited and how might things come back to haunt you in the future. Thinking critically is the key to avoiding later conflict; always look before you leap. Take a step back from your project. Consider it the same way you would someone else's work. If you hadn't made it, what would you see as its strengths and weaknesses?

10. Play games.
You can't expect to learn anything if you aren't playing what's out. Even if they suck, games that sell well in the mainstream do it for a reason: pick them apart and find out why. If you don't play them, you won't know what NOT to do when you make your own.

11. Dissect existing formulas.
All game "genres" are formulas. Level design, teaching rules, jumping patterns: it's all according to a formula. Pick apart those formulas and see how they work. Play a shit load of games: find out what elements you like, decide why you like them, then redesign them. It's as vital to be able to deconstruct a game's formula as it is to be able construct one. In most cases you'll learn much more from deconstruction. You already have thousands of existing formulas at your disposal.

Chances are you're not a fucking kid anymore, so if you feel like making a more adult game, do so. When you're indie you don't have to answer to anyone, so stop designing games like you have to have to pass ESRB. I'm not saying everyone should make porn games, but why do all video games seem to have immature themes? People aren't stupid: stop treating them like they are. Speak through your work like you would to your friends, design for yourself and don't censor your ideas.

13. Go outside.
The world outside your room is important. It can also be very inspiring. Go take an adventure, then come home and write a game about it. That's what Miyamoto did. I believe that you can't be inspired without living. Life is what every artist pulls from; how could you pull from something that wasn't there? We all strive to be great, and most of us tend to obsess over our work, but it's important to have balance. Go do things that don't involve video games and computers. Don't become stagnant.

14. Stay balanced.
Many designers are prone to depression or other mental disorders. Take care of your brain and, most importantly, yourself.

15. Stay Grounded.
No matter how good you think you are there'll always be someone better. stay humble and accept that you're not perfect. A designer's ego can easily put up walls that will stunt his growth just because he doesn't want to admit he might be wrong. The moment you think you have nothing to learn is the moment you should quit. Be honest with yourself, admit your flaws and shortcomings and accept that you're probably wrong.

16. Be open to feedback.
If a bunch of people say your game is lacking in some area, but you insist it's perfect, chances are you're wrong. It's hard to take critical feedback, especially when it's right. Loosen up, stay humble, remember you're not as great as you think you are. If players agree that something's wrong, you should probably take a step back to reconsider what you're doing. But don't make the mistake of just doing what your audience expects. If they have an issue with something, figure out why. If people don't like how your game controls, this could mean one of hundreds of things, from how things move in the game to what buttons it uses. When responding to feedback, ask specific questions and try to find the root of the problem. Don't attempt a quick fix by just cutting out the problem.

17. Work with people.
People are nice. Some are good at things you aren't. Game design uses your whole brain; chances are you're lacking in some area. Find someone who can fill your hole. In my experience, there's a yin/yang dynamic between a person with a technical mind and one with a creative mind. I've found in this a perfect marriage of ideas and approaches. That's not to say this will be everyone's experience. But I do think it's important to work with at least one other person. The indie game designer can easily become a hermit and having someone else in the room to validate an idea can be the one thing that stops you from becoming that recluse who bathes with bleach.

Talk to other designers, fans, the media about what you're doing. You might gain some perspective on how others view your work, maybe even make a few friends. There's no shame about wanting to talk to people about your work. The biggest misconception is to assume that people don't want to hear about creative folks. They do. Writers love to write about you, fans want to know about your next project, and designers want to share their ideas and experiences with you. Talk!

19. Be excited about your work.
If you can't get excited about something you've done, how can you expect others to be? Talk about your work and sell yourself as well as your game. If your work doesn't excite you, why are you doing it? If you're not happy doing what you do, stop. It's impossible to be properly motivated unless you love what you're doing; don't be scared to let that passion spill into the press. Being indie means making your own rules: if your own rules don't excite you, rethink them.

20. Join communities.
Indie game communities are booming: join one. You don't have to post anything, but reading them will give you an understanding of the dos and don'ts of beginning game development, as well as insight and opinions about design in general.

21. Learn a little about business.
Business sucks ass, but it's important to know something about it so you'll know if you're getting fucked over. This goes hand-in-hand with networking: ask like-minded people about business situations they've been in. Find out how much things go for, percentage cuts, sales numbers and the best places to sell your wares. It's easy to get caught up in a seemingly amazing publishing deal if you have no perspective on how things work, and just as easy to get totally fucked over and lose your intellectual property in the process.

22. Don't worry about being poor.
Indie game designers are starving artists. Be frugal and humble. Again, your goal shouldn't be financial gain first and foremost, If it is, you will most likely fail. A profitable indie game designer is a rare thing. If you value money over "a job well done" then this isn't the field for you.

23. Try to make money.
Selling your work, getting your games sponsored, using online ads or asking for donations are all means of making money from your work. You need money to eat, so try to make some.

If you're not having fun then quit. You only live once; there's no reason to keep doing something if it's not making you happy.

[Edmund McMillen is an independent game designer & illustrator based in Santa Cruz, CA. Best known for his work on Gish, Braid and the upcoming Super Meat Boy. Edmund has also spent the past 6 years working on honing his craft by releasing smaller, more personal online projects like Coil, Aether and Time Fcuk.]

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Opinion: Indie Game Design Do-s and Don't-s: A Manifesto

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Veteran indie game creator Edmund McMillen, known for his work on 2005 IGF Grand Prize winner Gish, Time Fcuk, and Super Meat Boy for WiiWare, shares his opinions and manifesto on making indie games, with 24 clear do-s and don't-s to make your art thrive.]

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While all manner of businesses are struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, some tech companies-including those working in virtual reality (VR)-are seeing an increase in demand.

The tourism and property industries, as well as global conferences, have all turned to the technology in an effort to carry on, despite the challenging circumstances. There has been a significant spike in audiences streaming VR content and watching 360° video and as WFH becomes the new normal, VR communication and training platforms, like Rumii, are seeing an increase in usage-as much as 50 percent in Rumii's case.

Some of these changes will prevail after the crisis has passed. We can expect more consumers and businesses to have an appetite for VR. Now is an interesting time to look at the industry and the career prospects it offers.

Before lockdown, I was constantly meeting people who wanted to upskill, reskill, or even completely retrain in immersive technology, and I tended to get asked the same sorts of questions:

"Where should I start?"

"Is there a good course I should apply for?"

"What skills are really needed?"

So, here are some tips for getting started in the industry for anyone wanting to embark on career in virtual reality.
Where Do I Start?
If you're interested in the software side of things, you'll need experience working with 3D modeling and design software, integrated development environments, and programming languages such as C# or C++. In addition, graphics programming and even game development practices are useful.

If you're more interested in building new platforms, headsets or devices-the hardware side of things-you'll need to become familiar with hardware engineering and modern electronics.

Basic information technology (IT) knowledge and skills may also help you progress. Many augmented reality (AR) and VR platforms deal with networking and connectivity. While experience in data handling and cybersecurity could be useful as the streaming experiences and content delivered on a VR platform will be collecting and amassing data, and it needs to remain secure and private.

Mobile application and software development experience may be an incredibly lucrative path to follow if augmented reality is a sector you want to pursue.
What Does My Portfolio Need To Contain?
Ideally, your portfolio should include a range of work/projects to showcase the breadth of your skills and experience. Including "works in progress" can be a great way to show your process. However, be wary of including any examples that you're not happy with, or which don't accurately reflect your abilities.

There are generally two main types of interactive VR employee: the "VR Developer" and "3D Artist". A strong portfolio of a "VR Developer" would include:

A showreel of VR experiences or games created in a game engine

Detail of content created

Example code in C#, C++ or equivalent and/or UE4 Blueprint examples

A link to the game or experience for download

A strong portfolio for a "3D Artist" would include:

A showreel of game-ready assets

Turntables

Wireframes and examples of those assets in engine-UE4, Unity or Marmoset-it would be even better to see them in use

What Roles Exist In VR?
VR is currently very similar to traditional 3D game development in terms of pipeline. Modeling and animating are completed in 3ds Max or Maya, sculpting and texturing in ZBrush, Mudbox, or Mari and Unreal Engine or Unity are used to bring the project together. Content is then delivered for Oculus, HTC Vive, Playstation VR, etc.

Pretty much anything you'd see in software development as a common career path is something you'll also see in virtual reality. This includes positions such as:
Top Tips

Stay up-to-date on the latest VR trends and technology. Follow the topic on social media, attend webinars, and conferences.

It's important to stay curious and open-minded. Immersive tools and techniques are no longer confined to games studios. These skills can now be applied to numerous industries including automotive, marketing, and film.

If you have limited experience, build something yourself and put it out there. The quality of your initial work may not be the best, but the commitment to building things and practicing in your free time will set you apart and show you are serious about a career in VR.

Make connections. Approach companies whose work you admire, if they can't offer a job perhaps they can offer advice. Joining groups on professional social networks can also help as many VR professionals belong to and network within these groups.

Develop your strengths, but also learn about the whole process. A good artist who understands a bit about programming, or a good programmer who understands a bit about art, will be more employable than someone who is just OK at both.

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Top Tips For Breaking Into The Virtual Reality Industry

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While all manner of businesses are struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, some tech companies-including those working in virtual reality (VR)-are seeing an increase in demand. The tourism and property industries, as well as global conferences, have all turned to the technology in an effort to carry on, despite the challenging circumstances.

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Well, just look at you! You went out and picked up a Samsung Gear VR unit, and you're ready to dive into the world of virtual reality. Except I notice this is going to be your first time trying the immersive medium out.

That's cool! I'm not here to judge. I actually want to help you.

I know you're impatient and want to leap face-first into virtual reality, but before you do, I have some basic advice that will hopefully keep your first time from becoming a disaster.

1. Have a friend with you (who's willing to babysit)

Trying virtual reality can be a little like when a friend decides they want to do shrooms or drop some LSD for the first time. It's best for everyone in the immediate vicinity that the user has a companion around to make sure no one gets hurt.

In this case, your friend is going to be your guide in the real world as you experience the virtual one. Except instead of making sure you keep your clothes on and don't try to leap out of a window, they are there to make sure you don't trip, fall, and crack your head on the coffee table while you pet a virtual dinosaur.

Besides acting as your trusty link to the real world, this person can also be extremely helpful at setting up the unit, putting on headphones, and handing controllers. Eventually, you'll be experienced enough to not need a handler, but it's a smart precaution to have someone around to help out your first time. Also, obviously, don't be stingy. Swap roles. Otherwise, you risk losing friends in the real world.

2. Sit down

It's tempting to try and take in the entire experience standing up, especially if you grew up in the '90s and remember how movies made virtual reality look like some sort of cyber athletics - but trust me on this one. Just sit your ass down.

Even if the virtual experience is stationary, under the right conditions, virtual reality can screw with the brain's ability to distinguish if your body is in motion. You may be telling yourself on one level that you're not flying through outer space ... that you're just sitting on the couch ... but other parts of your brain can't tell and will occasionally override your logic.

Then the next thing you know, you're on the floor in real life with a smashed Samsung Gear VR dangling from your face.

3. Clear at least three feet of space around you in all directions

If you insist on standing, double that to six feet for the potential fall factor.

I'll admit that the three-foot recommendation may be a bit extreme for sitting on the couch, but you just need to make sure you're not going to whip your head around and smack that antique Ming vase sitting on the end table. Or that you don't accidentally headbutt the baby you left on your couch.

Look. I don't know what you keep in your house. Just for the sake of your head and the physical possessions you covet, don't have them right next to you while you're using your headset.

4. Take small doses

It is absolutely normal to feel motion sickness and headaches when you first try virtual reality. As cool as virtual reality is, don't overdo it. For most people, it will take a couple of sessions to get used to the sensation of the experience and be able to spend long periods of time inside a headset.

Just to pace yourself, I recommend going for 5-10 minutes. Then pass the goggles over to someone else so they can try. Feel it out. If you are getting sick or headaches, stop and chill out for a bit. Take a breather. Relax. Then try it again.

Some people may never get used to virtual reality, and that's fine. There are still people who get sick watching first-person shooters or riding in cars. It's not unheard of.

5. Find a Bluetooth controller

This is especially true if you're going to play virtual reality games instead of just theme-ride style experiences. One of virtual reality's current challenges is finding a good control scheme, and although the controls on the Samsung Gear VR unit are good for menu selection, they aren't so great for game control.

6. Keep a puke bucket close by

This tip is for the worst case scenario, where you ignored tip No. 4 and tried to be a tough guy by pushing your motion sickness beyond its limit. Is the bravado really worth having to clean puke out of your carpet?

The answer is "no."

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6 tips for your first time in virtual reality

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Well, just look at you! You went out and picked up a Samsung Gear VR unit, and you're ready to dive into the world of virtual reality. Except I notice this is going to be your first time trying the immersive medium out. That's cool! I'm not here to judge.